How to test and improve your typing speed
Typing speed is measured in words per minute, with a word defined as five characters. This guide explains gross and net WPM and accuracy, gives a worked example, and offers practical habits that raise speed without letting accuracy slip.
The short version
- Take a baseline test of one or two minutes on a plain passage.
- Note your accuracy first, then your net WPM.
- Practise daily for a few minutes, slowing down until accuracy is high.
- Retest weekly and compare like with like (same length and difficulty).
Skip the arithmetic. The free Typing Speed Test does this for you, shows the formula and the working with your own numbers, and runs in your browser - nothing you type is uploaded. Also useful: Word Counter, Classroom Timer.
How WPM is calculated
A “word” is 5 characters, spaces and punctuation included, so passages with long and short words are scored on the same scale.
Corrected mistakes are not errors - they only cost you the time it took to fix them. The same 125 characters in a 30-second test also give 50 WPM, because the minutes are 0.5.
What speed is “good”?
It depends on what you need it for. As a rough idea, many people type somewhere around 35 to 45 WPM without training, and 60 WPM or more is fast for everyday work. For most jobs accuracy above about 95% matters more than top speed, because fixing mistakes takes longer than typing slowly and correctly.
Habits that help
- Accuracy first. Slow down until you make almost no mistakes, then speed up gradually.
- Eyes on the text, not the keys. Learn the home row and use all your fingers.
- Short daily practice beats one long weekly session.
- Keep a steady rhythm. Even keystrokes are faster than bursts and pauses.
- Practise the hard parts: numbers and symbols, which slow almost everyone down.
A simple four-week practice plan
- Week 1: five minutes a day on an easy passage, aiming for 97% accuracy or better. Ignore speed.
- Week 2: the same, but push the pace until accuracy dips to about 95%, then ease off.
- Week 3: add a medium passage with punctuation and capital letters.
- Week 4: take a two-minute test and compare your net WPM with week 1.
Progress is rarely a straight line, so judge by the weekly trend rather than any single test.
Comparing tests fairly
Scores are only comparable on similar text. A passage full of numbers and punctuation will give a lower WPM than plain words. Use the same length and difficulty each time, and expect small differences from run to run - try an average of two or three tests.