60
seconds
Sixty seconds is the standard. When someone says they type 70 WPM, this is usually the test they mean.
Ask a typist how fast they are and they will almost always quote a one-minute result. Most typing sites default to sixty seconds, leaderboards are full of them, and when a job listing asks for 45 WPM it is a fair guess that a short timed test sits behind the number. Presspace scores it the same way as 10FastFingers, Typeracer and Monkeytype, so your result travels.
Net WPM takes the characters in every word you typed correctly, adds one for the space after each, divides by five (the standard word length) and divides by one minute. A worked example:
Raw WPM counts every keystroke, right or wrong, so it comes out higher. Accuracy is correct keystrokes divided by all keystrokes. If you fixed a mistake with Backspace before pressing Space, it shows as a corrected error and the word still counts. If you left it, it is uncorrected and the word earns nothing. There is more detail, with more examples, in our guide to how WPM is calculated.
Your result also shows an estimate of where your speed sits among adult typists. If you want to compare with friends on equal terms, the daily typing challenge is a one-minute test with the same words for everyone that day.
Look past the headline. The slowest words and the keys that slipped, listed under your score, show where the minute went. Click one to drill it, then come back and test again. If your accuracy is under 95%, slow down until it is above, and the speed will follow. For context on where your number sits, read what counts as a good typing speed. Once you can hold your one-minute pace for longer, try the 5 minute test.
It is long enough to give a stable number and short enough to repeat. Most online typing tests default to it, so a one-minute score is the easiest to compare with friends, with other sites, or with a figure in a job listing.
The commonly cited adult average is around 40 WPM. Somewhere between 50 and 60 WPM is comfortable for office work, and 75 or more is well above most people. Keep accuracy at 95% or better for the number to mean much.
Report something you can repeat. A sensible figure is the median of five runs taken in one sitting. Your best is worth knowing, but a job test will catch you on an ordinary day.
Yes. Net WPM only counts words typed correctly. A wrong word adds nothing, and the time you spent typing it is still on the clock.