Typing Speed Test
Take a free typing speed test and see your words per minute and accuracy in 1, 3 or 5 minutes. Type the passage shown, and the timer starts with your first keystroke. You get net WPM, gross WPM, accuracy and an error count instantly, plus your last ten results saved on this device.
Net WPM
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Gross WPM
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Accuracy
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Errors
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Your Recent Results on This Device
| Length | Net WPM | Accuracy |
|---|
How to Use the Typing Test for Practice
To use the typing test for practice, choose a test length, click in the typing box and start copying the passage. The timer starts with your first keystroke, so you can read the opening words before you begin. When time runs out, the box locks and your result appears.
- Choose 1 minute, 3 minutes or 5 minutes.
- Place your fingers on the home row and start typing the text shown above the box.
- Watch the highlighted text: correct characters turn one color, mistakes another, and the cursor shows your position.
- Fix mistakes with backspace if you want them to stop counting against your net score.
- Read your net WPM, gross WPM, accuracy and errors, then press Restart With New Text for another attempt.
Pasting is disabled, and each attempt shuffles our original passages, so you cannot memorize the order. Your last ten results appear in a table on this device.
Typing Test 1 Minute
The typing test 1 minute option is ideal for a quick warm-up or daily check. One minute is short enough to repeat several times in a row, but a single slip has a bigger effect on the result. Take three one-minute tests and note the middle score.
3 Minutes Typing Test
The 3 minutes typing test is a good balance between speed and stamina. It is long enough that a strong start cannot carry the whole result and short enough to fit into a break. Use it as your standard practice length.
Typing Test 5 Minutes
The typing test 5 minutes option is closest to many employer tests. Five minutes shows whether you can hold your speed and accuracy as your hands tire. If your net WPM drops sharply in the longer test, build stamina with more 3- and 5-minute sessions.
Free Typing Test
This free typing test measures how fast and how accurately you type real sentences. It runs in your browser with no sign-up and reports results using the standard definitions employers and typing tutors use. You can take it as often as you like to track the speed of typing over weeks of practice.
Use it to prepare for a typing test for jobs, to check your progress after a touch-typing course or simply to see your WPM. Because every attempt is scored the same way, your saved history gives a fair picture of improvement.
How the Word per Minute Typing Test Is Calculated
A word per minute typing test treats every five characters, including spaces and punctuation, as one word. This keeps scores comparable whether a passage uses short or long words. Our test calculates three numbers from what you type and the time elapsed.
Typing Test Words per Minute Formula
The typing test words per minute formula has two versions:
- Gross WPM = (characters typed ÷ 5) ÷ minutes.
- Net WPM = gross WPM − (uncorrected errors ÷ minutes).
- Accuracy = correct characters ÷ characters typed × 100.
For example, if you type 1,000 characters in 5 minutes, your gross speed is 200 words ÷ 5 = 40 WPM. If 25 characters are still wrong at the end, you lose 5 WPM and your net speed is 35 WPM. The error count shown separately tracks every wrong keystroke, including ones you later fixed.
Typing Test Accuracy and Speed
Typing test accuracy and speed pull against each other. Rushing raises gross WPM but adds errors, and every uncorrected error per minute takes a full word off your net score. Most employers look at net WPM and accuracy together, so a slightly slower, cleaner result usually beats a fast, error-filled one.
WPM Test Benchmarks
The most useful WPM test benchmark is the requirement in the job you are applying for. Employers set their own minimums and usually state them in the posting or tell you before the assessment. Without one, compare your results with your own history and aim for steady gains in net WPM while keeping accuracy high.
How Many WPM to Pass a Typing Test
How many WPM you need to pass a typing test depends entirely on the employer and role, so check the posting or ask the recruiter. Once you know the number, practise until your typical net WPM, not your best, sits comfortably above it on a test of the same length.
Typing Test Speed by Job
Typing test speed requirements vary with what a job involves. This table shows what different roles tend to emphasize, rather than fixed numbers:
| Role | What the test usually emphasizes |
|---|---|
| Data entry | Speed and accuracy on numbers and codes, sometimes measured in keystrokes per hour (KPH) |
| Administrative and office roles | Net WPM on ordinary business text |
| 911 dispatcher | Accurate typing while listening and multitasking |
| Medical scribe | Speed with medical vocabulary and accuracy under time pressure |
| Transcription | Sustained speed and very high accuracy over long passages |
A typing test with numbers matters most for data entry. KPH and WPM measure different things: KPH counts every keystroke over an hour, while WPM counts five-character words per minute.
Typing Test Words and Practice Texts
Our typing test words come from original practice passages written for this site, covering topics such as study habits, practice tests, licensing exams and clear writing. They use ordinary sentences with capital letters, commas and periods, which reflects the business text most employer tests use.
Each attempt joins the passages in a new random order and repeats them if you type fast enough to reach the end. This stops you from memorizing a single paragraph and keeps your results honest.
Typing Test for Free Online
This typing test for free online works on any modern browser. For the most accurate results, use a physical keyboard, sit upright with your wrists level and close other tabs that might steal focus. After typing practice, try our reading speed test or a free IQ test, and if you are applying for jobs, our aptitude test practice covers the reasoning tests that often come alongside a typing check.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Is a Typing Test?
Most typing tests last between 1 and 5 minutes. Our typing speed test offers 1, 3 and 5 minute options. Employers often use longer tests because a few extra minutes smooth out a lucky or unlucky start, so practise at the length your employer names in the job posting.
What Typing Test Do Employers Use?
Employers use many different typing tests, often delivered through an online assessment platform or a staffing agency. Most report net WPM and accuracy, and data entry roles may also test numeric keystrokes. The job posting or recruiter usually tells you the length and the minimum speed they expect.
How Does a Typing Test Work?
A typing test shows a passage and asks you to copy it as quickly and accurately as you can within a time limit. The test counts the characters you type, divides by five to get words, and divides by the minutes elapsed. Errors you leave uncorrected are subtracted to give net WPM.
Are Typing Tests Accurate?
Typing tests are accurate at measuring how fast you copied that particular text on that day, using the standard five-characters-per-word rule. Results vary with the passage, keyboard, fatigue and nerves. Take three or four tests and use your typical result rather than your single best one.
Can Typing Speed Be Improved?
Yes, typing speed can be improved with regular, focused practice. Learn touch typing with your fingers on the home row, look at the screen instead of the keyboard and practise accuracy before speed. Short daily sessions work better than one long session a week.
Can You Do a Typing Test on a Phone?
You can open our typing test on a phone, and the timer and scoring work the same way. A phone keyboard measures thumb typing, though, which is very different from keyboard typing. For job preparation, practise on a physical keyboard similar to the one you will use at work.
Is There a Free Typing Test?
Yes, this typing speed test is completely free, with no account, download or email required. You can repeat it as often as you like, each attempt uses a fresh order of original practice passages, and your last ten results are saved in your browser.