Typing Speed How a Typing Test Works
A typing test works by starting a timer, comparing every character you type against a known source text in real time, and using that comparison to compute both your speed and your accuracy.
The Three Ingredients of a Typing Test
Every typing test, regardless of how it looks on screen, is built from the same three pieces: a source text you're asked to reproduce, a timer that tracks elapsed time, and a comparison mechanism that checks what you actually typed against what you were supposed to type.
Timing: When the Clock Starts and Stops
The timer typically starts on your very first keystroke rather than the moment the page loads, so time spent reading the passage before you begin doesn't count against you. It stops either when a fixed duration elapses (30 seconds and 1 minute are common) or when you finish typing the entire source passage, whichever the test is designed around.
Comparing What You Typed to the Source
As you type, the test checks each character you enter against the corresponding character in the source text, position by position. A match is marked correct; a mismatch is marked as an error. This comparison usually happens continuously, in real time, rather than only once at the end, which is why many tests can highlight mistakes as you make them.
- Total characters typed, including any that were wrong.
- Number of correct characters and number of incorrect characters.
- Corrections made along the way, such as backspaces.
- Total elapsed time from first keystroke to test end.
From Raw Data to a Score
Once the test ends, it turns that raw character-by-character data into the numbers you actually see: a gross WPM from total characters typed, an accuracy percentage from correct characters divided by total characters typed, and usually a net WPM that reduces the gross figure to account for the errors made. That last calculation — how errors actually pull your score down — is covered in detail on the Accuracy vs Speed page.
