Practice on text that looks like work
Most typing at work is not single words. It is sentences with capitals, commas and full stops: emails, reports, notes and messages. This version joins three passages into one run of about 160 words, so you practice the same mix you type all day. The clock starts on your first key and stops at the last character, and your score is WPM multiplied by accuracy.
Set up before you start
Years of typing at a laptop on the sofa leave their mark. A few checks make practice more comfortable and easier to keep up.
- Chair and desk. Sit so your forearms are roughly level with the keyboard and your shoulders hang loose.
- Wrists. Keep them straight and let them float while you type. Rest them during pauses, not mid-word.
- Screen. Place the text where you can read it without leaning in or tilting your head down.
- Feet. Flat on the floor or on a footrest, so you are not perched on the edge of the seat.
Take breaks between runs
A 160 word run lasts long enough for tension to creep into your shoulders and forearms. Between runs, take your hands off the keyboard, roll your shoulders and look at something across the room for a few seconds. If your hands, wrists or forearms ache, stop for the day. Pain is not a sign of progress.
Unlearn the glance
Many adults type in quick bursts, then stop to look down, find a key and look back up. Each glance costs you your place in the text, and on a long run those small pauses add up. Try to keep your eyes on the screen for the whole run, even if it costs speed at first. Rest your fingers on A S D F and J K L ; and come back there after every reach. The touch typing practice page has a drill built for exactly this habit.
Measure against your own average
Scores for this longer test are kept separately from the short passage, in the Your scores panel in this browser. Compare your average from week to week rather than chasing a single best run. For a quick reading on a shorter passage, use the main typing test.