How the 5-minute test works
The test above runs for five minutes on real text: whole passages from the site’s library of quotes, classic novels, fables, science, history and everyday writing, one after another, with their capitals, commas and periods. That is much closer to an employer’s typing test than a stream of common lowercase words, and five minutes is long enough for a slow patch or a run of mistakes to show in the result. The clock starts with your first key, and Esc gives you a fresh passage at any point.
Reading your result like a hiring office
Civil-service typing tests report two speeds. Gross speed counts everything you typed, five characters to a word. Net speed then takes off one word per minute for every error left in the text, which is how the City of Los Angeles wants typing certificates scored and how the State of Iowa asks for scores to be reported. The line under your verdict does exactly that sum, for example “46 gross WPM − 4 errors = 42 net WPM”, and says whether you stayed within the three errors the federal standard allows in a 5-minute sample.
The big WPM figure is this site’s own measure: it only counts words you typed correctly. If the two numbers are close, you fix mistakes as you go; if the civil-service score is well below, you’re leaving errors in, and slowing down slightly will raise it.
Typing requirements in US government jobs
| Employer | Job | What they ask for |
|---|---|---|
| US federal government (OPM) | Clerk-Typist, Office Automation Clerk or Assistant | 40 WPM, measured on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors |
| City of Los Angeles | Police Service Representative | A certificate showing 32 net WPM on a 5-minute timed test, one word per minute deducted per error |
| State of California (CalHR) | State jobs that need a typing certificate | At least 40 WPM on a proctored test 5 minutes long |
The federal standard also lets applicants self-certify their speed, but agencies may test anyone who does.
Getting ready for the real test
Take a few one-minute warm-ups on the standard typing test first, then do the full five minutes here two or three times and watch the civil-service score rather than your best single run. If the job involves forms, figures or invoices, try the data entry typing test as well, and if the posting asks for a 10-key speed, practice on the 10-key test.
Where the text comes from
Real text strings together whole passages, picked at random from 371 passages in 6 categories, never the same passage twice in one test:
- Quotes: 104
- Classic books: 55
- Fables & tales: 51
- Science & nature: 58
- History & places: 58
- Everyday & work: 45