USA Typing Test
American English passages, scored the way US employers score them — practice for the typing screen before you sit the real one.
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What a US pre-employment typing test actually looks like
Most people arrive at a typing test because an employer, a staffing agency or a civil-service application put one in front of them. It is worth knowing what that assessment usually involves, because it is narrower than people expect and the surprises are avoidable.
- Between three and five minutes. Agency screens are rarely the 15-second sprints you see on typing sites. Endurance and a steady pace matter more than a fast opening burst — practice at five minutes at least once before the real thing.
- Net WPM, not gross. Uncorrected errors are subtracted. Typing 70 gross with 90% accuracy scores worse than typing 55 clean.
- Backspace is often disabled. Many assessment platforms lock it, so an error stays an error. If you have trained yourself to fix everything, that habit will cost you.
- An accuracy floor. A large number of postings state something like “45 WPM at 95% accuracy”. Miss the accuracy figure and the speed figure does not rescue you.
- A separate 10-key test for data-entry and accounting roles, scored in keystrokes per hour rather than WPM. That is a different skill — practice it on the number typing test.
Where a typing test shows up in US hiring
- Staffing and temp agencies — Robert Half, Kelly, Adecco and similar routinely test administrative candidates before placing them, and the score follows your file.
- USPS Exam 473 — the postal service’s entry assessment is primarily coding and memory rather than prose typing, but speed and accuracy under time pressure is exactly the underlying skill, and clerk roles do involve sustained keyboard work.
- State and county clerical exams — many civil-service job classifications publish an explicit WPM minimum in the job specification, frequently 35 to 45 WPM for entry-level clerk grades.
- Court reporting and transcription — a different world entirely. Certified court reporters work on a stenotype machine at 180–225 WPM. Standard QWERTY transcription roles ask for 65–80.
Typing speed for US jobs
| Role | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| General office / admin | 35–45 WPM |
| Data entry | 45–60 WPM, plus a 10-key test |
| Customer support / remote work | 40–50 WPM |
| Executive assistant | 55–65 WPM |
| Medical / legal transcription | 65–80 WPM |
| Certified court reporter (stenotype) | 180–225 WPM |
Requirements vary by employer and these are typical ranges, not rules — always check the specific posting. For a broader look at role-based testing, see the typing test for jobs hub, or put a verified figure on your CV with a resume typing test.
American English, and why that matters here
The passages on this page use American spelling and phrasing throughout — color, organize, center, traveled, analyze. That is not a cosmetic detail. If you have trained on British text, the muscle memory for -our and -ise endings will produce errors on an American assessment, and net WPM punishes exactly that. Visitors who want the other convention should use the UK typing test, which runs a separate British English passage set.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, fully free with no sign-up required. An optional free account adds result history and AI-personalized practice.
General office roles commonly ask for 35–45 WPM; data-entry and administrative-assistant postings often ask for 50+ WPM, usually with an accuracy floor around 95%. Always check the specific listing.
American English spelling and phrasing throughout. The UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand pages run a separate British English passage set.
Many assessment platforms do lock backspace, so uncorrected errors stay on your score. It is worth doing at least one practice run where you resist the urge to go back and fix things.
It records a genuine result you achieved here, and it is useful evidence to attach to an application, but it is not an accredited qualification and no employer is obliged to accept it in place of their own assessment.
Usually with a timed online copy-typing test of 1 to 5 minutes, taken at registration or before a placement, often with backspace locked and a 95% accuracy bar. Numeric roles add a 10-key test scored in keystrokes per hour. Rehearse at the same length before you go in.
10-key is typing numbers on the numeric keypad, common in US accounting, billing and data-entry roles. It is scored in keystrokes per hour (KPH): 8,000–10,000 KPH is a typical entry-level bar and 12,000+ KPH is competitive. Divide KPH by 300 to compare it with WPM.
Transcription jobs usually ask for 60–75+ WPM on a normal keyboard. Court reporters are different: they write on a stenotype machine, and NCRA's Registered Professional Reporter certification requires up to 225 words per minute at 95% accuracy.
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