844-897-3935Fast and accurate typing is essential for success in the TypeWell Basic Skills Course. Our course moves quickly, and students must be able to transcribe spoken English in real time. That’s why we require applicants to pass a qualifying typing test before enrolling.
If you’re not already a confident typist, it might take several weeks of consistent practice to meet our minimum requirement of 60 words per minute (WPM). Improving your base typing speed could take as much as 50 to 100 hours of focused practice. We know that’s a significant time investment. But our goal is to ensure you’re truly prepared for the demands of the course, so you can succeed once you begin.
What to Expect from the TypeWell Typing Test
This isn’t your average typing test.
- You’ll see a college-level story excerpt in the top frame.
- You’ll retype it exactly, including punctuation and formatting, in the frame just below.
- The passage scrolls automatically as you type, based on how far you’ve gotten.
- The language includes mixed punctuation, capitalization, numbers, dates, and multisyllabic words — all of which are common in classroom discourse.
The test is 5 minutes long (with a 3-minute warm-up beforehand). It’s designed to simulate the demands of real-time transcription. So, you can’t stop and fix earlier mistakes — your eyes and fingers need to work together as you go.
You can use the backspace key to make quick, in-the-moment corrections, but you can’t use your cursor or arrow keys to go back several words or lines. While quick backspaces won’t count as errors, they do slow you down — so high accuracy is key.
To pass, you must achieve at least 60 WPM, after typos and errors are subtracted. Significantly higher scores are preferred.
Why We Require a 30-Day Wait Between Attempts
Improving your typing speed — especially at this level — takes time and daily practice. That’s why we only allow candidates to retake the qualifying test once every 30 days.
This waiting period isn’t a punishment. It’s designed to give you the time and space to build genuine skill, rather than rushing to re-test before meaningful progress has occurred. Experience has shown that frequent retesting without significant practice doesn't lead to better outcomes.
Why Online Typing Tests Can Be Misleading
Many popular typing tests inflate your speed score. They often:
- Use very short, simple words
- Leave out punctuation and formatting
- Allow unlimited corrections
As a result, people are often surprised — even frustrated — when their score on our test is much lower.
Don’t be discouraged. That just means the online test wasn’t challenging enough to reflect your true real-time readiness. That’s why we recommend focused practice on typing drills that include punctuation, numbers, and complex word structures.
Recommended Free Typing Tutors
Here are some popular, free typing programs that can help you build the skills you need. These tools are ad-free or low on distractions, and they allow for focused practice:
- TypingClub – structured curriculum with lessons and games
- TypingAcademy – ad-free, customizable drills
- Keybr.com – adaptive drills focused on accuracy
- Typing.com – broad curriculum (some ads)
- SpeedTypingOnline – custom practice text options
Tip: Casual typing (e.g., emails or documents) won't improve your typing speed much. You need to push yourself with focused drills that emphasize both speed and precision.
Practice Tips
- Practice daily for 30–60 minutes. Frequent, focused practice is much more effective than occasional long sessions. Try to establish a consistent routine, and take short breaks every 15–20 minutes to prevent fatigue.
- Prioritize accuracy over speed. Typing quickly is meaningless if you’re making constant errors. Training yourself to slow down and be precise will pay off in the long run — speed will improve naturally as you become more accurate.
- Use proper finger placement and posture. Building muscle memory through correct technique helps reduce errors and improves efficiency. Sit upright, keep your wrists neutral, and use all fingers instead of "hunting and pecking."
- Avoid looking down at the keyboard. If you find yourself glancing down, try lessons that emphasize touch typing skills to strengthen your confidence and positioning.
- Minimize reliance on the backspace key. While quick corrections are allowed, pausing to fix mistakes slows you down. Aim to type cleanly the first time and only make necessary corrections.
- Use lessons that include punctuation, numbers, and longer words. This better mirrors the real-world complexity of transcribing live speech. Try typing full paragraphs, code snippets, or date-heavy content to challenge yourself.