How to get a typing certificate? (and do it for free from your own home)

Typing certificate – a subject that one person knows a bit about, the other something different. But nobody seems to have a clear idea of what this really is.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the important aspects of a typing certificate and help you choose the best one for you. The most important thing for me is to make sure you don’t waste your money on something that’s not worth it.

What is a typing certificate?

There are many things people call a „typing certificate”. Some say that an online typing test is a typing certificate. Others say that only some of the online tests give you the certificate.

The reality is that typing certificates in the US are regulated by a few licenses. In order to get a valid one, you need to get it in a licensed place. That pretty much always means paying for the certificate.

Typing certificate is a regulated document that proves your typing speed. Once you get one you can show people your „score” in a typing test but in a form of a more believable document. Such a certificate requires proper licensing.

Typing certificate is just a piece of paper that’s supposed to give you proof of your typing speed. In theory, such a document can give you a better chance on your resume (depending on your typing speed) compared to other ways of determining your typing skill.

What’s the benefit of having a typing certificate?

What do you get from a typing certificate? Well, actually just a document. You have a licensed piece of paper that has your typing speed and accuracy on it. Paper that costs a lot more than you’d expect.

And it would be fine. If a licensed typing certificate meant something. If it actually got you the job you wanted without any further questions.

In theory, you get a typing certificate. Then you send this licensed document alongside your resume. After one week you get the job. No further questions, nothing more.

Sadly, that’s not the reality. The way it actually works is that: you get the certificate, and you send it alongside your resume. Then the company calls you to do a typing test. Just like your certificate meant nothing.

In theory, a licensed typing certificate should get you into the job with no further questions asked. But that’s not the reality. When you send your certificate to most companies they’ll just make you take a typing test under their supervision. Like your valid certificate means nothing.

The only value in a typing certificate is pretty paper. But do you really want to spend tens of dollars on just a pretty certificate? If that’s what you want you can get it for free and from your home.

There are many tests online that give you a score, especially one that’s actually pretty. But that’s what I’ll be talking about in the „How can you get a typing certificate?” section of this article.

Is it worth getting a typing certificate?

The sad thing about theory is that it doesn’t define reality. A licensed typing certificate can have all of the theoretical benefits in the world. But you’re interested in reality, aren’t you?

The only practical reason to get a typing certificate is for job purposes. A valid certificate going alongside your resume will be great for your hiring chance, right?

Well, not really. The only thing most companies are interested in is your typing speed and accuracy. Doesn’t matter the paper it’s printed on, doesn’t matter if it has a license or anything. You can handwrite your typing speed in your resume or on a small piece of paper.

The reality is that no matter what typing certificate you’ll give the company, they’ll still test you themselves. A valid typing certificate actually doesn’t matter.

Typing certificate is a valid document with your typing speed and accuracy on it. However, most of the companies will still test you themselves, no matter how pretty the paper looks. The thing that actually matters is your typing skill, not the certificate. It’s not worth spending your money getting one.

The only reason I can think of to get a typing certificate is to have a pretty piece of paper with your typing speed on it. Something you can hang on your wall and be super proud of.

That reason I can understand. I even made this a feature of my touch typing course. You can get a pretty-looking piece of paper (without licensing) with your typing speed and accuracy to hand on your wall. It’s a nice way of celebrating an accomplishment.

How can you get a valid typing certificate for a resume?

There is a way to get a licensed typing certificate. Those always cost you a bit of money but you can get one.

You need to go to a proper place where you can take a few typing tests and get a licensed typing certificate.

Getting a valid typing certificate requires you to take typing tests in a licensed place. Of course, such a thing costs (quite a lot). But once you finally get it you’ll see it wasn’t worth it. Most companies test your speed themselves either way.

I won’t even tell you where exactly you can get a typing certificate. I’m so certain it’s a waste of money I won’t give you an opportunity to make that mistake.

However, sometimes when you apply for a job a company wants you to get a typing certificate. It happens very rarely but in those scenarios, the company will tell you where to get one. Often times it’s a place that this particular company trusts the most.

Most of the time you’ll have to take a typing test under your potential future company’s supervision. That’s the easiest way to test your typing speed, both for the company and for you.

How can you get a typing certificate?

Alright, I said all of that about the valid typing certificate in licensed places. But you still need to show your typing speed alongside your resume. How can you do this?

Well, it’s actually pretty easy. You can take any typing test online and screenshot your result. Then you can send this image to a company.

If you don’t know how to take an online typing test I made a step-by-step guide just for that. It will lead you through taking a typing test as well as choosing the right website for you. You can read it here – ARTICLE HOW TO TAKE A TYPING TEST

But let’s say you want your score to look pretty. You could spend time designing your own custom typing certificate (if you have the skills to do so). Or you can take one in Ratatype.

This online typing program gives you an opportunity to get a really nice-looking typing certificate. What’s even better is that you’ll get it all for free (it’s not an ad, the program is completely free to use).

I wrote a whole article all about „how to use Ratatype”. You can get quite a lot of useful tips there and save yourself a lot of time. It’s here – ARTICLE HOW TO USE RATATYPE

The certificate that you get from completing a typing test in Ratatype looks really good. Here’s an example that Ratatype shows on their website:

You can easily get it in a form of a photo. Actually, you don’t even have to do much. When you have an account all of your typing test scores will be saved. Then you can just download this computer-generated „typing certificate” (not licensed, only a cool-looking typing score) from your account.

The only downside of Ratatype tests is their difficulty. There are a lot of numbers, punctuation, and unique words (names, places). This typing test is quite hard. So my tip – refresh the site a few times to get a decent test without 10 dates.