Typing Speed Test: How to Type Faster
Learn what a good typing speed is, how to measure your WPM, and proven techniques to type faster. Whether you are a student, programmer, or writer, faster typing saves hours every week.
Why Typing Speed Matters
The average person types at 40 WPM (words per minute). If you spend 3 hours a day typing — emails, documents, code, messages — doubling your speed to 80 WPM saves you 1.5 hours every single day. That is over 500 hours per year. Over a career, faster typing can save you tens of thousands of hours.
Beyond time savings, faster typing means your fingers can keep up with your thoughts. Writers and programmers report that slow typing creates a bottleneck between idea generation and execution. When you type fast enough that the keyboard disappears, you enter a state of flow.
Typing Speed Benchmarks
| Speed (WPM) | Level | Who Types This Fast |
|---|---|---|
| Below 30 | Beginner | Hunt-and-peck typists |
| 30-50 | Average | Most adults |
| 50-70 | Good | Office workers, students |
| 70-90 | Professional | Administrative assistants, writers |
| 90-120 | Advanced | Transcriptionists, competitive typists |
| 120+ | Elite | Speed typing competitors |
How to Type Faster
1. Learn Touch Typing
Touch typing means typing without looking at the keyboard. Your fingers rest on the home row (ASDF for the left hand, JKL; for the right hand) and each finger is responsible for specific keys. This feels slow at first but is the foundation of all fast typing.
2. Prioritize Accuracy Over Speed
This is counterintuitive but critical: slow down to speed up. When you type accurately, you avoid the time-consuming process of backspacing and correcting errors. A typist at 60 WPM with 98% accuracy is faster in practice than a typist at 80 WPM with 90% accuracy.
3. Practice Daily
Fifteen minutes of daily typing practice is more effective than two hours on the weekend. Your muscle memory builds through consistent repetition, not marathon sessions. Use a typing speed test to track your progress weekly.
4. Use All 10 Fingers
Two-finger typists max out around 30-40 WPM. Using all 10 fingers distributes the workload and allows your hands to move less distance per keystroke. The standard finger placement is taught in every typing course and becomes natural within 2-3 weeks.
Proper Typing Form
- Posture: Sit upright with feet flat on the floor. Wrists should be level with the keyboard, not angled up or down.
- Home row: Left fingers on ASDF, right fingers on JKL;. Your index fingers should feel the small bumps on F and J.
- Eye position: Look at the screen, not the keyboard. Cover your hands with a cloth if you need to break the habit.
- Key pressure: Press keys gently. Heavy typing causes fatigue and slows you down over long sessions.
Try it now: Take a Typing Speed Test →
Measure your WPM and accuracy. Track your improvement over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good typing speed?
The average typing speed is 40 WPM. A good speed is 60-70 WPM. Professional typists average 75-90 WPM. Anything above 100 WPM is considered exceptional. For most office jobs, 50+ WPM is sufficient.
How can I increase my typing speed?
Practice touch typing (typing without looking at the keyboard), maintain proper hand position on the home row, use all 10 fingers, and practice daily for 15-20 minutes. Focus on accuracy first — speed follows naturally once your fingers know the keys.
How is WPM calculated in a typing test?
WPM counts every 5 characters as one word (including spaces and punctuation). So if you type 250 characters in one minute, that is 50 WPM (250 / 5 = 50). Most typing tests also calculate accuracy — your WPM is adjusted based on errors.