Civil Service Typing Test: Formats, Bars, Where to Test

That last point is where most applicants go wrong. They practice until the number is fine, then show up with the wrong document. Below is how the four levels of government actually handle it, each rule taken from that employer's own page.

What is a civil service typing test?

In civil service hiring, a "typing test" usually means one of two things, and it helps to know which one you are facing.

The first is a qualifying performance test. You type a printed or on-screen passage for a fixed time, the test counts your words and errors, and you either clear the bar or you do not. It is pass/fail. Your score does not rank you against other candidates; it only decides whether you stay in the process.

The second is the written clerical exam that often travels with it. A clerk typist exam in New York, for example, is mostly multiple choice: spelling, alphabetizing, record keeping and similar tasks. Nassau County's Clerk-Typist I bulletin makes the split explicit: the eligible list is built from the written test scores, and candidates must also pass a separate pass/fail typing test on a PC later.

So "passing the clerk typist exam" often means two separate hurdles. The written part decides your rank on the list. The typing part decides whether you are allowed on it at all.

How do city, county, state and federal tests differ?

Speed bars are fairly similar across levels. The mechanics are not: who gives the test, whether they will accept a certificate from somewhere else, and how long a result stays good. This matrix uses one or two real, published examples per level, so you can see the range before you read your own posting.

Level	Example (source)	Test format	How results get submitted	Outside certificates accepted?
City	Los Angeles City Attorney, Legal Clerk I	5-minute timed exercise, 35 net WPM, max 5 errors	Applicant submits a certificate, letter or results form; the office does not test	Yes, from an agency or accredited school within 12 months. Online certificates are not accepted
City	City of Fontana typing certificate requirements	5-minute test, net WPM	Certificate attached to the application	Yes, in person or online, issued within one year; online results may be validated in person later
County	Los Angeles County typing test (score banking)	Timed speed and accuracy test given by County HR	Score stays on file and transfers automatically to later exams	The bulletin exempts only people with a County typing record or a County-administered passing test
County	Nassau County, NY Clerk-Typist I bulletin (2019)	Pass/fail typing test on a PC after the written exam, 35 WPM minimum	Administered by the county's civil service commission	Not offered in that bulletin
State	CalHR typing certification requirements	5 minutes, proctored virtually or in person, 40 WPM minimum	Certificate with the application, or a test given by any state department	Yes if proctored, 5 minutes and issued within four years. Unproctored or shorter tests are rejected
State	New Jersey CSC, Senior Clerk Typist (Dec 2024)	5-minute pass/fail test, 40 net WPM, keyboards provided	May be given during the interview; upload a current proficiency certificate if you have one	A passing CSC or CSC-approved score report or proficiency certificate means no retest
Federal	OPM test requirements	Clerk-Typist (0322) and Office Automation (0326), grades 2 to 4: performance test or self-certification	Set per announcement on USAJOBS	Self-certification is allowed for these series; the announcement may still require a test

Three patterns fall out of that table.

Cities lean on certificates. Small and mid-size city HR departments often do not run a testing room, so they push the job onto you and specify exactly what the document must show. That is also where the widest disagreement lives: Fontana accepts an online certificate, while the LA City Attorney's Office refuses one outright, and both are in Southern California.

Counties and states lean on their own tests. Large counties and state civil service agencies tend to administer the typing test themselves or require proctoring, and they keep the result on file. LA County's score-banking bulletin exists precisely so you take the test once and have it follow you to future exams.

Federal is the outlier. OPM lists Clerk-Typist and Office Automation Clerical and Assistance at grades 2 to 4 as "performance test or self certification." In practice the announcement decides. A current USAJOBS announcement for an Air Force Child and Youth Programs Clerk (OA) says a qualified typist test is required and sets the minimum at 40 WPM.

How are civil service typing tests scored?

Almost every government bar is stated as net WPM, which is gross speed with a penalty for errors. The standard method counts five characters as one word, divides by the minutes, then subtracts for uncorrected mistakes. How WPM is calculated walks through the full formula with a worked example.

The exact penalty is where jurisdictions differ, so read the wording:

• One WPM per error. The LA City Attorney's Office calculates net speed by deducting one word per minute for each error, and separately caps errors at five. A 45 gross WPM result with six errors fails there even though the net number would clear 35.
• Gross minus errors. New Jersey's posting defines net words as total words per minute minus errors, and says candidates are graded on a scale based on the number of errors.
• Speed and accuracy, method unstated. LA County's bulletin says only that the test measures speed and accuracy. When a posting is that brief, assume errors cost you and aim well above the minimum.

Two practical consequences. First, the five-minute length matters as much as the scoring. A pace you can hold for one minute usually sags over five, which is why 1-minute and 5-minute results read differently. Second, an error cap changes your strategy. If a posting caps errors, slow down slightly and protect accuracy; a few WPM of headroom is cheaper than a sixth error.

Which clerical titles require one?

The requirement attaches to the job class, not to the employer, so the same county can have typing and non-typing versions of similar work. The clearest published list is LA County's, which names the minimum WPM for each class that requires typing:

LA County class	Minimum WPM
Intermediate Clerk / Light Typing	25
Intermediate Typist-Clerk	40
Senior Typist-Clerk	40
Supervising Typist-Clerk	40
Secretary I through V	40
Senior Secretary I through IV	40
Legal Office Support Assistant I and II	40

Elsewhere the titles change but the pattern holds. California state service puts the typing requirement on classes such as Office Assistant (Typing) and Office Technician (Typing), and CalHR says the specific requirement is noted in each class specification. New York counties use titles like Clerk-Typist and Typist-Clerk. New Jersey uses Senior Clerk Typist. Federal typing roles sit mostly in the 0322 Clerk-Typist and 0326 Office Automation series, with stenography titles in 0312.

Watch for the words "(Typing)", "Typist", "keyboarding" or "Office Automation" in the title. If none of them appear, the class may still list a typing speed in its minimum qualifications, so read that section before you assume you are exempt. For a wider view of posted speeds across private and public roles, see typing speed requirements for jobs.

Where do you take a proctored civil service typing test?

Start with the employer. Many civil service agencies test you themselves, and that is the one result nobody can reject. CalHR says any state department, including the one you are applying to, may give you a typing test. LA County runs its own. New Jersey may test you at the interview.

If you need to bring your own certificate, the usual sources are:

• Public workforce centers. America's Job Centers and similar county workforce offices often run typing tests for job seekers.
• Community college and adult school testing labs. These issue signed certificates on letterhead, which is what strict postings ask for.
• Local staffing agencies. Fontana's own requirements list staffing offices in the region that give certificates for a fee of roughly $20 to $25, cash, by appointment. Note that some employers reject agency certificates, so check first.
• Virtually proctored tests. California explicitly accepts proctoring over video, which helps if you cannot reach a testing site.

Whatever the source, match the document to the posting field by field. The LA City Attorney's Office, for example, wants the agency's emblem or watermark, your name, test length, gross WPM, net WPM, number of errors, the date, a signature, and the agency's address and phone number. A certificate missing any one of those can sink an otherwise qualified application. What makes a typing test "proctored" covers the identity and supervision side in more depth, and California applicants should read the CalHR typing certificate rules explained.

When does an online certificate count, and when does it not?

Plainly: an unproctored online certificate, including ours, will not qualify for California state service, for the LA City Attorney's Office, or for any posting that says "proctored", "administered by", "accredited school or agency", or "online certificates not accepted." In those cases, use the employer's own test or a proctored certificate from a school or job center.

An online certificate can count where the employer says so. Fontana's requirements accept one as long as it shows your name, the site's name and address, the test date, a five-minute testing process, and net WPM or WPM with accuracy, with the caveat that your skill may be checked in person later. Federal clerk-typist series allow self-certification unless the announcement asks for a test. Many private employers and some local agencies never ask for a document at all; pre-employment typing tests covers how those screens usually work.

Where an online result is accepted, the weak point is trust: anyone can edit a PDF. A certificate that an HR clerk can look up independently removes that doubt. That is the reason a TypeTimer verified certificate carries a public ID checkable at typetimer.com/verify. It is useful exactly where online proof is allowed, and not a substitute where proctoring is required.

FAQ

What WPM do civil service clerk typist exams require?

It depends on the jurisdiction and the class, and the posting is the only reliable answer. On official pages checked for this article, the bars were 40 WPM for California state typing classes (CalHR), 40 net WPM for New Jersey's Senior Clerk Typist, 40 WPM for most LA County typing classes (25 for Intermediate Clerk / Light Typing), 35 WPM for Nassau County's Clerk-Typist I in 2019, 35 net WPM with a five-error cap for the LA City Attorney's Legal Clerk I, and 40 WPM on a current federal USAJOBS clerk announcement.

Is the civil service typing test proctored?

Usually, yes. When the agency gives the test itself, it is proctored by definition. When you supply a certificate, most state and many city postings require it to come from a school, agency or job center, and California requires proctoring (virtual or in person). The exceptions are employers that accept online certificates, like Fontana, and federal clerk-typist series that allow self-certification.

Can I retake a civil service typing test?

Generally you can, but the rules are local. LA County's score-banking posting lets candidates test again, and says your most recent score supersedes earlier ones unless you have already passed at 40 WPM, so a passing score is protected. The same bulletin says typing tests are not reviewable under its civil service rules, so a retake, not an appeal, is the path after a miss. If you bring your own certificate, you can simply test again and submit the better one, as long as it is recent enough.

How long are civil service typing scores valid?

Anywhere from one year to open-ended. CalHR honors certificates issued within the last four years. Fontana and the LA City Attorney's Office want certificates from the last 12 months. LA County keeps passing scores on file and transfers them automatically to future exams. For federal internal placements, OPM's guidance suggests a typing performance test when the applicant has not worked successfully in a position needing that skill within the past three years.

Rehearse the format, then check your proof

Practice on the free 5-minute typing test until your net WPM sits comfortably above your posting's bar from a cold start, with errors under control. Then reread the posting and match the proof to it: the agency's own test, a proctored certificate, or, where online results are allowed, a certificate the employer can verify.