WPM, CPM, Net Speed and Accuracy: Typing Test Terms Explained

A typing test result can show half a dozen numbers. They are all built from the same few counts: how many keys you pressed, how many were right, and how long you typed. Here is what each term means and how to work it out yourself.

WPM: words per minute

WPM is the headline figure. A "word" here is a fixed unit of five characters, including spaces and punctuation, not a real word. That keeps scores comparable between a passage full of short words and one full of long ones.

Formula: characters typed ÷ 5 ÷ minutes.

If you type 1,250 characters in five minutes, that is 250 "words", or 50 WPM.

CPM: characters per minute

CPM is the same measurement without the division by five: the number of characters you type in a minute. A speed of 250 CPM equals 50 WPM. CPM is common in countries and languages where word length varies a lot from English, because it avoids the question of what a word is.

KPH: keystrokes per hour

Data entry jobs often quote speed in keystrokes per hour, especially for numeric work on the number pad. To convert, divide by 60 to get keystrokes per minute, then by five for WPM. A requirement of 9,000 KPH is 150 keystrokes a minute, or 30 WPM.

Gross speed and net speed

This is where tests differ most.

Gross WPM (sometimes called raw WPM) counts every character you typed, right or wrong.

Net WPM takes mistakes off. The traditional formula subtracts one word for every uncorrected error per minute:

net WPM = gross WPM − (uncorrected errors ÷ minutes)

Type at 60 gross WPM for two minutes with six uncorrected errors and your net speed is 60 − 3 = 57 WPM.

Other tests reach a similar result a different way, by counting only correctly typed characters toward your speed. That is how fasttypes scores a test: mistakes don't add to your WPM. Either way, when an employer states a requirement, they nearly always mean a speed with errors taken into account.

Accuracy

Accuracy is the share of your keystrokes that were correct.

Formula: correct keystrokes ÷ total keystrokes × 100.

Press 400 keys and get 380 right, and your accuracy is 95 percent. Note that on most tests a mistake you went back and fixed still counts against accuracy, because the wrong key was pressed. That is why your accuracy can be below 100 percent even when the finished text is perfect.

Errors: corrected and uncorrected

A corrected error is one you fixed with Backspace. It costs you time, and usually accuracy, but not net speed. An uncorrected error is still wrong in the final text and is penalized more heavily. Some tests disable Backspace, which makes every error uncorrected.

Consistency

Some tests report consistency, a percentage showing how steady your pace was from second to second. Two people can both average 60 WPM, one typing evenly and the other in bursts and pauses. High consistency generally goes with fewer errors, and it is a useful thing to watch when your speed has stopped improving.

Why your score differs between tests

It is common to get 65 WPM on one site and 55 on another. The usual reasons:

• Test length. Most people score higher over one minute than over five.
• Text difficulty. Lists of common lowercase words are much easier than real prose with capitals, punctuation and numbers.
• Scoring method. Gross versus net, and how errors are counted.
• Correction rules. Whether you must fix an error before continuing.
• Familiarity. A passage you have seen before is faster the second time.

None of these numbers is wrong. They measure slightly different things. To track your progress, stick with one test, one length and one kind of text.

Which number should you care about?

For everyday purposes, read two numbers together: net WPM (or WPM counted on correct characters only) and accuracy. A high speed with accuracy under about 95 percent means you are losing time to corrections and would gain by slowing down. A solid accuracy with modest speed means you are ready to push the pace.

For a job application, find out exactly which figure the employer uses, over what length of test, and practice to that.

A quick reference

• WPM = characters ÷ 5 ÷ minutes
• CPM = characters ÷ minutes
• KPH = keystrokes ÷ hours
• Net WPM = gross WPM − uncorrected errors per minute
• Accuracy = correct keystrokes ÷ all keystrokes × 100