Canada Typing Tests: 5-Minute, 911 & Bilingual
By Abhishek · Reviewed by The Ai-TypingTest Editorial Team · Last reviewed
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40 WPM · 5 min · Copy
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| Test | Speed | Duration | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Typing Test | Employer-set; commonly ~40 WPM for clerical roles | 5 minutes | Onscreen copy typing |
| Canada 911 Dispatcher Typing Test | Commonly 35–45 WPM | Short timed tests | Copy typing and/or typing while listening |
| French Typing Test | Employer-set; usually the same target as English | Typically 3–5 minutes | Copy typing in French |
| Canada Bilingual Typing Test | Employer-set, often the same in both languages | Typically 3–5 minutes per language | Copy typing in English and French |
Canada typing requirements by job
Sort or filter the table to find your role. “Official / published” rows link to the source; “Typical range” rows reflect common job-posting language and must be checked against the posting.
| Duration | Errors | Basis | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clerical (Canadian 5-minute test)Errors allowed rise with speed | 40 WPM | 5 min | Per-minute table | Copy | Official / published |
| 911 call-taker / emergency communicator | 35–45 WPM | Short | Accuracy | Copy + audio | Typical range |
| Bilingual admin (EN/FR) | 35–45 WPM | 3–5 min each | Accents count | Copy | Typical range |
| Office administrator | 40–55 WPM | 5 min | Per-minute table | Copy | Typical range |
| Data entry / 10-key | 8,000–12,000 KPH | 3–5 min | Accuracy | Data entry | Typical range |
| Receptionist | 35–45 WPM | 5 min | Per-minute table | Copy | Typical range |
| Medical secretary / unit clerk | 45–60 WPM | Varies | High accuracy | Copy + audio | Typical range |
| Legal assistant | 50–65 WPM | 5 min | High accuracy | Copy | Typical range |
The Canadian 5-minute typing test
The SHL / IBM Kenexa catalogue lists a five-minute onscreen Canadian typing test with a published errors-per-minute table. The employer sets the minimum speed. Our Canadian typing test applies the same table and gives a pass or fail.
Emergency services
Police, fire and ambulance communication centres test typing while listening, commonly at 35–45 WPM, often with CritiCall — Canada 911 dispatcher typing test.
Bilingual roles
Federal and provincial bilingual positions may test typing in both languages. Federal positions also need a separate second-language evaluation of reading, writing and speaking. Practise with the bilingual test and the French typing test.
Canadian keyboards and spelling
Most English Canadians use the US layout; Quebec and bilingual offices often use Canadian French or the Canadian Multilingual Standard (CSA), which put é on its own key. Canadian spelling is a mix: colour, centre, cheque and practise (verb), but organize, realize and tire. Canadian pages here use Canadian passages with dollar amounts and postal codes.
Government of Canada
Federal departments run their own assessments; the job poster on GC Jobs says whether typing is assessed. Many clerical posters list keyboarding as an asset qualification rather than a test.
Provincial and municipal jobs
Provinces, cities and school boards each run their own hiring. Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta public-service postings that need keyboarding usually state a speed in the qualifications — often 40 to 50 WPM for clerical roles — and test shortlisted candidates online or in person. Municipal 311 and service centre roles add a data-entry component. Read the “Qualifications” and “Assessment” sections of the posting and practise the format they describe.
Staffing agencies
Agencies in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montréal commonly test office candidates at registration with the 5-minute onscreen test above, plus Word, Excel and 10-key. Agencies keep your score on file, so it is worth a few days of practice before you register. A clean 45 WPM — with the error allowance in mind — places you for most reception and admin work.
How to read the error table
The faster you type, the more errors per minute you are allowed, but the total still matters. At 50 WPM over five minutes you may make up to 10 errors (2 per minute); at 40 WPM, only 5. That makes the test forgiving of fast typists and strict with slow, careless ones. If your speed sits near a band edge — 44 or 54 WPM — a single extra WPM can raise your allowance, but do not chase it at the cost of accuracy.
Want passages in local spelling? The Canada typing test has Canadian spelling and examples.
Where your speed stands
Around 40 WPM is a common adult average; 60–70 WPM is comfortably above it, and 80+ is professional range. Use the table to see which roles a given speed opens up — then check the posting.
| Net WPM | Typically enough for |
|---|---|
| 25–35 | Emergency call handling (with accuracy on details), some reception roles |
| 35–45 | Clerk-typist, government clerical standards (e.g. 40 WPM), most reception and support roles |
| 45–60 | Admin and executive support, live chat, medical and legal admin |
| 60–80 | Medical and legal secretaries, transcription, high-volume chat |
| 80+ | Professional transcription and captioning (on QWERTY) |
Not sure where you are? Take the 5-minute test — most employer tests are three to five minutes — or see what percentile your WPM is.
How typing tests are scored
Almost every employer test reports net words per minute: correctly typed characters ÷ 5 ÷ minutes. Some subtract errors from gross speed instead (Criteria-style adjusted WPM), some cap the number of errors (the US federal standard allows 3 in 5 minutes), and some allow more errors at higher speeds (the Canadian 5-minute table). Numeric tests use keystrokes per hour, where 1 WPM = 300 KPH. Accuracy is the share of keystrokes that were right first time; most employers that state one want 95% or better. The full formulas are on our methodology page.
A practice score here is unproctored. It tells you whether you are ready; it is not proof an employer has to accept. Where a job needs proof, it will either test you itself or name the kind of certificate it accepts.
Frequently asked questions
1 per minute at 29–44 WPM, 2 at 45–54, 3 at 55–72, 4 at 73–90, per the SHL catalogue.
Commonly around 40 WPM; the employer sets the minimum.
Yes, commonly 35–45 WPM, often with listening and CritiCall.
Only for bilingual roles that test it; the posting says.
Mostly US layout in English Canada; Canadian French or CSA in Quebec and bilingual offices.
Departments run their own assessments; check the GC Jobs poster.
Sources
- Canadian Typing — General (5 minutes, onscreen): errors per minute by speed — SHL / IBM Kenexa catalogue (checked October 18, 2026)
- Second language evaluation in the federal public service — Public Service Commission of Canada (checked October 18, 2026)
- GC Jobs — Government of Canada job search — Government of Canada (checked October 18, 2026)
- CritiCall — operational, behavioural and situational testing for dispatch — CritiCall (Biddle Consulting Group) (checked October 18, 2026)