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Typing Speed Test

Test your WPM and accuracy. Check how you compare to SSC, Railway and court stenographer standards.

Mode: Duration:
0
WPM
100%
Accuracy
60
Seconds Left
0
Errors
Government Exam Typing Standards (India)
ExamLanguageRequired Speed
SSC CHSL (LDC/JSA)English35 WPM
SSC CHSL (LDC/JSA)Hindi30 WPM
SSC CGL (Tax Asst/DEO)English8000 KDPH (~27 WPM)
Railway Typing TestEnglish / Hindi25-35 WPM
Court StenographerEnglish80-100 WPM
Court StenographerHindi60-80 WPM
Average TypistAny40-50 WPM

The History of Typing Tests

The story of measuring typing speed begins in 1867 when Christopher Latham Sholes patented the first commercially viable typewriter. In 1888, the first public typing speed contest took place in Cincinnati, where Frank McGurrin won by demonstrating touch typing - using all 10 fingers without looking at the keys. That contest established words per minute (WPM) as the standard unit of measurement, defined as every 5 keystrokes counting as one word.

The QWERTY keyboard layout Sholes designed was partially intended to slow typists down and prevent typewriter jams - an irony that persists today, since most of the world still uses it. Despite proposals for more efficient layouts like Dvorak (1936) and Colemak (2006), QWERTY remains dominant globally.

Typing Tests in Government Employment

As clerical and data entry jobs grew through the 20th century, governments began using typing tests as formal hiring criteria. In India, typing proficiency has been a mandatory component of recruitment for SSC (Staff Selection Commission), railway, court, and central government clerical positions since the 1980s. The shift from typewriters to computer keyboards changed the testing format but not the core requirement.

  • SSC CHSL LDC/JSA posts: 35 WPM (English) or 30 WPM (Hindi) - among the most searched typing benchmarks in India
  • Court Stenographers: 80-100 WPM shorthand dictation - one of the highest speed requirements in government service
  • Hindi typing: Government still recognises both Kruti Dev (legacy encoding) and Mangal/Unicode (Inscript layout) - a transition that has been ongoing since the 2010s

The Digital Era and Online Typing Tests

Online typing tests emerged in the early 2000s and were gamified through the 2010s. Platforms like TypeRacer (2008) introduced competitive typing against other users, turning a productivity skill into a sport. Today, millions of students in India practise typing daily to meet government exam requirements - making it one of the most searched practical skills online.

Typing Speed Test FAQ

An average typist types 40-50 WPM. A good speed is 60-80 WPM. Professional typists reach 80-100 WPM. For government jobs in India, SSC typing test requires 35 WPM (English) or 30 WPM (Hindi). Court stenographers need 80-100 WPM.

SSC CGL (Tax Assistant, DEO) requires 8000 key depressions per hour (KDPH) in English - approx 27 WPM or 35 WPM net. SSC CHSL requires 35 WPM in English or 30 WPM in Hindi. Railway typing tests typically require 25-35 WPM.

WPM = (Total characters typed / 5) / Minutes elapsed. The division by 5 treats every 5 characters as one standard word. Accuracy = (Correct characters / Total characters typed) x 100. Net WPM = Gross WPM x (Accuracy / 100).

Practice touch typing - use all 10 fingers without looking at the keyboard. Learn the home row (ASDF JKL;). Practice daily for 15-20 minutes. Focus on accuracy first, speed follows naturally. Target 30 minutes daily for 3-4 weeks to see significant improvement.