40 WPM Typing Test: Is 40 WPM Good Enough?

40 WPM is a common baseline for office work and is the Typing Gauge practice target for the General Employment Typing Test (at 95% accuracy).

What 40 WPM looks like

At 40 WPM you type about 200 characters a minute — roughly a short email paragraph. That's comfortable for most office tasks where typing is part of the job rather than all of it.

Jobs where 40 WPM is often enough

• Reception and front-of-house
• General administration
• Retail and warehouse office roles
• Many customer-facing roles with occasional typing

Getting from 30 to 40 WPM

1. Learn (or relearn) touch typing from the home row — it's the biggest single jump.
2. Practise 10 minutes a day with 1-minute sprints.
3. Hold 95% accuracy as you speed up.

Test yourself

Take the typing test and check whether you meet the 40 WPM / 95% target. Your results show exactly how close you are.