What is the average typing speed?

The baseline average typing speed is approximately 40 words per minute (WPM), but many roles require faster typing speeds.

What is a competitive WPM for my target role?

That depends on the role. For administrative and customer service positions, organizations typically want employees to type 50-70 WPM. For entry-level positions, the target typing speed is usually 60-80 WPM.

How do I improve my typing speed without sacrificing accuracy?

Mastering touch typing is the most effective way to improve both typing accuracy and speed. Once you’re comfortable typing with all fingers and without looking at the keyboard, continue practicing regularly — at least 10 minutes a day if possible — using free typing tests and drills available online. Make accuracy rather than speed your priority while practicing, especially in the beginning. Over time, you’ll develop the muscle memory that will steadily lead to higher WPM scores.

Why do my typing scores differ across sites?

Different styles of test yield different scores. Tests composed primarily of common words routinely generate higher scores than those that require typing sentences with punctuation and numbers, for instance. What’s more, some sites subtract typos from the WPM or CPM (characters per minute) scores, while others don’t.