The best 4 types of typing tests for recruiters

From entry-level administrators to senior professionals, fast and accurate typing skills are crucial to job success. Without these skills, candidates may struggle to keep up with the demands of your organization, potentially harming workplace productivity. 

Incorporating typing tests into a pre-employment assessment enables recruiters to measure a candidate's typing speed and accuracy and evaluate communication skills, attention to detail, and role suitability.

This guide takes a closer look at the different typing tests available, factors for recruiters to consider when administering typing tests, and why typing tests are used in the hiring process. Let’s get started.

Different types of typing tests

There are four types of typing tests that are useful when recruiting your next hire.

1. A traditional typing test measures how quickly an employee can type a set number of words per minute (WPM) or keystrokes per hour (KPH). Typing speed is calculated by dividing the words or keystrokes typed by the time taken. The words used in the test may be randomly generated, created using AI, or follow a passage from a book or case study. 

2. An interactive typing test is designed to replicate real-world typing scenarios. For example, responding to emails in a simulated office environment, entering data into a spreadsheet, or responding to customer complaints. 

3. An advanced typing skills test is designed to assess a candidate’s ability to use technical terms within specific settings. For example, those working in niche industries such as engineering or bioscience. This test can gauge a candidate’s understanding of terms, their confidence in using them, and their accuracy when delivering at pace. 

4. An audio-typing skills test assesses a candidate’s ability to transcribe audio recordings accurately. These skills are useful in call centers and administrative or legal settings where employees are expected to take a lot of phone calls and make accurate notes.

Things to consider when using typing tests during recruitment

Although typing tests can tell you a lot about a candidate’s capabilities, it’s important to consider the following.

Accuracy vs. speed 

Typing accuracy is the percentage of correctly typed words, phrases, or numbers in a typing test. Typing speed is an applicant’s WPM or KPH. 

When recruiting new employees, it’s often a trade-off between those who can type accurately and those who can type quickly. 

The choice between accuracy and speed will depend on the specific nature of the job. For example, those working in legal firms or engineering settings will require accuracy, while those working in customer service settings will require speed.

Test difficulty

The difficulty of your typing tests should reflect the skills needed for the role. For example, basic tests should be used for entry-level jobs, and more challenging tests dedicated to senior or advanced roles. 

User experience

A positive user experience is essential to ensure a high completion rate of pre-employment tests. Candidates should be given clear prompts to help them navigate the test, and the user interface should be clean and intuitive.

Test validity

A valid test accurately assesses a candidate’s typing skills and predicts their performance in real-world scenarios. Well-designed typing tests undergo rigorous quality-control processes to ensure reliability and validity.

Access to technology

When using a typing test, it’s important to consider your candidate’s access to technology. Many people rely on laptops or mobile phones instead of having a designated computer and separate keyboard, and these factors could hinder results. 

Inviting candidates into the workplace to take the test ensures the setup is standardized for all test-takers. Plus, it’s a great way to meet potential candidates.

Learning difficulties

If you’re issuing a typing test, you must make accommodations for those with learning difficulties. For example, people with dyslexia or dyspraxia may struggle with the accuracy or speed of their typing. 

Providing reasonable accommodations, such as additional time or specialized assistive technology, ensures equal opportunities for all candidates.  

Before any test is taken, TestGorilla presents candidates with an assessment setup screen where they can let hiring managers know whether they have a condition that affects their memory or concentration, such as ADHD, or processing difficulties like dyslexia. 

Candidates can specify whether they need additional time to complete the assessment, and a TestGorilla employee will review and grant this accommodation. 

What’s more, candidates can choose whether they want the hiring manager to be made aware of this condition – there’s an optional checkbox to notify the employer. However, it’s not required for them to do so.

Language capabilities

Although a typing test needs to be taken in the language the candidate will use in the workplace, they may feel more comfortable if the instructions are in their native language. 

Look out for a platform that enables candidates to tailor the settings to their preferred language. TestGorilla offers localized websites in 12 different languages.

Why typing tests are used in the hiring process

Typing tests are commonly used in the hiring process to assess speed and accuracy. But there are other skills that typing tests can uncover.

Essential skills

Typing skills are a fundamental aspect of many job roles. Whether you’re hiring an assistant, marketing manager, or senior leader, typing skills will be a big part of their working day. 

An employee’s typing ability is directly linked to their productivity. Faster, more accurate typers complete more work throughout the day. Typing tests enable you to assess an employee’s speed, accuracy, and overall typing proficiency.

Role suitability

Typing tests can help you determine a candidate’s suitability for an open role. If the position relies heavily on transcribing, data entry, or writing letters, a candidate who can type quickly and accurately is preferable over one who can’t.

Accuracy and attention to detail

Accuracy and attention to detail are important skills in many fields, such as data entry, engineering, and medicine. 

Typing tests can help determine a candidate’s commitment to producing high-quality work, enabling recruiters to establish whether they would be an asset to the company. 

Communication skills

Typing tests enable you to gauge how candidates will represent the organization via workplace communications and emails. They generally assess a candidate’s grammar, punctuation, and accuracy when typing. 

You can also access tests to measure how fast and accurate candidates are when using the 10-key numeric typing pad. This is handy for accountants, data analysts, and clerks of different industries.  

Different TestGorilla typing tests available 

TestGorilla offers four different typing tests as well as a fun one-minute speed test on its website.

• Free Typing test: This quick test enables candidates to find out their typing speed and accuracy. They can then share their results with employers.

• Typing Speed test (Lowercase Only): This test enables managers to evaluate a candidate’s typing speed in WPM without worrying about capitalization or punctuation. A space separates all words, and candidates need to focus on typing quickly. 

• Typing Speed test (Capitalization and Punctuation): This test also lets managers measure a candidate’s typing speed in WPM. However, this test requires candidates to focus on their punctuation and capitalization of words. This will give a more realistic representation of a candidate’s typing speed and focuses on accuracy. 

• 10-Key Typing (Numbers Only). This test assesses a candidate’s ability to type numerical data using the 10-key number pad on a keyboard. It calculates a candidate’s KPH and focuses on speed and accuracy. 

• 10-Key Typing (Decimals and Operators). As above, this test determines a candidate’s ability to type numerical data using the 10-key number pad. However, this test requires candidates to use decimal points and mathematical operators like + and -. This is a more accurate representation of a candidate’s data entry skills. 

Conclusion 

Typing tests assess important skills in modern workplaces to support you in selecting your next hire. These include measuring typing abilities, such as speed and accuracy, as well as gauging a candidate’s suitability for a role, communication skills, and attention to detail. 

Get your candidates to try out TestGorilla’s Free Typing test for a quick measure of their typing ability. Or, if you’re looking for a candidate with excellent typing skills, try out one of TestGorilla’s four in-depth typing test options. Sign up for your free plan or check out our other paid plans to discover our full range of 300+ skills tests