What is the minimum typing speed for office jobs?

There is no single minimum for office jobs. Each employer sets its own bar, and the three published figures we checked run from 35 to 50 words per minute (WPM) ^{1 2}. The federal typist posting we read uses 40 WPM. It defines a qualified typist as someone who can reach that speed on a five-minute sample with three or fewer errors ³. If a job posting names a number, that number is the minimum you need. If it names none, ask the employer before you apply.

Our guide to typing speed requirements for jobs lists the published bars by role and explains how each is tested.

Each agency sets its own bar, because OPM has no standard for clerk-typists

The Office of Personnel Management publishes no qualification standard for the federal Clerk-Typist series 0322 ⁴, so the agency that posts the job sets the typing threshold. Public bodies outside the United States set their own bars too. A posting for a typing test in Delhi sets 35 WPM for English-medium candidates ¹, and the Central Board of Secondary Education in India uses 35 WPM for English in its own typing tests ⁵.

Because every employer sets its own bar, you cannot treat one figure as the rule for all office work. The same job title can carry a different threshold from one posting to the next.

The three bars we checked run from 35 to 50 WPM

The table shows the bars we checked for general office and clerical work. Each row comes from one posting, so the table shows a range, not a statistic.

The 40 WPM federal bar sits in the middle of the range. The school district bar of 50 is higher, and the Delhi bar of 35 is lower. The school posting asks for a net corrected speed, but it does not say how errors are deducted, so check that rule before you test.

For context, the average participant in a large online typing test typed 51.56 WPM ⁷. That test drew volunteers who chose to take it, so the average is not a population figure. Even so, the 50 WPM bar sits just under that average, and the 40 WPM bar sits well below it. Neither is a high bar for someone who types every day, but both are real tests for someone who rarely types.

Errors and net speed change the bar

Many office tests count errors against speed. The Iowa scoring rule is net words per minute, with one point deducted for each error ⁸. For example, a typist who types 45 words per minute with 5 errors has a net score of 40 under that rule. The federal five-minute test uses a different rule: it allows at most three errors in the sample, and a sample with more errors does not qualify ³.

So the question is not only how fast you type, but how the employer counts the result. Before you test, check three things in the posting:

• The sample length, such as five minutes.
• The error rule, whether errors are deducted or capped.
• Whether the score is gross or net.

What to do if your speed is near the bar

1. Find the number in the posting. If the posting gives a speed, aim for that speed on the same measure. If it gives none, ask the employer before you apply.
2. Practice on the same test format. Use a five-minute sample if that is the test, and count net speed if the employer does.
3. Aim a few words above the bar. Typing tests are short, and one slow passage can cost you the result on a single sample.
4. Keep your result on record. Some employers ask for proof with a date. Iowa, for example, requires a score signed and dated within the last six months ⁹.

If your speed is below 40 WPM and you apply for the federal typist posting we read, that posting requires at least 40 WPM, so a slower speed means you do not qualify for it. For the wider picture of what each speed means, see the question on whether 40 WPM is a good typing speed, and the guide to good typing speed. The question on whether to put typing speed on a resume covers when a score helps your application.