Employers set their own pass mark for a typing test, so there is no single speed that guarantees a pass. Most clerical and administrative roles judge accuracy first and speed second: a clean 40 words per minute (wpm) typically beats an error filled 60. As a rough guide, general office roles commonly look for around 35 to 50 wpm, data entry roles around 50 to 70 wpm, and transcription work higher still, always alongside a high accuracy score. The fastest way to improve is short daily practice with proper touch typing form, and the ten tips below show you how.
1. Know Your Keyboard
The first step to passing your typing test is to get familiar with your keyboard. Understanding the layout and the position of each key is crucial. The standard keyboard layout, known as QWERTY, should become second nature. The raised bumps on the ‘F’ and ‘J’ keys are your guideposts: rest your index fingers there and you can find every other key without looking down.
2. Practice Touch Typing
Touch typing is the practice of typing without looking at the keyboard. By keeping your eyes on the screen, touch typing makes your typing both faster and more accurate. Build the habit of always returning your fingers to the home row (ASDF and JKL;) between words. This is the single highest value skill on this list: typists who look at their hands hit a speed ceiling that touch typists sail past.
3. Master the Basics
Before you start chasing speed, get the fundamentals right. Correct technique, using all ten fingers, keeping your wrists straight and maintaining an upright sitting position, minimizes mistakes and lets speed build naturally on top.
4. Set Gradual Goals
Typing speed builds in steps, not leaps, so set progressive, realistic targets. Starting from 30 to 40 words per minute and working steadily toward 60 to 80 and beyond is a practical strategy, and each milestone you log keeps your practice motivated.
5. Make Practice Short and Daily
Little and often beats occasional marathons. Even 15 to 30 minutes of focused typing practice a day will noticeably improve your speed and accuracy within a few weeks, because typing is muscle memory and muscle memory is built through frequent repetition.
Here are a few free online resources for typing practice:
6. Use Typing Software
Typing software offers a personalized and efficient way to learn, with tutorials, games and timed tests that mirror the real thing and track your progress session by session.
Some useful options include:
7. Put Accuracy Before Speed
Most employers weight accuracy more heavily than raw speed, and many scoring systems deduct for every error, so mistakes cost you twice: once in the correction time and again in the score. If your error rate climbs, slow down slightly; typing a little slower but cleanly almost always produces a better result, and speed returns naturally once accurate technique is habit.
8. Warm Up Before The Test
Just as athletes warm up before a game, warm up your fingers before the test. Five to ten minutes of free typing or simple finger stretches gets you up to speed, so your first minute of the test is not your slowest.
9. Stay Composed and Confident
Do not let nerves undermine your performance. Keep your rhythm steady and your eyes on the text rather than the clock or your hands. A composed mind types faster and cleaner than an anxious one.
10. Take Regular Breaks
Finally, take regular breaks between practice sessions. Overworking causes fatigue, which drags down both speed and accuracy. Catch a short breather, stretch your fingers and come back fresh.
Improving your typing test performance takes consistent effort and a sensible approach. Build these ten tips into your practice routine and expect measurable gains within a few weeks: speed built on accurate technique tends to stick.
Practice the Tests That Come With It
A typing test is rarely the only hurdle for administrative and office roles. Employers often pair it with assessments of how quickly and accurately you process information, so it pays to prepare for those too. Working through clerical aptitude tests and error checking tests builds exactly the speed and accuracy under pressure that typing tests reward.
