Typing Speed

The purpose of acquiring a good typing method is to learn to type quickly and efficiently. Speed is therefore the ultimate goal of the training. The best way to reach this goal is with a good typing method.

What Speed Target Should I Aim For?

Although speed is measured objectively, its evaluation is much more subjective. What is a good target to aim for? It is difficult to say. Even the scientific literature is divided on the question.

The right speed target depends on your age and your end goal. Do you simply want to be more efficient in writing emails, or do you intend to compete in international competitions?

Targets for an adult Words per minute (wpm) Characters per minute (cpm)
Average speed 40 wpm and over 200 cpm and over
Above average speed 50 wpm and over 250 cpm and over
Productive speed 60 wpm and over 300 cpm and over
High speed 70 wpm and over 350 cpm and over
Competitive speed 120 wpm and over 600 cpm and over

Did you know? — According to Intersteno, an international federation that regularly organizes international typing contests, the world record for typing speed is held by Czech typist Helena Matoušková. In 2003, she achieved a typing speed of 955 characters per minute. That’s around 191 words per minute, with 99.97% precision!

The Typing Pal Approach

Final Target

Typing Pal suggests setting a final target for the typing speed you want to reach by the end of the training. This target will vary according to your age and the skill level you are aiming for. Check out the table below to help you set an appropriate target.

Age range Beginner Intermediate Expert
6 to 11 years old 15 wpm
(75 cpm)
80% accuracy
25 wpm
(125 cpm)
85% accuracy
35 wpm
(175 cpm)
90% accuracy
12 to 16 years old 30 wpm
(150 cpm)
85% accuracy
40 wpm
(200 cpm)
90% accuracy
50 wpm
(250 cpm)
95% accuracy
17 years old and over 45 wpm
(225 cpm)
90% accuracy
55 wpm
(275 cpm)
95% accuracy
65 wpm
(325 cpm)
100% accuracy

Intermediate Targets

Once you have set your final target, Typing Pal uses this to calculate intermediate targets for each of the training activities under the Learning tab. These intermediate targets are adjusted to the difficulty coefficient for the text and its relative position in the training plan.

For example, if the final target is set at 65 words per minute, the speed target for the first exercise will be set at 33 words per minute. Achieving this reasonable goal with total accuracy is a prediction of the training program’s ultimate success.

Speed Evaluation

The typing speed recorded during exercises or tests at the end of each step under the Learning tab is useful for formative evaluation. For example, this data allows you to compare student scores during the course of their training.

For a summative evaluation, we recommend that you refer instead to the final tests under the Learning tab, or to the texts under the Progress tab, since the texts used in these activities more closely reflect a real-life context. Filter the statistics by selecting this activity type. This will show more accurate results in terms of the performance level achieved.

Finally, to evaluate progress, we recommend that you compare the initial test result with the final test result. Since the two tests are exactly the same, you will get a clear indication of progress.