How to put typing speed on your resume (with wording examples)

Which typing speed should you put on a resume?

Use net WPM, from a five-minute test, and add accuracy.

Net, because that's what employers mean when they write a requirement. The City of Los Angeles, for example, asks legal secretary applicants for 60 net WPM and defines net the traditional way: gross speed minus one WPM for each error. The State of Nevada's dispatcher posting asks for net speed in capital letters. If you list a raw or gross figure, it will be higher than what their test produces, and the gap shows up the moment they test you. Why the same typing gives different numbers on different tests is covered in why your WPM differs between sites.

Five minutes, because that's the length official standards use. The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) bases its 40 WPM clerical standard on a five-minute sample with three or fewer errors. California's state jobs only accept typing certificates from tests that last five minutes. Most people type slower over five minutes than over one, so a one-minute number on a resume is an overstatement before anyone checks it. Take the 5-minute typing test three times on different days and quote the median.

Accuracy, because a speed without it is half a claim. 98% or higher reads as careful; under 95% is better left out until you've improved it.

For data entry jobs, quote keystrokes per hour (KPH) instead of, or next to, WPM, since that's the unit those postings use. The conversion is WPM × 300, so 40 WPM is 12,000 KPH. Our KPH test includes numbers and punctuation, which is closer to data entry work than plain words.

Round down, never up. If your median is 58.6, write 58, not 60.

How to back up your typing speed

What counts as proof depends on the employer, and government postings spell it out:

The pattern is clear. A screenshot from a website is fine for a resume line in most private-sector jobs, but public employers often want a proctored test from a third party. Nevada names the kind of places that provide one: job centers, community colleges and staffing agencies. If the posting asks for a certificate, arrange it before you apply, because Los Angeles disqualifies applicants whose certification is missing or incomplete and doesn't contact them to fix it.

We don't issue certificates. Our results are for practice and for knowing your number before an employer measures it. For federal jobs, where self-certification is allowed, that matters: you are certifying a number an agency can test, so the number should be one you reliably hit.

If an employer runs its own test, ask three things first: how long it is, whether it scores gross or net, and whether the text includes punctuation and numbers. Then practice under the same conditions.

Where typing speed goes on a resume

Put it in the skills section, on its own line, with the test length, where someone checking for a required speed will look first.

For a typing-heavy role, you can also tie speed to results in the experience section: what volume you handled, at what error rate. That is stronger than the bare number because it shows the speed in use.

For US federal applications, state it in the resume as well as answering the questionnaire. One VA posting warned that if the resume doesn't support a questionnaire answer, the answer gets no credit.

Sample resume lines for typing speed

Pick the one closest to your job and swap in your own numbers:

1. Typing: 62 net WPM, 98% accuracy (5-minute test, October 2026)
2. Qualified typist: 45 net WPM, 5-minute test, 2 errors
3. Data entry: 11,500 keystrokes per hour alphanumeric, 99% accuracy; 10-key by touch
4. Medical transcription: 58 net WPM over 5 minutes; medical terminology; EHR documentation
5. Typed and proofread an average of 40 client letters a week at 65 net WPM with no returned errors
6. Typing certificate: 60 net WPM, 3 errors, 5-minute proctored test, [issuing college or agency], 2026
7. Entered 1,200 invoice lines a day at 10,000 KPH, under 0.5% error rate on audit
8. Bilingual typing: English 55 net WPM, Hindi (Inscript) 35 net WPM

Lines 5 and 7 are the strongest kind: they connect the number to work someone paid for. Only claim a certificate, a college or an audit figure that you actually have.

When to leave typing speed off your resume

Leave it off if it's below the posting's requirement. A 35 WPM line on an application for a 40 WPM job tells the screener to reject you. Practice first; our guide on how to type faster covers what moves the number.

Leave it off for roles where typing isn't the work. For managers, engineers, analysts and most professional jobs, a WPM line takes space from something that matters more and can read as padding. Programmers in particular get little from it; touch typing for programmers explains why prose WPM says little about coding.

Leave it off if you can't reproduce it. A 90 WPM line invites a test, and a 70 on the day looks worse than an honest 70 on paper.

As a rough guide, 40 net WPM is the point where the line starts helping, because that's the most common requirement in official clerical, medical support and dispatcher postings. Above 60, it's a strength worth leading with for any typing-heavy role. What each speed means is in what is a good typing speed.

Keywords for typing skills on a resume

Some employers screen applications with software before a person reads them, and either way the reader is looking for the posting's own words, so use them. If it says "qualified typist", write "qualified typist". If it says "keyboarding" or "10-key", use those words rather than a synonym.

Write the unit both ways at least once, "words per minute (WPM)" or "keystrokes per hour (KPH)", so the line matches whichever form the reader or the software looks for.

The US Department of Labor's O*NET database lists what employers associate with typing work. For word processors and typists, it lists checking completed work for spelling, grammar, punctuation and format, an ability it calls wrist-finger speed, and software such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook. For data entry keyers, it lists comparing data with source documents and correcting entry errors. Mentioning the software you use, and the checking you do, matches the job better than speed alone.

Skip vague phrases like "fast typist" or "excellent typing skills". A number with a test length says more.

Frequently asked questions

How do I mention typing speed in my resume?

On its own line in the skills section: your net WPM, your accuracy and the test length, for example "Typing: 55 net WPM, 98% accuracy (5-minute test)". For data entry, add keystrokes per hour.

Is 27 WPM bad?

For general office jobs, it's below the usual 40 WPM requirement. It does meet some data entry standards: 27 WPM is about 8,000 keystrokes an hour, the level India's SSC sets for data entry operators, and above OPM's 25 WPM data transcriber standard. Requirements for each job are in typing speed requirements by job.

Should I put typing speed on my resume if the job doesn't ask for it?

Only if the role is mostly typing, such as admin, data entry, transcription or support. Otherwise the space is better used on other skills.

Do employers verify typing speed?

Many do. Public employers often require a proctored test or certificate, and federal agencies may test applicants who self-certify. Assume any number you list may be tested.