Washington State Typing Test: Where to Test, What Counts

That is the short version. The long version is a sorting problem, because "Washington typing test" covers at least three different situations that need three different documents. Pick yours first, then read only that section.

Which path are you on?

Start with who is hiring you. This is the whole decision, and it takes ten seconds.

Applying for a job in Washington
|
|-- State agency position (careers.wa.gov posting)
|     Posting asks for a typing certification?
|       Yes -> test at a site on the state's location list, bring the certificate
|       No  -> nothing to submit; the agency may still test you later
|
|-- County or city position (King County, a city HR page, a school district)
|     -> follow that agency's own instructions; they may use a vendor or test you in house
|
|-- Private employer or staffing agency
      -> they set the rule; a verified online certificate or a screenshot result is common

Two cautions before you go further. First, the middle branch is where most applicants get surprised, because a county posting can look identical to a state one. Second, if the posting uses the words "proctored", "supervised" or "original certificate", an unsupervised online result will not do, including ours. The full explanation is in our guide to when you need a proctored typing test.

Which Washington state jobs require a typing test?

The state's own careers site says it plainly: some positions with state agencies require a typing certification, which can be obtained at locations across the state. Note the word "some". The state does not require a typing certificate for every job, and it does not publish a master list of which classifications need one.

In practice the jobs that ask are the ones where typing is most of the day:

• Clerical and office support roles
• Data entry and records positions
• Reception and administrative assistant roles

Treat that list as our reading of where typing matters, not as a rule. The only reliable source is the posting itself. Open the job on the state careers site, read the minimum qualifications and the "how to apply" section, and look for the words typing, keyboarding, WPM or certification. If you see none of them, you do not need a certificate to apply. If you see them, the posting tells you the speed and whether you submit the certificate with your application or later in the process.

Two details that people skip and then regret:

1. Speed. The state's location page lists places, not speeds. Do not carry over a number you saw for California or another state. California's published rule, for instance, is its own and does not govern a Washington job. We cover that one in California typing certificate: CalHR rules explained.
2. Keying style. Some postings want a standard typing test and others want a 10-key test (numbers only). The state's list notes that many sites offer 10-key testing, sometimes for an extra fee. If the posting says data entry, read it twice.

Where can you take a typing test in Washington?

The state's list is the starting point. It names providers in nine cities, and several cities have more than one. This is what the page showed when we read it on October 27, 2026. Fees, hours and appointment rules change, so call before you drive.

City	Provider	Fee shown	How you get in
Bellingham	Manpower Services	$15, cash only, includes a practice test	Appointment only, photo ID required
Bremerton	Express Personnel	$10 for non-students, ID required	By appointment
Bremerton	Olympic College	$10 for non-students, 10-key for an extra fee	Call for an appointment
Everett	WorkSource Employment Services	Not listed	Walk-ins welcome, weekdays, 10-key also offered
Gig Harbor	West Sound Workforce	$30, extra for 10-key	By appointment
Port Angeles	WorkSource Clallam County	No cost	Contact the office, 10-key also available
Poulsbo	Sound Works Job Center	No cost	Walk-ins welcome, Monday to Thursday, 10-key also offered
Poulsbo	West Sound Workforce	$30, extra for 10-key	By appointment
Puyallup	Pierce College	Not listed	Fridays only, school year only (September through May), by appointment
Spokane	Express Employment Professionals	$10, cash only, 10-key for an extra fee	Walk-ins welcome
Vancouver	Express Employment Professionals	$10, cash only, exact amount	Call for an appointment
Vancouver	NW Staffing Resources	$10 for the test and certification	Call for an appointment

A few patterns worth noticing:

• Free exists. Two of the public workforce offices on the list show no cost. Those are the best first calls if you are close to one.
• Cash is common. Several sites say cash only, and one says exact amount. Bring small bills.
• ID is not optional. Bring a photo ID to every one of these, whether or not the page says so.
• The east side and the south have fewer options. If you live in Yakima, the Tri-Cities or Walla Walla, the list does not name a site near you. That does not mean no test is possible there. It means you should ask the hiring agency's HR contact where they accept testing from, which is a normal question.

Another thing the list does not say is whether a certificate from a site outside it will be accepted. The staffing firms and colleges on the list are the ones the state points applicants to, so those are the safest choice. If you got a certificate somewhere else, ask the agency before you assume it counts.

What speed and format do Washington tests use?

This is where Washington differs from states that publish a single standard. The state careers page does not set a minimum speed, a test length or an accuracy threshold. Those come from the job posting or the agency that is hiring.

For a concrete Washington example of how specific an agency can get, look at the King County Sheriff's Office. For its 911 Communications Specialist job, the hiring process page says a typing test is also required, at 35 WPM with 90 percent accuracy. The test runs through Public Safety Testing, and its King County Sheriff's Office listing adds the mechanics:

• The typing test is online and has to be completed within 90 days, before or after the written exam.
• You get four attempts every seven days.
• You choose which score gets forwarded to the agency.
• A score only reaches the sheriff's office if it clears 35 WPM at 90 percent accuracy.

That is one agency's rule for one job, so do not read it as a Washington standard. It is useful for two reasons. It shows that a 35 WPM bar with a hard accuracy floor is a real, current number for a Washington public safety job. And it shows that "typing test" in a government posting can mean a vendor's online system rather than a person with a stopwatch.

For your own preparation, the format question matters more than the speed question. Before test day, answer these from the posting:

1. Is it prose typing, 10-key, or both?
2. How long is the test? Some government tests run five minutes, but check yours.
3. Is the score net WPM, meaning errors are subtracted? Our explainer on how WPM is calculated shows the arithmetic.
4. Is there an accuracy floor, and is it separate from speed?

Then practice on the same length. A 5-minute typing test gives you net WPM and accuracy in the same shape most clerical tests use, and it is free with no account. Practicing on a one-minute sprint tends to flatter your score, because the last four minutes of a longer test are where fatigue and errors show up.

How do you submit your result with an application?

The cleanest answer is that the posting tells you, and you follow it exactly. Postings tend to fall into three patterns:

You attach the certificate to the application. Scan or photograph the document, keep the whole page in frame, and upload it where the application asks for supporting documents. Make sure the name matches the name on your application, the date is visible, and the net WPM is legible.

You bring it to an interview or a later step. Some agencies only ask for the certificate when you are a finalist. Keep the original, not just a photo. If you got it from a site on the state's list, that site may keep a record of your test too, so note the date and the person you dealt with.

The agency has a vendor send it. This is the King County Sheriff's pattern above. You do not upload anything; you test through the vendor and release your score to the agency. If the posting says to release scores, doing that is the submission, and an uploaded PDF may not count.

Whichever pattern applies, a few habits save time:

• Read the minimum qualifications for a deadline on the certificate. Some agencies want a recent result. If the posting does not state an age limit, ask HR rather than guess.
• Save a clear copy somewhere you can reach from your phone. Postings close fast, and you do not want to be hunting for a file.
• Do not alter a certificate or retype its contents. If something is wrong, ask the issuer to reissue it.

If your target is a private employer or a staffing firm, the process is lighter. Many will take a dated result with net WPM and accuracy and move on. If they want something they can check without emailing you back, a verified typing certificate costs $4.99, and anyone can confirm it with the ID at typetimer.com/verify. That works for private-sector applications. It does not replace a proctored government test, and we say so on the certificate page too.

Do Washington counties and cities follow the state rules?

No, and this is the most common mistake. The list on careers.wa.gov is the state agency list. Counties, cities and school districts hire under their own HR systems and set their own tests.

What that looks like in practice:

• Some use a vendor. King County's sheriff 911 job runs through Public Safety Testing, as covered above. The typing test is online, the score is released to the agency, and the state's location list does not apply.
• Some test in house. An agency may run its own skills test through its HR office. The posting will say.
• Some may not test at all. A posting that lists typing as a skill without a certificate requirement is judged from your application until it says otherwise.

A good habit is to treat the first paragraph of the "how to apply" section as the real rule. If it says anything about testing, certificates, scores or vendors, follow it to the letter. If it says nothing, call or email the HR contact and ask two questions: "Is a typing test part of this recruitment, and if so, who administers it?" That takes two minutes and prevents a wasted trip.

FAQ

Does Washington State accept online typing certificates?

It depends on the posting, and the state's published page does not settle it. The state lists in-person sites that certify typing tests, and those are the safe choice for state agency jobs that require a certification. An unsupervised online certificate may or may not be accepted, and nothing on the state page says it will be. Ask the hiring agency before you rely on one. For private employers, online results are widely accepted.

How much does a typing test cost in Washington?

On the state's list, fees run from no cost at some public workforce offices to $10, $15 or $30 at others, with some sites charging extra for a 10-key test. Several sites take cash only. Confirm the amount when you call, since fees are set by each provider.

What WPM do Washington state clerical jobs require?

The state's careers page does not set one number for all jobs. The requirement is in each posting, so read the minimum qualifications. For a sense of how one Washington agency states it, the King County Sheriff's Office asks for 35 WPM at 90 percent accuracy for its 911 Communications Specialist role. That is one agency, not a statewide rule.

How long is a Washington typing test result valid?

The state's location page does not give a validity period, so there is no figure to quote. Some postings state an age limit on certificates and some do not. If yours is silent, ask HR how recent the result must be, and if you are applying across several jobs over weeks, keep your test date in mind.

Your next step

Open the posting, find the line that mentions typing, and sort yourself into one of the three paths above. If you are headed to a state site or a vendor, run a few full-length practice tests first so the number does not surprise you. Our free 5-minute test is the closest match to most clerical formats, and the 3-minute test works if you want a quicker check. If your path ends at a private employer who wants proof they can look up, the verified certificate is $4.99 and checkable at /verify.