A typing test for a job: what employers ask for.
Many jobs ask for a typing speed, often 35 to 45 net words a minute over five minutes. What that means, which tests employers accept, and how to practise.
By Suraj Kumar4 min read
Office, court, medical and government jobs often ask how fast you type. Some take your word for it, some test you themselves, and some ask for a certificate from a test they name. Here is what the requests mean, and how to practise for them.
What employers ask for.
A typical request is 35 to 45 net words a minute, over five minutes, with few mistakes. Net means the words you typed right, which is what KeepSimp's words a minute counts.
The State of California, for example, asks for at least 40 words a minute, and accepts certificates only from tests that were watched over (proctored) and lasted at least five minutes. The Superior Court in Fresno County asks for 35 net words a minute over five minutes, from a list of testing providers it names.
A test here is practice, not a certificate.
KeepSimp's test runs on your own device with no one watching, so it cannot prove your speed to anyone, and it does not give certificates. When an employer asks for a certificate, take the test they name.
What it is good for is knowing where you stand before that test, and practising until the number is comfortably above what is asked.
Practise on passages, for five minutes.
Employers' tests are usually passages of real writing, with capitals and punctuation, not lists of common words. The 5 minute typing test gives you passages from classic books, so your practice looks like the real thing.
Five minutes is long enough for tiredness to show. If your speed falls away towards the end, the chart under your result shows it; build up with shorter tests and lengthen them.
Data entry is measured in keystrokes.
Jobs that enter numbers often ask for keystrokes an hour instead of words a minute, typically 8,000 to 10,000. Choose Numbers in the test, and the result gives keystrokes an hour as well.
Further reading
Topics: typing test for job · typing test for employment · 5 minute typing test · typing certificate · net wpm for jobs · typing speed requirement
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