TypeTimer

Federal Typing Test Practice (USAJOBS)

USAJOBS does not test your typing. This five minute test is how you check the number before you certify it. The timer starts when you do.

5:00
start typing to begin

Text to type:

The test you are preparing for may never happen

This is the unusual case in federal clerical hiring: the typing requirement is real, but there is often no test in front of it. You state your speed, the application moves on, and the claim sits in your file as something you have asserted. The USAJOBS typing guide reads the actual federal language line by line, including the OPM General Schedule qualification standards, so you can see exactly where the speed requirement sits.

That makes the honest number more important rather than less. An agency can test you later, and a claim you cannot reproduce is worse than a lower claim you can. Five minutes here, a few times, gives you a figure you are willing to stand behind.

Certify the number you repeat, not the one you hit

Take the test above on several different days, at the full five minutes, and look at the spread rather than the maximum. Net WPM is the right measure because it already subtracts the mistakes you left behind. Your results are saved to this browser alone, so the history panel gives you the range at a glance. If your runs sit between 41 and 48, the number to certify is the bottom of that range, not the top.

If your agency does test

Some federal and state roles do administer a performance test, and state clerical hiring is stricter about proof than federal hiring is. The civil service typing test covers the state and local bars and which certificates they accept. Where you do want a dated, checkable record rather than an assertion, the verified certificate stores your score against an ID anyone can look up, and this test stays free whether or not you ever buy one.

Frequently asked questions

Does USAJOBS have a typing test?
No. USAJOBS is the job board, not an assessment platform, and it administers no typing test of its own. The announcement for a clerical or office automation position states a required speed, commonly 40 words per minute, and you meet it by self-certifying, by passing an agency performance test, or by presenting a certificate from an authorized organization.
What does self-certification actually mean?
It means you state on your application that you can type at the required speed, and the agency takes you at your word at that stage. It is not a formality to tick past. The agency is allowed to test you later, so self-certify only a speed you can reproduce on a timed test on a normal day, not your best ever result.
What speed do federal clerical jobs ask for?
40 words per minute is the figure that appears most often in federal clerical and office automation announcements. Read your specific announcement, since the required speed and any accuracy condition are stated there, and office automation positions can carry additional requirements beyond typing speed.
Will an agency retest me?
It can, and the realistic moment is at or near the offer stage rather than during the initial screen. That is the whole reason to certify an honest number: a speed you cannot repeat in front of someone is a problem discovered at the worst possible point in the process.
Should I buy a certificate for a federal application?
Usually you do not need one, because self-certification is accepted for most of these announcements. A dated record is still useful for your own confidence, and some authorized-organization routes do call for a certificate. Read the announcement first and buy nothing you were not asked for, here or anywhere else.
How do I pick the number to certify?
Take the five minute test above three or four times across different days and use the figure you clear reliably, not your peak. Net WPM is the honest measure because it already subtracts uncorrected errors. If your best run is 48 and your typical run is 41, certify 40 and be comfortable.

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