Data Entry Test Practice

10-key speed test

Many data entry tests also time how fast you key numbers on the number pad. Type each number below and press Enter. Your speed is shown in keystrokes per hour (KPH) with your accuracy.

What the real test usually looks like

Data entry tests are short and practical. Most employers combine two or three of these sections:

• Typing (alphanumeric) test. Criteria's typing test shows a passage and gives you one minute to type as much of it as you can, about 2 minutes including instructions. It reports words per minute (WPM), the number of errors, and adjusted WPM, which is WPM minus errors.
• 10-key (number pad) test. Criteria's Ten Key Test gives you 20 entries to key and usually takes under 5 minutes, including instructions. It reports a speed score in keystrokes per hour (KPH) and an accuracy score, the number of fields entered correctly.
• Checking and error spotting. Compare entered records with a source document and find what changed, like the free sample above.
• Formatting rules and basic math. Enter dates, phone numbers and codes in a set format, total a batch, or sort records.
• Computer skills. Some employers add a short computer literacy test. Criteria's CLIK takes 13 minutes: three short task simulations, then ten multiple choice questions. Criteria recommends it for data entry clerks, among other office roles.

US federal jobs. The federal government sets typing standards in writing. OPM's qualification standard for clerical positions requires 40 WPM for clerk-typist and office automation positions. Data transcriber positions accept 20 WPM for GS-2 transcription duties or 25 WPM for GS-3 and GS-4, or skill with an alphanumeric data transcribing machine. Speeds are based on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors. Applicants can show proficiency with a performance test, a certificate from an authorized school, or by self-certifying, and agencies may check self-certified skills with a test. Results and certificates are accepted for 3 years.

Online or in person. Private employers usually send an online link. Some government exams are taken in person at a test site.

Criteria and CLIK are trademarks of their owner. Intellect Council is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them.

Question types with worked examples

Six worked examples of what data entry tests check, with the method and the trap for each.

1. Adjusted typing speed. You type 52 WPM with 6 errors on a test that reports adjusted WPM as WPM minus errors. What is your adjusted speed?

Answer: 52 - 6 = 46 adjusted WPM. Trap: chasing raw speed. Every error costs you a full word per minute on this kind of score, so slowing down slightly to cut errors often raises the result.

2. Working out KPH. You key 20 entries of 7 digits each and press Enter after every entry. It takes you 90 seconds. What is your speed in keystrokes per hour?

Answer: each entry is 7 + 1 = 8 keystrokes, so 20 entries is 160 keystrokes. 160 in 1.5 minutes is about 106.7 per minute, and 106.7 x 60 = 6,400 KPH. Trap: forgetting that Enter counts as a keystroke.

3. Transposed digits in an amount. Source: "Acct 50317, $2,940.15". Entered: "Acct 50317, $2,904.15". What is wrong?

Answer: the amount, where 40 became 04. Method: check numbers in groups of two or three digits, left to right, and compare decimal places first. Trap: the totals look similar, so a quick glance passes them.

4. Applying a format rule. The instructions say: "Enter names as LAST, First, with the last name in capitals." The source reads "maria de la cruz". What do you enter?

Answer: DE LA CRUZ, Maria. Method: read the rule once, then apply it the same way to every record. Trap: fixing the capitals but forgetting the comma, or typing only "CRUZ" as the last name. Format errors usually count as errors even when the data is right.

5. Spotting a duplicate. A batch contains "Invoice 77120, Delta Supply, $410.00" twice, and "Invoice 77210, Delta Supply, $410.00" once. How many duplicate records are there?

Answer: one. The two 77120 lines are the same record. 77210 is a different invoice, even though the supplier and amount match. Trap: treating matching names and amounts as proof of a duplicate without checking the reference number.

6. Look-alike characters in codes. Source code: "SKU B08-L1O5". Which entry is correct: "SKU B08-L1O5", "SKU BO8-L1O5" or "SKU B08-LIO5"?

Answer: the first. The second replaces the zero after B with the letter O, and the third replaces the digit 1 with the letter I. Method: in mixed codes, decide character by character whether each one is a letter or a digit. If you need more of this, our attention to detail test is built around it.

How to prepare

1. Know the pace you are aiming for. Criteria's Ten Key Test has 20 entries and usually takes under 5 minutes. Federal typing checks use a 5-minute sample with no more than three errors. Practice in the same short blocks: 1 minute for typing, 20 entries for 10-key, then 5 minutes at a time.
2. Use a real number pad. Keep your index finger on 4, middle finger on 5 (it has a raised dot) and ring finger on 6. Use your thumb for 0 and your little finger for Enter.
3. Check Num Lock first. If it is off, the number pad moves the cursor instead of typing digits.
4. Accuracy first, then speed. Scores such as adjusted WPM subtract errors, and many employers reject results with too many errors.
5. Do not look at your hands. Keep your eyes on the source. Looking down to find keys is the slowest habit to break, so start now.
6. Read the format rules before the timer starts. Dates, capitals, punctuation and leading zeros are where most marks are lost.
7. Read numbers in groups. Two or three digits at a time is faster and more accurate than one at a time or the whole number at once.
8. Practice daily in short bursts. Five to ten minutes a day for a week builds more speed than one long session.

How scoring usually works

Typing scores. Tests usually report WPM, errors and a net or adjusted speed. Criteria, for example, reports adjusted WPM as WPM minus the number of errors.

10-key scores. Speed in keystrokes per hour and accuracy, such as the number of fields entered correctly. A fast score with low accuracy is usually worth less to an employer than a slower, accurate one.

Pass marks. Private employers set their own targets for each role and rarely publish them. US federal clerical jobs are an exception: OPM sets published minimum speeds, such as 40 WPM for clerk-typist positions, measured on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors.

Our practice score is the number of our own accuracy questions you got right, plus your KPH and accuracy on the 10-key test above. It is a guide to your current speed and accuracy, not a score from any real test.

Who uses data entry tests

Data entry tests appear wherever records are keyed or checked by hand:

• Data entry clerks and operators, including remote data entry roles.
• Accounts payable and receivable clerks, who key invoice numbers and amounts all day, so 10-key tests are common. Many of these roles also take an accounting test.
• Medical billing and claims processors, where codes mix letters and digits. Criteria lists medical billers among the roles its CLIK computer skills test suits.
• Administrative and customer service roles, which often combine a typing test with a clerical test.
• US federal clerk-typist, office automation and data transcriber positions, which have published OPM typing standards.

How this practice compares with the real test

What we match. The 10-key test above measures KPH and accuracy the way most employer tests do, and the sample questions practice the checking and formatting rules data entry tests use.

What we cannot match. Each publisher uses its own passages, entry lengths and scoring details, which we never see. A test center keyboard may also feel different from yours.

How to use it. Take the 10-key test several times over a few days and watch both numbers. If accuracy drops as speed rises, slow down until it recovers. The full mocks add longer checking and formatting sets at the real pace.

Data entry test day checklist

• Keyboard: a full-size keyboard with a number pad, or a separate USB number pad for a laptop. Test it the day before.
• Num Lock: on, and checked before you start.
• Browser: up to date, with other tabs closed. Run any system check the invitation offers.
• Room: quiet, with good light on the screen and the source text.
• Posture: sit square to the keyboard with your wrists level. Small changes in seating slow you down more than you expect.
• Instructions: read every format rule before you press Start. Most tests do not let you pause.