Why take a 5 minute test?
Five minutes is the closest you'll get to real typing work. It's also a length some employers use when they test applicants, so it's good practice before a job test. Expect your score to be a little lower than on short tests. That's normal.
Tips for longer tests
- Start at a pace you can keep. Rushing the first minute usually costs more later.
- Don't stop to fix every small error. Keep a steady rhythm.
- Relax your shoulders and hands now and then while you type.
How your score is calculated
Typing speed is measured in words per minute (WPM). Because words have different lengths, the standard is to count every 5 characters as one word, including spaces. So 250 correct characters in one minute equals 50 WPM.
- WPM counts only words you typed correctly, plus the space after each one. Mistakes lower this number.
- Raw WPM counts every character you typed, right or wrong. The gap between raw and WPM shows how much your errors cost you.
- Accuracy is the share of your keystrokes that matched the text. Corrected mistakes still count as mistakes here.