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Pre-employment typing tests explained

What is in a typical office skills assessment, how it is scored, and how to prepare for each part.

Updated 18 October 2026

Job adverts often say "typing test required", but the test is rarely just copy typing. Staffing agencies and employers usually combine a few short tasks that look like the job itself. Knowing the format in advance removes most of the stress.

The parts you are most likely to meet

  • Copy typing, usually 1 to 5 minutes from a paragraph. Scored in net WPM with an accuracy figure. Our employment typing test lets you set the exact rules.
  • Data entry: copying records into a form, often with names, addresses and reference numbers. Accuracy matters more than speed. Practise with the data entry simulator.
  • 10-key: figures on the numeric keypad, scored in keystrokes per hour. See the 10-key test.
  • Spreadsheet tasks: entering figures into cells and producing totals. Try the spreadsheet test.
  • Editing and proofreading: making specific changes to a document. Try the document editing test.
  • Transcription: typing from a recording, for medical, legal and general transcription roles. Try audio transcription practice.

How the parts are scored

Copy typing is scored by keystrokes. The other tasks compare your finished answer with the expected one: each wrong, missing or extra character (or word, for transcription) counts as an error. Many employers set a pass mark per part, and some combine the parts into one score. TypingSpark's multi-part assessment does both and explains the arithmetic.

Typical pass marks

Figures vary by employer, but common requirements are 35 to 45 net WPM for general office work, 45 to 50 for administrative assistants, 8,000 or more keystrokes per hour on the 10-key for accounts and data roles, and 98% accuracy or better for data entry and transcription. Our guide to typing speed requirements by job has more detail.

How to prepare in a week

  1. Take a full practice assessment for your job type to find your weakest part.
  2. Practise that part on its own for ten minutes a day.
  3. Do one three-minute copy typing test each day to keep your speed up.
  4. Take the full assessment again at the end of the week and compare the part scores.

On the day

Ask whether Backspace is allowed and how errors are counted. Read every instruction before the timer starts. In data entry and spreadsheets, check each record before moving on: fixing an error later costs more time than preventing it. If the test is online at home, use a physical keyboard and close other tabs.