60
seconds
Ten minutes is long enough that nobody sprints it. What you get at the end is the speed you actually type at when you are working.
A one minute test measures a sprint. Ten minutes measures something more useful: the pace you settle into once the novelty has worn off. It is the closest a typing test gets to real writing, where nobody types in sixty-second bursts.
It is also an honest test of comfort. Tension in your shoulders, a wrist resting on the desk edge or a chair at the wrong height will all show up in the last few minutes as a slow slide down the speed chart.
The speed chart is the most useful part of a long test. A flat line means you paced it well. A steady slope down means you started too fast. Dips in the middle usually line up with long or unfamiliar words, which the slowest words list will point out.
Consistency matters more here than anywhere else. If it is low, try the sprint intervals to build top speed, then come back and hold a slightly lower pace for the full ten minutes. For shorter benchmarks there are the 1 minute and 5 minute tests.
Short tests reward a fast start. Over ten minutes, comfort, posture and rhythm matter more, so the number is much closer to the speed you hold while writing an email or a report.
Most people lose somewhere between five and fifteen percent. A small drop is a sign of good pacing. A large one usually means the first minute was too fast.
Some transcription and data entry roles use longer tests, and a few ask for ten minutes. Most employer tests are shorter, but practising the long version makes the short one feel easy.
Yes. Press Tab to restart at any time. A run only counts toward your records when the clock reaches zero.