Practise the test employers actually give
Recruitment agencies and HR teams often ask candidates to type a passage for three to five minutes. They look at net words per minute, which is speed after errors, and accuracy. Typical targets are around 40 WPM for general office roles and 60 WPM or more for secretarial, legal or transcription work, almost always with 95%+ accuracy.
Capitals and punctuation slow everyone down
Expect a lower score than on a plain-words test. Every capital letter needs the shift key, and punctuation sits on harder-to-reach keys. Practise using the opposite hand's shift key (left shift for letters typed by the right hand, and the other way round). It's one of the fastest ways to gain speed on real text.
Once you're happy with your score, download a free typing certificate to attach to an application. Preparing for a longer exam? Build stamina with the 5-minute and 10-minute tests.