Typing Toolkit1 minute typing test
The most common typing test length. One minute is long enough to be reliable and short enough to repeat several times in a row.
One minute. Start when you are ready.
Why one minute?
A one-minute test is the standard used by most online typing tests and many employers, so it is the easiest result to compare. It is short enough that you can take three in a row and average them, which smooths out a lucky or unlucky passage.
How to take the test
- Read the first line of the passage before you start. The clock does not run until your first keystroke.
- Type at a pace you can keep accurate. If a word goes wrong, correct it quickly and keep your rhythm.
- When the timer reaches zero the test stops and shows your WPM, raw speed and accuracy.
- Press New text and repeat twice more. Your recent results appear on the progress page.
How the one-minute score works
Only correct characters count towards your WPM, with five characters treated as one word. So if you finish the minute with 260 characters typed and 250 correct, your score is 50 WPM at about 96% accuracy. The result box also shows raw speed, which includes mistakes, so you can see how much errors cost you. Gross and net WPM explained.
Tracking improvement
Take a one-minute test at the start of each practice session, then again at the end. Write down or check the average of three tests once a week. Improvement of a few WPM per month with steady accuracy is normal progress for most people. Daily scores bounce around, so look at the weekly trend.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my score lower than on other sites?
Sites differ in how they count mistakes and which passages they use. Typing Toolkit counts only correct characters towards WPM, which gives a lower but more honest number than raw speed.
Should I look at the keyboard?
Try not to. Looking down breaks your rhythm and hides mistakes. If you need to look often, the touch typing lessons will pay off quickly.
Reviewed October 2026 · How we write our guides · Suggest a correction