Canadian Typing Test
English typing practice for Canadian job applications and federal or provincial keyboarding assessments.
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Typing for Canadian job applications
Many Government of Canada and provincial public-service clerical postings include a keyboarding or typing-speed assessment in the hiring process. This test uses the same net-WPM methodology those assessments use — (correct characters ÷ 5) ÷ minutes, with uncorrected errors subtracted — so a score here translates directly.
About the spelling on this page — an honest note
Canadian written English sits between British and American convention, and it does so inconsistently: colour and centre follow the British pattern, whilst organize, analyze, program and tire follow the American one. There is no single rule, which is exactly why a “Canadian English” passage set is harder to build than it looks.
So, plainly: the passages here use the American set. Most of the difference is confined to -our and -re endings, which is a handful of words per passage and will not move your WPM noticeably. If you would rather practise against consistently British spelling, the UK typing test runs a separate British English set. We would rather tell you which set you are typing than imply a localisation we have not built.
Bilingual and French-language roles
A large share of federal positions are designated bilingual, and typing in French on a Canadian Multilingual Standard or Canadian French keyboard is a genuinely different skill: accented characters — é è à ç ô — sit on keys an English typist never reaches, and they appear constantly in ordinary French prose.
This page does not cover that. There is no French content set on this site yet. If a bilingual assessment is what you are preparing for, this test will build your general speed and accuracy but it will not train the accented-character reaches you will actually be judged on. It is on the roadmap, and we would rather say so than let you find out at the assessment.
Typing speed for Canadian roles
| Role | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| General office / admin assistant | 35–45 WPM |
| Federal / provincial clerical | 40+ WPM keyboarding |
| Data entry | 45–60 WPM |
| Executive assistant | 55–65 WPM |
| Transcription | 65+ WPM |
Requirements are set per posting — the job poster is authoritative. For a broader look at role-based testing, see the typing test for jobs hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. There is no French content set on this site yet, and French typing on a Canadian Multilingual or Canadian French layout involves accented-character reaches this test will not train. It is on the roadmap.
The passages use the American set. Canadian convention is genuinely mixed — colour and centre follow British usage while organize and program follow American — so rather than claim a localisation we have not built, we tell you which set you are typing. The UK page runs a consistently British set if you prefer that.
Many clerical and administrative postings with the Government of Canada and the provinces include a keyboarding or typing-speed component. Check the specific job poster for the exact requirement.
Yes, completely free with no account required to take a test.
Clerical and administrative postings that state a speed commonly ask for around 40 WPM; data-entry and executive-assistant roles often want 50–60 WPM, with accuracy of 95% or better.
Most English-speaking Canadians use the US layout. In Quebec and some government offices you will also meet the Canadian French and Canadian Multilingual Standard layouts, which move several punctuation keys to make room for accented letters.
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