Online typing assessments: The 5 best to use for hiring
4 minute read
Posted by Chris Platts on 8 September 2020
You’re hiring for a role that requires excellent typing skills. It could be for data entry, note-taking, clerical work, translations, or transcriptions. Either way, testing someone’s ability to type quickly and accurately is best done via an online typing assessment.
We’ve compiled five of the best online typing assessments so you can find the lightning-fast typist your company needs right now.
What are online typing assessments?
Online typing assessments are used to measure your typing speed and accuracy.
A typing test assessment requires the applicant to type different types of text as quickly and accurately as possible for a pre-defined period.
Scores can be formulated by combining objective measures such as average typing speed, keystrokes per minute, and typing accuracy.
Different roles may require different average speeds and accuracy. For example, a data entry role might only require 45 words per minute, whereas a legal secretary may need to be able to do 90. Typing Tests can also be used for practice to improve muscle memory and touch typing (typing without looking at the keyboard), which are needed to pass tougher tests.
The 5 best online typing assessments to use when hiring
If you need to know that your new hire can transcribe meeting minutes in minutes, not hours these typing assessments will let you know whether your new hire is the right type of person that can, well, type!
ThriveMap’s typing assessments are designed by understanding the context of the role. For example, with typing, you may have a specific style of transcription that requires a different ability than general typing. You may decide that accuracy is more important than a ‘words per minute’ speed test or vice versa, and you may want to give candidates a realistic picture of the job they’re being asked to do.
You can do all of these in ThriveMap.
ThriveMap’s online typing assessments go beyond a simple typing test.
ThriveMap creates realistic job assessmentsthat take candidates through a virtual “day in the life” of the job. This is used to test candidate behaviour, commitment, and cultural fit, as well as raw capabilities such as typing ability. Written communication and data entry skills often form part of the customised assessments, and they can be tailored to a specific work environment, such as typing tests for call centres.
Typist Test Pro lets you create customized typing tests for your pre-employment and training needs in just a few easy steps. If you’re dealing primarily with foreign languages or numerical data, you can tailor the trial text to fit the content your candidate would be typing in the job role.
ISV Online is geared towards employers with a convenient percentile ranking system and a user-friendly display. All of this helps you, the recruiter, see who cuts the mustard when it comes to typing.
Selective Hiring assessment is data-entry specific, perfect for recruiters of entry-level data entry positions. It uses many factors to compile an overall score, including average keystrokes per minute (KSPM). Selective Hiring also boasts 20 different typing tests to reflect different subject areas for recruiters to choose from for their candidates.
Over 4000 companies, including Kronos, Michelin, and American Express, use assessment provider Mettl for typing tests. It’s a conventional test of accuracy and speed. However, they offer to make a custom test for your company, tailoring a typing test that will reflect the content your candidates will encounter.
In closing
That concludes our list of some of the best online typing assessments for hiring. There are plenty of assessments out there, and with slight ergonomic differences, they will all allow you to rank candidates based on speed and accuracy of typing.
But remember, typing assessments only show you one side of each candidate; they should either be used as part of a wider assessment or alongside a structured interview to assess someone’s full range of abilities.
Share
The ThriveMap Newsroom
Subscribe for insights, debunks and what amounts to a free, up-to-date recruitment toolkit.
About ThriveMap
ThriveMap creates customised assessments for high volume roles, which take candidates through an online “day in the life” experience of work in your company. Our assessments have been proven to reduce staff turnover, reduce time to hire, and improve quality of hire.
Not sure what type of assessment is right for your business? Read our guide.
Other articles you might be interested in
The Great Recruitment Shift: The Industry Isn’t Ready
The recruitment market is standing at the edge of a major transformation. Technology is advancing at lightning speed, promising to reshape how we attract, screen, and hire talent. But despite this, the industry is struggling to keep up. There’s a storm brewing, and while it offers the chance to revolutionize recruitment, many are clinging to […]
How ArcBest is hiring Data Input Specialists with ThriveMap
At ThriveMap, we love seeing our tools tackle real-world recruitment challenges. ArcBest, a multibillion-pound logistics provider, is a prime example. After successfully using our pre-hire assessments for Dock Workers and Operations Supervisors, they saw the potential to apply the same approach for Data Input Specialists—a crucial, detail-oriented role. Here’s how we’re helping ArcBest find the […]
The Future of AI in Recruitment Technology: It’s Not About Buying AI Tools
Everyone’s talking about AI, but let’s be clear: the future of AI in recruitment won’t be about buying standalone “AI solutions.” Instead, AI will quietly integrate into every tool you already use. It won’t be a separate thing—it’ll be everywhere, helping you do more with less effort. AI Will Be Embedded, Not an Add-On Right […]