TYPING SPEED

Lowercase typing test for hiring

See how candidates type common lowercase words using letter keys.

2 minutes
2 questions
Entry level
Typing
Questions in English
Desktop only

Use this test free See the question formats

The short answer

The typing speed lowercase test is a two-minute check where candidates type strings of everyday lowercase words in no particular order. It measures raw keyboard speed and accuracy, with words per minute weighed more heavily than accuracy. Use it for entry-level roles where typing volume matters, such as office administration, reception, customer support by chat and email, and data entry.

What it measures

How fast and accurately you type strings of common lowercase words.

Lowercase typing speed and accuracy

Candidates type common lowercase words with single spaces, without capitals, digits, or punctuation.

Question formats

Typing

The candidate: Types a passage or a set of figures as quickly and accurately as they can.

You see: Speed together with accuracy, so fast but careless typing does not score well.

2 questions in 2 minutes, served one at a time.

Roles this test fits

Roles where typing volume matters: office administration, reception, customer support by chat and email, data entry, marketing and communications assistants, and transcription.

What this typing check can show

Speed without sentence clues
The words do not form sentences, so candidates cannot type ahead from meaning. The result reflects speed on strings of common words.
Letter-key performance
Leaving out capitals, digits, and punctuation keeps the task focused on letter keys rather than unfamiliar symbols or keyboard layouts.
A score with context
Words per minute count more heavily than the share of characters typed correctly, against a target of 45. Treat the score as evidence to review, not a decision about a candidate.

What you get for each candidate

Example report (fictional data)Typing Speed, Lowercase

39 words per minute98% accuracy

Integrity ScoreHigh confidence

Stayed on the test tab throughout
No pasted answers
Answered at a steady pace

Scores, profiles and integrity signals are evidence for you to review alongside an interview, never an automatic decision.

Use this test free

How the test records responses

Each candidate gets a different set of questions drawn from large pools, and questions arrive one at a time. The browser does not receive answer keys. Timing runs on the server, so reloading returns the same question with only the time left. Question text cannot be copied or selected, and a blocked copy attempt is recorded in the timeline. Speed and accuracy come from the candidate’s keystrokes; pasted or instantly appearing text is recorded. HireValid can summarize signals such as time away from the test tab, pastes, and answers faster than a question can be read in an Integrity Score with an evidence timeline. An employer reviews those signals; they do not decide on their own.

How we prevent AI cheating · Integrity signals

Use the score as one signal

Review the score alongside a work sample that reflects the typing in the role, then use a structured interview to ask every candidate comparable job-related questions. The two short strings offer a quick speed reading, not a full profile of typing skill. For a broader typing measure, compare it with Typing Speed and Accuracy.

Structured interview questions

Tell me about a work task where you had to enter a large amount of text accurately. How did you check your work?
Listen for a concrete checking approach and an explanation of how the candidate balanced pace with accurate entry.
Describe a time you had to correct text you had already entered. What did you do?
Listen for a clear correction process and attention to the effect of edits on the surrounding work.
How would you handle a chat or email task that required quick replies while keeping the text clear?
Listen for practical steps for composing, reviewing, and sending responses in sequence.

Understand scoring and benchmarks

Fairness and accommodations

Words are short, common US English words chosen to be familiar at a basic reading level, with no names, slang, brands, places or specialist terms. Leaving out capitals, digits and punctuation keeps the test about speed on the letter keys, so candidates are not penalized for unfamiliar symbols or keyboard layouts beyond the letters. The test needs a computer keyboard, so candidates are told before they start that it cannot be taken on a phone.

You can give any candidate extra time as an accommodation. Results are evidence for a person to review, never an automatic decision.

Provisional: reliability is reported once 200 candidates have completed it. Two short strings give a quick speed reading rather than a full profile of typing skill.

Read our fairness approach

Test details

A two-minute typing check built from strings of everyday lowercase words in no particular order, with single spaces between them and no capitals, digits or punctuation. Because the words do not form sentences, candidates cannot type ahead from meaning, so the result reflects raw keyboard speed. The score weighs words per minute against a target of 45 more heavily than accuracy, the share of characters typed correctly.

Questions are in English.
No aids are needed.
Each question is answered once, in order, with no going back.
4 practice questions, 2 minutes, before the timed test.
Taken on a desktop or laptop computer.

Frequently asked questions

Which entry-level roles fit the Typing Speed, Lowercase test?+

It is intended for roles where typing volume matters, including office administration, reception, customer support by chat and email, and data entry. See examples such as [Office Administrator](/roles/office-administrator), [Receptionist](/roles/receptionist), and [Customer Support Agent](/roles/customer-support-agent).

How does the Typing Speed, Lowercase test account for different keyboards?+

Its strings use short, common US English words familiar at a basic reading level, with no names, slang, brands, places or specialist terms. There are no capitals, digits or punctuation, so candidates are not penalized for unfamiliar symbols or keyboard layouts beyond the letters.

Can candidates use aids or go back in the Typing Speed, Lowercase test?+

No aids are listed for this test, and candidates cannot go back to a previous string. The test needs a computer keyboard, so it is desktop only and cannot be taken on a phone. Candidates are told this before they start.

Is there a practice round before the Typing Speed, Lowercase test?+

Yes. Candidates can try four practice questions in two minutes before the scored test, which has two strings and also lasts two minutes. Because the scored part is short, the practice round lets candidates settle at the keyboard first.