How the Kenexa typing test works
Typing General is the typing test in the Kenexa Prove It library, sold by IBM and now delivered by SHL on TalentCentral. A passage appears on screen and you retype it as quickly and accurately as you can. The clock is reported to start when you click to begin.
IBM sells it at 1, 3 and 5 minutes, each in an on-screen and a hardcopy edition, with UK, Canadian and Australian editions and separate Medical and Legal typing tests. The 5 minute on-screen version is one of the most requested Kenexa tests at a US workforce agency that runs them for local employers.
The result is reported as three figures: raw words per minute, average mistakes per minute and adjusted words per minute. IBM does not publish how the adjusted figure is worked out, so assume that every error you leave in counts against you.
How to approach the test
Speed is what the test measures, but your mistakes are reported beside it:
- Copy exactly what is on screen, capitals, punctuation and numbers included.
- Correct a mistake the moment you notice it, rather than going back for it later.
- Keep your eyes on the passage and read a few words ahead of your fingers.
- Hold one steady rhythm for the whole time. Bursts of speed bring clusters of errors.
- On the 1 minute version a slow start costs a large share of your score, so be ready before you click.
Worked example
Typing speed is usually counted in standard words of five keystrokes, spaces included. Say you type 1,250 keystrokes in 5 minutes. That is 250 words, so your speed is 50 WPM.
Now say you left 10 errors in the text. On our practice version each error left in takes one word off the count, so the adjusted figure is 50 minus 10 errors over 5 minutes: 48 WPM. IBM’s own adjustment is not published, but the lesson holds: a mistake you fix costs a second, and a mistake you leave shows in the report.
Tips for the real Kenexa typing test
- Check your invitation for the length. The 1, 3 and 5 minute versions reward different pacing.
- Use a desktop or laptop with a full keyboard you know. A phone keyboard measures the phone, not you.
- Warm up with a few minutes of copy typing before you start.
- Learn your real speed before the test. Many employers are reported to ask for at least 40 WPM, and typing-heavy roles for 60 to 80.
- Expect a data entry test too. Employers that set the typing test often add a Prove It data entry test.
Practise the Kenexa typing test on CogniPrep
Ours lets you choose 1, 3 or 5 minutes and gives you passages of workplace prose to copy, with capitals and punctuation counted and Backspace allowed. Pasted text is not counted. Your report shows words per minute, adjusted words per minute and accuracy. A word is five keystrokes and each error left in takes one word off the adjusted figure; that rule and the score out of 100 are ours, because IBM publishes neither.