← All guides · Updated 14 October 2026
Data entry test: what to expect and how to prepare
Many office, finance and logistics jobs include a data entry test. Here is how these tests usually work and how to get ready for one.
What a data entry test looks like
Most data entry tests copy a real task. You see a form, an invoice or a list of records, and you type the information into fields on the screen. The test runs for a set time or until you have entered everything, and then reports your speed and accuracy.
There are two common types:
- Numeric (10-key): numbers only, typed on the numeric keypad. One widely used format, described in a guide to the IBM Kenexa Prove It test, has five records with eight fields each, where every field holds a number of 4 to 6 digits. You move to the next field with Enter or +.
- Alphanumeric: names, addresses, codes and numbers mixed together, typed on the main keyboard. You often move between fields with Tab.
Some employers also add a normal typing test with a passage of text.
How the test is scored
Data entry tests report speed as keystrokes per hour (KPH) and add accuracy, either per keystroke or per field. Some also report an adjusted KPH, which removes the keystrokes in fields with errors. Read more about KPH and the speeds employers ask for.
Accuracy often decides the result. A field with a single wrong digit counts as wrong, and in real work it can mean a payment to the wrong account. Most employers expect at least 95% accuracy.
How to prepare
- Find your starting point. Take our 10-key test for 3 or 5 minutes and note your net KPH and accuracy.
- Learn the keypad by touch if you still look at your hand. The 10-key course takes you from 4 5 6 to full amounts.
- Practise the formats you will meet. Use the Data menu on the test: spreadsheet fields of 4 to 6 digits match the numeric format above, and letters and numbers prepare you for codes and IDs.
- Train the main keyboard too. For alphanumeric tests, practise with our typing test and the touch typing course.
- Practise a little every day. 10 to 15 minutes a day for a week or two works better than one long session.
On the day
- Check that Num Lock is on before the test starts.
- Ask how you move between fields: Enter, + or Tab.
- Ask whether you can correct mistakes. If you can, fix errors as you see them, since one wrong digit spoils the whole field.
- Find a pace you can keep for the whole test. A steady rhythm beats a fast start.
Show your result
After our 10-key test you can print a certificate with your net KPH, accuracy and data format. It records a test taken in your browser and is not an official certification, so use it alongside the employer's own test.