4 Key Typing Metrics That Help You Evaluate Candidates

Typing proficiency remains a core skill across various job roles in the tech sector, including administrative, customer support, transcription, and data entry positions. As an employer, you should evaluate a candidate’s typing ability because it can help you save time, boost productivity, and ensure consistent output. To evaluate someone’s typing, there are a few critical metrics that are used all over the world to ensure that you are choosing the right candidate for the right position.

So, here are 4 key typing metrics that can help employers evaluate candidates more effectively during the hiring process.

1. Words Per Minute (WPM)

The most common and popular typing metric that is used worldwide to evaluate a candidate’s typing skills is Words Per Minute (WPM). WPM, as the name suggests, calculates how many standard words (typically five keystrokes each) a person can type in one minute. It is an important metric because it gives you a quick overview of how fast the candidate can type. In time-sensitive job positions, a high WPM rate can translate into better productivity and efficiency.

For most office jobs, a typing speed of 40-60 WPM is considered average, while 70 WPM or higher is considered good. When testing WPM, ensure that all candidates are using the same testing platform, like the TypingTest.co, so that results are consistent and unbiased.

2. Accuracy Percentage

The next important metric to evaluate a candidate’s typing proficiency is the accuracy percentage. Accuracy percentage measures how often a candidate types the correct character or word without errors. In high-speed and time-sensitive typing roles, quick typing loses its value if the candidate does not have a good accuracy percentage, because repeatedly making errors means that the errors need to be corrected.

Inaccurate typing leads to lost time, confusion, and even costly mistakes in business-critical environments. An accuracy percentage of 95% or higher is often considered ideal and demonstrates that a candidate can maintain both speed and focus under pressure.

In any typing test, like the 1-min typing test, accuracy is displayed alongside WPM. Pay special attention to the accuracy rate because a candidate typing at 80 WPM with 80% accuracy may produce more usable content than someone typing at 100 WPM with 60% accuracy.

3. Error Rate

Error rate is closely related to accuracy and quantifies the number of mistakes made per a set number of keystrokes or words (e.g., errors per 100 words). Error rate is an important metric because it gives you a deeper insight into the candidate’s accuracy and attention to detail. It highlights the types of mistakes a person tends to make, such as typos, transposed letters, or skipped characters.

With the help of an error rate and error report, you can see patterns and determine if the errors are random or indicate a lack of understanding of punctuation, grammar, or spelling. A low error rate indicates that the candidate is mindful while typing and less likely to introduce flaws into official documentation or records, making him a good choice for roles that require precision.

4. Typing Duration and Endurance

Nowadays, short typing tests are employed to assess a candidate’s typing skills; however, these short typing tests don’t always reveal the big picture. Sure, they can give you an idea of a candidate’s peak performance, but they don’t always reveal how well someone performs over extended periods, which is why typing test duration and endurance are important.

Typing test duration and endurance can show you how well a candidate maintains speed and accuracy over extended typing sessions. For jobs that require sustained typing for multiple hours, typing endurance is very important, as it helps you find candidates who can maintain a steady performance for longer periods.

To assess typing endurance, give candidates a 5-minute or 10-minute typing test instead of the regular 1- or 2-minute test to see if they can handle large volumes of typing without fatigue or loss of concentration.