How to put typing speed on a resume
When it is worth listing, how to write it, which result to use and how to back it up without overselling.
Short answer
List it in your skills section when the job involves typing, as net words per minute with accuracy, for example "Typing: 62 WPM (net, 98% accuracy)", or as keystrokes per hour for data entry. Use a typical result from a 3- or 5-minute test, round down, and be ready for the employer to test you.
For jobs where typing is part of the work, such as administration, data entry, customer support by chat, transcription and legal or medical offices, a typing speed on your resume answers a question the employer will ask anyway. For other jobs it adds little. The rule of thumb: list it when the job posting mentions typing, data entry or a speed, or when your speed is clearly above the usual requirement.
How to write it
Put it in your skills section, as one line with the measure the employer uses:
| Job type | Example line |
|---|---|
| Office, administration, support | Typing: 62 WPM (net, 98% accuracy) |
| Data entry | 10-key: 11,500 KPH; typing: 55 WPM (net) |
| Transcription | Typing: 78 WPM (net, 98% accuracy) on 5-minute tests |
Always say net WPM, the figure with uncorrected errors subtracted, and give your accuracy. A gross speed without accuracy looks like an attempt to inflate the number, and employers who test usually ask for net WPM. If the posting asks for keystrokes per hour, give KPH. How typing speed is measured explains the difference.
Which result to use
- Use a typical result, not your best ever. Take several tests on different days and use a number you reach most of the time.
- Use a test of 3 or 5 minutes. One-minute results are often five to ten words per minute higher than sustained typing, and employer tests are usually longer. The 5-minute test is the safest basis.
- Use paragraphs with capitals and punctuation, like real employer tests, not lists of common words.
- Round down. If you type 63 to 66 WPM, write 60 or 62. You will very likely be retested, and beating your resume is better than missing it.
Is it worth listing?
Compare your speed with what the job asks for. As a rough guide, many office roles ask for 35 to 45 net WPM and administrative roles for 45 to 60; the typing speed requirements by job guide has typical ranges. If you are below the requirement, leave it off for now and practise: most people gain several words per minute in two to four weeks of short daily practice.
Backing it up
A number on a resume is a claim. Two honest ways to support it:
- Offer a link to a result. A TypingSpark certificate includes a verification link that shows the net WPM, accuracy, test length and date, and proves the figures were not edited. It does not prove who typed the test, so present it as a self-assessed result, not an official certification.
- Be ready to be tested. Many employers run their own supervised test. Practise in the same format first with the employment test simulator, and see how to pass a typing test.
In a cover letter or interview
If speed matters for the role, one sentence is enough: for example, that you type around 60 words per minute with 98% accuracy and are comfortable taking the employer's own test. Connect it to the work, such as keeping up with live chats or turning around dictation the same day, rather than repeating the number.
What not to do
- Do not list gross or raw WPM as if it were your speed.
- Do not quote a one-off best score or a result from a test you repeated until it went well.
- Do not call a self-assessed online result a "certification" or "certified speed".