Typing Speed Test

How to use it

1. Click into the box and start typing the passage.
2. The timer starts on your first key.
3. Read your speed and accuracy at the end.

Good to know

WPM is calculated the standard way, counting five correct characters as one word, so mistakes lower your score.

The average typist reaches about 40 WPM. Accuracy matters more than raw speed when you are practising.

How your score is calculated

• WPM is your correct characters, divided by five, divided by minutes elapsed.
• Each character is compared by position. If you skip a letter, everything after it is marked wrong until you go back and fix it.
• Accuracy looks at the text as it stands now, so a mistake you correct no longer counts against it, though correcting it costs time.
• The test stops after 60 seconds, or when you reach the end of the passage. Fast typists may finish early, and the score uses the actual time taken.

What the numbers mean

Improving your speed

• Aim for 96% accuracy or better before chasing speed. Errors teach your fingers the wrong movements.
• Rest your fingers on the home row, with index fingers on F and J, and use the raised bumps to find them without looking.
• Practise for 10 to 15 minutes a day, which works better than one long weekly session.
• Stop looking at the keyboard, even if it makes you slower for a couple of weeks.
• Take the test on the same keyboard each time, so that results are comparable.

Questions