You need one honest number before you apply for a job that asks for one, because writing a typing speed on a CV that you cannot repeat in the room is worse than writing nothing. You do not need a website to get it. You need a phone timer and something to type into.
Time yourself for one minute. That is the whole method, and it is the same one an employer's test uses.
- Open any notes app or word processor. Offline is fine.
- Pick a paragraph to copy from. A job advert is ideal, because that is the kind of text you will actually be typing.
- Set a timer for one minute, start it, and type the paragraph as accurately as you can. Do not stop to fix things you cannot see.
- When the minute ends, count the words you typed. Most apps have a word count. If yours does not, count them.
That number is your words a minute. Do it three times and take the middle result, not the best one. The best one is the number you will not be able to repeat in an interview.
Then count the mistakes. Read your minute against the original and count the words that are wrong. Four mistakes in forty words is ninety percent accuracy, which is low. One in forty is about ninety seven percent, which is good. You do not need to be exact here, you need to know whether it is one or ten.
Write both numbers down with the date. Speed alone means nothing to an employer who is going to test you on both.
What the number means, using real requirements from adverts on this site:
- Under 25: that is roughly two finger speed. Go back to lesson 2 and check your method rather than practising harder.
- 25 to 34: real progress, and enough for many general admin roles that do not state a figure.
- 35 to 44: you meet the minimum stated by posts like the entry level jobs at the Office of the Chief Justice.
- 45 and above: you meet what admin posts asking 45 have wanted, and you are approaching what a remote data entry post asking around 50 wants.
Put it on your CV only if it is true and current. "Typing: 42 words a minute, 97% accuracy" is a strong line on an admin CV. Retest in the week before an interview, so the number is one you can produce under pressure.
Is timing myself as good as a real typing test?
For knowing where you are, yes. A test site counts for you and marks the errors, which is convenient, but the measurement is the same: words typed in a minute, minus the ones that are wrong. Doing it yourself has three advantages that matter here. It costs no data, it needs no account, and you can do it on any machine you can borrow, including one with no internet at all.
I typed 40 but with lots of mistakes. What does that mean?
That your real figure is lower than 40, because an employer's test deducts errors. Go back to lesson 4 and practise at the speed where you rarely miss. The clean number will pass your messy one within a couple of weeks, and it will be a number you can repeat.
The advert asks for 40 and I am at 30. Should I still apply?
Yes, unless the advert says the test is a hard gate. Apply, do not overstate the number, and keep practising while your application sits. Nobody has been rejected for a number they did not claim to have, and plenty of people are rejected for one they claimed and could not produce.
Before you move on
- Time yourself for one minute, three times, and take the middle
- Count your mistakes against the original
- Only put the number on your CV if you can repeat it
Check what you know
2 questions. Have a look at what this lesson asks.
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