5 Minute Typing Test

Five minutes of steady typing

This test runs for five minutes, a common length for typing tests that employers and schools ask for. Because the clock lasts longer, it tests focus and rhythm as well as speed. Choose Sentences, the default, to type text with capitals and punctuation, or Words for plain lines.

This page is practice. Each employer or school sets its own rules, so check what yours needs, and treat your result here as a guide.

How your score is calculated

Your speed is shown in WPM, words per minute. A "word" here is a standard five characters, so the count does not depend on how long your words happen to be. The engine takes the characters you typed correctly, including correct spaces, divides by 5, then divides by the minutes you spent typing. Over five minutes, 1,500 correct characters is 300 words, and 300 words in 5 minutes is 60 WPM.

Accuracy is the number of correct keystrokes divided by all the keystrokes you made. A wrong letter that you fix with Backspace still counts as a keystroke, so careful typing at a steady pace usually beats rushing and correcting. Over five minutes, a steady pace tends to give a higher final number than a fast start that you cannot keep up.

Why people take it

Job applicants use it to rehearse for office, admin, and customer support roles. Students use it to prepare for class assessments. If five minutes feels too long right now, build up with the 3 minute typing test. If you want to push further, try the 10 minute typing test.

Reading your result

After the timer ends, look at both numbers together. A high WPM with low accuracy means you are rushing, and a high accuracy with a lower WPM means you have room to speed up. The best plan is to raise accuracy first and let speed follow. Try to type a little each day, even for five minutes, and track your WPM and accuracy from one session to the next. Small steady gains add up, and comparing against your own earlier scores is more useful than comparing against other people.

Tips for a five minute run

• Pick a pace that feels slightly easy and hold it.
• Breathe normally and keep your hands relaxed. Tension slows you down.
• Do not stare at the timer. Focus on the next few words.
• If you lose your place, find the next word and carry on.
• Review the accuracy figure. A high WPM with many errors often means you are going too fast.

Want a different length? Try the 30 second typing test, the one minute typing test, the 3 minute typing test, the 5 minute typing test or the 10 minute typing test. New to touch typing? Start with Learn to Type.

Frequently asked questions