Australian Typing Test
Australian-convention English on the keyboard Australians actually have — live WPM, accuracy and consistency.
Last updated
British spelling, American keyboard — the thing that confuses everyone
Australia is the market where the two halves of “English localisation” come apart, and almost no typing site gets it right. Australian written English follows British convention — colour, organise, centre, realise, programme — and every style guide in the country will insist on it.
The keyboard, however, is the American ANSI layout. Not the British ISO one. Australian keyboards have the wide single-row Enter key, the apostrophe and at sign in their US positions, no dedicated pound key, and no extra key beside the left Shift. A visitor from the UK borrowing an Australian laptop hits exactly the same wall as one borrowing an American laptop.
So this page pairs the two the way Australia actually pairs them: British English passages, typed on a US physical layout. If you are curious about the layout difference itself, the UK vs US keyboard layout guide covers it key by key. New Zealand works the same way — see the New Zealand typing test.
Typing for Australian roles
Administrative and clerical postings with the Australian Public Service and many private employers assess typing speed and accuracy during recruitment. This test reports the same net-WPM figure those assessments use — (correct characters ÷ 5) ÷ minutes, with uncorrected errors subtracted.
About the AS2708 standard
AS2708 is Australia’s formal keyboarding competency standard, assessed through accredited providers, and it is what a TAFE keyboarding unit or an accredited assessment centre will issue against. This page is a free practice tool for general speed and accuracy — it is not the official AS2708 assessment, and a score here should not be presented as an AS2708 certification. Practising here before you sit the real one is entirely sensible; describing a result here as accredited is not.
Typing speed for Australian roles
| Role | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| General admin | 35–40 WPM |
| APS clerical (APS 3–5) | 40+ WPM, high accuracy |
| Data entry | 45–60 WPM |
| Legal / medical secretary | 50+ WPM |
| Transcription | 65+ WPM |
Requirements vary by agency and level, so treat these as typical ranges and read the specific role description. For role-based practice, see the typing test for jobs hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. AS2708 is Australia's accredited keyboarding standard, assessed by approved providers. This is a free practice tool using the same general WPM and accuracy methodology — useful preparation, but not an accreditation.
The US (ANSI) layout, despite Australia using British spelling. That means the wide Enter key, the at sign on Shift+2, the apostrophe in its US position, and no dedicated pound key — the opposite pairing to the UK.
The passages follow British convention, which is what Australian style guides use: colour, organise, centre, realise, programme, plus metric units.
Many administrative and clerical Australian Public Service roles assess typing speed as part of recruitment. Requirements vary by agency and level, so check the specific role.
Yes — in Australia, "typing test" and "touch typing test" both refer to this kind of live speed-and-accuracy exercise.
For many reception and general admin roles, yes. Roles that are heavy on typing — data entry, legal and medical admin, executive assistant — commonly look for 50–60 WPM with high accuracy.
With 15–30 minutes a day, most people learn the key positions in one to two weeks, match their old speed in three to six weeks and reach 50–60 WPM in two to three months.
Got another question? Browse the full typing FAQ →