A clerical typing test is the assessment used for general office, council, school district and government clerical positions. It is one of the oldest standardised employment tests still in regular use, and in the public sector it is often a formal, scored examination rather than an informal check, with a published minimum you either meet or you do not.
The test above runs three minutes on mixed business text, which is the format most clerical examinations follow.
The speed clerical roles require
Clerical postings almost always state a number, which makes preparation refreshingly concrete. The most common requirements are 35, 40 and 45 net words per minute. Junior clerk and clerk typist roles often sit at 35 to 40. Senior clerical, court clerk and secretarial-grade positions commonly ask for 45 to 55.
Pay close attention to the word “net”. Public sector clerical tests almost always score net WPM, meaning your errors are subtracted from your gross speed. On some scoring systems each error removes a full word per minute from your result, which means five mistakes can cost you five words per minute and drop you under the line even though you typed quickly. This single detail is why accuracy training beats speed training for clerical exams.
How clerical tests are scored
- Gross WPM is everything you typed, divided by five, divided by the minutes.
- Errors are counted per character or per word depending on the authority, and uncorrected errors always count against you.
- Net WPM is gross minus the error penalty, and it is the figure recorded on your result.
- A separate accuracy floor is sometimes applied on top, disqualifying attempts below a set percentage regardless of net speed.
Our result screen shows gross WPM, net WPM and accuracy side by side for exactly this reason. If the gap between your gross and net figures is wide, you are typing faster than you can control and you will lose marks on a clerical exam. Our how WPM is calculated page explains the arithmetic in full.
What the material looks like
Clerical passages are drawn from the sort of documents the job actually produces: correspondence, notices, minutes, policy extracts and record entries. Expect formal sentence construction, plenty of capitalised proper nouns, dates, reference numbers and the occasional list. It is not difficult English, but it is not conversational either, and the density of capitals and punctuation is much higher than in the practice text most people use.
How to prepare for a clerical exam
- Train for net speed. Set yourself a target of zero uncorrected errors first, then raise the pace. Use accuracy practice to build the habit.
- Rehearse the exact duration. If the exam is five minutes, practise five minutes. Stamina is a real factor and a one-minute score tells you almost nothing about it.
- Type formal text. The business and academic material in our lesson library matches clerical passages far better than everyday prose.
- Practise numbers and punctuation. Reference numbers and dates appear constantly. Spend time on numbers and punctuation.
- Sit a full mock. Use exam mode, which fixes the duration, blocks pasting and hides the distractions.
Other sections you may face
Clerical examinations frequently bundle the typing test with filing and alphabetising, basic arithmetic, proofreading, records comparison, spelling and grammar, and sometimes a short data entry section. Many authorities publish a candidate information booklet describing the sections and giving sample questions; if one exists for your exam, it is by far the most valuable thing you can read before the day.
If you narrowly miss the mark
Most authorities allow a retake after a waiting period, so a near miss is not the end of the application. It is also, in typing terms, an easy gap to close: candidates who are four or five net words per minute short almost always get there within a few weeks by fixing accuracy rather than chasing speed. Cutting your uncorrected errors in half is usually worth more net WPM than any amount of trying to type faster.
Public sector clerical exams specifically
Government, council, school district and court clerical roles are where typing tests are most formal, and the process differs from private sector hiring in ways worth knowing before you apply.
- The requirement is published. The exact net WPM is normally stated in the posting or the class specification, so you know the target precisely.
- Testing is often scheduled. You may sit the exam on a fixed date with other candidates rather than at your convenience.
- Results may be banked. Many authorities keep a valid typing certification on file for a period, so one pass can cover several applications.
- Scoring is usually net. Errors are deducted, and the deduction can be harsh.
- Ranked lists are common. You are not simply passing or failing but being placed in order against other candidates.
That last point changes the strategy. In private hiring, clearing the bar is enough. On a ranked eligibility list every extra net word per minute moves you up, and the people above you get called first.
Reading the job posting properly
Clerical postings are unusually specific and the details are easy to skim past. Look for four things: the required speed and whether it says net or gross; the accuracy threshold, if one is stated separately; the test duration, so you can practise at the right length; and whether a certificate from an approved provider is accepted in place of sitting their exam, which is common and can save you a trip.
If the posting says a certificate is acceptable, check which providers qualify before paying for one. Requirements are usually specific about who may issue it and how recent it must be, and a certificate from the wrong source is worth nothing to that employer.
Other job typing tests
Preparing for a different role? These tests are set up the same way: Office Assistant Typing Test · Data Entry Typing Test Practice · Receptionist Typing Test · Pre Employment Typing Test.
Start practising now
Scroll back up and take the test on this page as many times as you like. When you want a structured plan rather than repeated attempts, our personalised practice plan builds a schedule around your current speed and the keys that slow you down, and the full lesson library covers everything from the home row to numbers and punctuation.