Typing Speed Test
Copy-type control room text (call logs, NHS 111 call notes, fire control notes and patient details) against the clock. You get gross and net words per minute and accuracy, with every error shown afterwards.
Why typing is tested
There is no single national format, but typing features in many control room selection processes. London Ambulance Service lists typing skills in its 999 call handler assessment and a typing test for NHS 111 health advisors. South Central Ambulance Service asks NHS 111 health advisors for typing “equivalent to at least 40 wpm”, and South Western Ambulance Service describes a “high level of typing proficiency”. This is practice in the style used by many services, not any employer's actual test.
How it works
- Type the text shown into the box below it. Match capitals, punctuation and numbers exactly.
- The clock starts on your first keystroke. It stops when time runs out, or when you press Finish.
- Backspace is allowed. Fixed mistakes do not reduce net speed, but they still count against accuracy.
- Wrong words are highlighted in red with a wavy underline as you go. Don't stop; keep your place.
- Pasting is switched off and Enter does nothing. Spaces separate words, as in the text.
How speed and accuracy are measured
Typing tests count a “word” as any 5 characters, including spaces and punctuation, so long and short words are treated fairly.
- Gross wpm = characters typed ÷ 5 ÷ minutes. Raw speed, mistakes included.
- Net wpm = gross wpm − (errors left in ÷ minutes). Every wrong, missing or extra character you didn't fix costs you. Five errors in a 1-minute run takes 5 wpm off.
- Accuracy = correct keystrokes ÷ all keystrokes. Mistakes you went back and fixed still count here, so it shows how cleanly you type.
Words are matched one at a time, so a slip in one word does not throw off the rest of the line. Employers' tests may calculate these slightly differently, so compare trends in your own scores rather than chasing one exact number.
Untimed warm-up
Type one short line to get a feel for the highlighting and the scoring. It doesn't count.
Demo: one 1-minute run. The full test offers 2 or 5 minute runs drawn from 52 passages.