Type office emails, letters and memos, then read your WPM and accuracy.
WPMType each word and press space after it. The clock starts on your first key.TO:Allstaff.SUBJECT:Officeclosure.ThesecondfloorwillbeclosedfromFriday2OctobertoSunday4Octoberwhiletheheatingsystemisreplaced.PleaseclearyourdeskofpapersbyThursdayeveningandtakehomeanythingyouneed.ThegroundfloorwillstayopenonFridayforanyonewhocannotworkfromhome.NormalworkingresumesonMonday5October.
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This is a self-test. It gives no certificate, and an employer will not accept it.
–This run
–Your best
–Last run
1 minute of typing. Words per minute is correct characters divided by five; accuracy is correct keystrokes out of all keystrokes.
This pre employment typing test times you on the text an office types: emails, letters, memos and notes, with names, dates and times. Pick a passage, set 1, 3 or 5 minutes, and read your WPM and accuracy.
Read the full guide
How to pass a typing test
Ask the recruiter three things: the speed, the length of the test and how errors count. Practise at that length; a US federal clerical test uses 5 minutes. Get accuracy first: a word with one wrong letter is marked wrong.
What WPM counts here
Five correct characters count as one word, per minute. Under a clock, a passage that ends hands over to the next. Start with Email: moving the Tuesday meeting, then try the notes, which carry the most figures.
Type the names and figures slowly: in an office text they are the words that matter most.
Questions and answers
What typing speed do employers ask for?
It varies, so ask. For US federal Clerk-Typist and Office Automation posts, the Office of Personnel Management asks for 40 words per minute, measured on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors.
Where can I take a typing test?
The test that counts is the one the employer names, so ask the recruiter which one and where. For US federal clerical posts, the same standard also accepts a certificate from an authorised school or self-certification. Here you can practise as often as you like.
Will an employer accept a result from this page?
No. This is a self-test with no certificate and nothing to verify who typed. Use it to find your speed and your weak spots before the real test.
All 12 passages
Emails 4
Email: moving the Tuesday meetingTwo times and a room number: one wrong digit sends people to the wrong place.
Email: new starter's first dayLists inside a sentence need commas in the right places.
Email: order delay to a customerAn order number mixes letters and digits; type it slowly and check it.
Email: reply to a supplier quoteThe % sign is Shift and 5, easy to miss at speed.
Letters and memos 4
Letter: complaint replyApostrophes in contractions and possessives are easy to drop at speed.
Letter: confirming an interviewA formal letter opens and closes in set phrases; type them without looking.
Memo: new visitor sign-in rulesA memo has headings in capitals followed by colons; watch Caps Lock.
Memo: office closure for repairsDates written in full with days of the week: check each pair matches.
Notes, messages and reports 4
Instructions: booking a meeting roomNumbered steps in a sentence; keep the numbers and full stops in order.
Meeting notes: action pointsShort lines with names and deadlines; each needs a capital and a full stop.
Phone message for a colleagueA phone number in groups: the spaces are part of the text.
Short report: printer useFigures and percentages close together; the number row gets a workout.