Medical Scribe Typing Test
Most medical scribe jobs ask for a typing score early in the application, usually from a short online test. This page covers what employers post, how firm those numbers are, what certification exams test, and how to use the trainer's timed test.
Scribe-style sentences, spelled out ED scribe shift, shorthand on Vitals, labs and doses
Preset links open the trainer with those settings already applied; you can change them afterward.
What employer typing screens look like
For most US scribe jobs, the screen is a generic one-minute test you take on your own at typing.com, 10FastFingers, TypingCat or a similar site, then submit as a screenshot or link. Forum posters describe retakes being allowed and, in 2018, a test that "was literally the first google result" (anecdotal).
A minority of employers add a harder step. Applicants describe a listen-and-type dictation test at PhysAssist with three tries, documenting recorded encounters within a set time at AQuity Solutions (on Glassdoor), and spelling a list of medical terms at Vituity (all anecdotal). Augmedix, according to KFF Health News, screens English reading, listening and writing instead.
Scores differ by site. The typing.com test dropped net WPM and reports speed and accuracy separately, so many screenshots show gross WPM. 10FastFingers counts only correctly typed words in one minute. A user-uploaded 10FastFingers text called "Scribe America Typing Test", a 68-word HPI, averages 42 WPM; it is not an official employer test.
Posted thresholds by employer
Minimums from postings and employer or vendor pages; links are under Sources.
| Employer | Posted minimum | Format and notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScribeAmerica (HealthChannels) | 40 WPM | Current postings, such as Philadelphia and a Harvard listing dated June 2026. The HealthChannels blog says most employers expect at least 60. | ScribeAmerica postings; HealthChannels blog |
| ProScribe | 45 WPM | Typing test in the application | ProScribe posting (Duke) |
| AQuity Solutions | 45 WPM | US posting; the Canadian posting includes a typing test | AQuity postings |
| Summit Health / CityMD | 45 WPM | Urgent care scribes | CityMD posting |
| Vituity | 45 WPM | Lead scribe, emergency medicine | Vituity posting |
| Scribe-X | 60 WPM | typing.com screenshot with the application | Scribe-X postings |
| iScribes | 60 WPM | 2019 posting | iScribes posting |
| Michigan Medicine | 70 WPM | Neurosurgery scribe, "with accuracy" | Michigan Medicine posting |
| PMaps (test vendor) | 60 to 80+ WPM, 95%+ accuracy | 19 scenario items in 55 minutes: typing, listening to clinical dialogue, knowledge, behavior | PMaps assessment page |
How firm the numbers are
Soft, going by applicant reports on Reddit and Student Doctor Network, which are anecdotal and often years apart.
- Posters describe retakes, self-chosen passages, and candidates at 47 to 56 WPM being hired or given a second chance. A 2021 insider said the company liked 50 WPM or more but would hire at 40, and that availability often mattered more.
- Other ScribeAmerica reports conflict: under 70 WPM "would not be considered" (2020), "the cutoff is 40" (2025), and a 49 WPM applicant told to resubmit with "significant improvement" (2025).
- A 2015 poster said typing was checked again during a mandatory two-week training that could end the job.
- One Reddit user reported dropping from 60 to 70+ WPM on general text to 45 to 50 on medical vocabulary.
In short: 40 to 45 WPM is the usual posted floor, 60 is the common real expectation, and a few roles ask for 70.
Certification exams and roles outside the US
Certification exams
None of the scribe certifications we found measures typing speed.
- MSCAT (ACMSS): a knowledge exam on terminology, anatomy, basic coding, HIPAA, EHR use and documentation, described in 2014 as 100 questions over two hours. ACMSS was acquired by Rheum4us in 2023, and whether the MSCAT is still offered is unverified.
- AAPC CPMS and AHDPG MSCE: formats not verified; no typing component found.
- AHDI RHDS and CHDS: 120 items, including transcription and speech-recognition editing against audio. AHDI says they test critical thinking rather than keyboarding. Its quality scoring weights errors instead (3 points for a critical error, 1 for a noncritical one, less for minor ones), and a sample score sheet passes at 98.5 percent.
- Employer training finals test knowledge. One 2024 post put the ScribeU pass mark at 79.5 (anecdotal).
Some training programs set a typing entry bar instead, such as 30 correct words per minute on a five-minute timing at Salt Lake Community College's now-closed scribe program.
Offshore and international roles
- Philippines: applicants describe HelloRache as strict on 50 WPM (a TypingCat result) and 95 percent accuracy or better, with a qualifying exam that includes live scribing and SOAP notes (anecdotal). Postings ask for 40 to 50 WPM (MBVA 24-7), 50+ (an interventional radiology clinic; a dermatology practice), or 60 preferred plus a live documentation test (a pain clinic).
- India: ScribeEMR asks trainees for 30 to 40 WPM, and Acurus in Chennai prefers 40 WPM for chart scribing that is not done in real time.
- Canada: the Waterside Clinic in Orillia prefers at least 60 WPM.
- United Kingdom: we found no NHS hiring for human scribes; NHS England's guidance is about AI ambient scribing. The closest roles are clerk typist, audio typist and medical secretary, and a North Cumbria Band 2 clerk typist posting asks for RSA III or equivalent at 50 to 60 WPM.
- Australia: the Victorian emergency department scribe trial (BMJ 2019) trained scribes through a course and an apprenticeship, with no typing bar reported. TalentMed's 60-second healthcare test suggests 30 to 40 WPM to start training and 60 WPM at 98 percent for working transcriptionists.
How to prepare and use the timed test
- Type clinical sentences. Scribe text mixes full sentences with vitals (BP 132/84, SpO2 97% on RA), doses (metoprolol 25 mg PO BID) and comparisons (Cr 1.4 from 1.1), so digits and symbols matter far more than in ordinary prose.
- Learn shorthand both ways. The provider says "no chest pain, shortness of breath, or palpitations" and the note reads "No CP, SOB, or palpitations". Practice with the abbreviation toggle off, then on.
- Add listening. For dictation or live scribing screens, chart a recorded lecture or patient-education video without pausing. Applicants' advice for the PhysAssist test was to keep typing and not stop.
- Protect accuracy. Below 95 percent, slow down; PMaps uses 95 percent as its benchmark.
- Measure consistently. Test on three separate days with the same settings. If the numbers agree, that is your score.
The presets on this page load the scribe role, one of them with the emergency medicine pack. Cascade mode lets errors pass as they would in real time.
Using the trainer's timed test
Timed test mode runs for 1, 3 or 5 minutes, reports gross WPM, net WPM and accuracy, and grades the result against the common hiring bands above. Start with 1 minute, the length most applicants submit, then use 3 and 5 minutes for a steadier number and to see whether your accuracy holds. Compare gross WPM with the postings, since typing.com-style screenshots show gross speed, but watch net WPM and accuracy too. The result is practice, not an official score.
Sources
- ScribeAmerica posting, Philadelphia
- ScribeAmerica listing, Harvard FAS
- HealthChannels blog: typing speed for scribes
- HealthChannels blog: WPM in medical scribing
- ProScribe posting, Duke
- AQuity posting, US
- AQuity posting, Canada
- AQuity interviews, Glassdoor
- CityMD scribe posting
- Vituity lead scribe posting
- Scribe-X posting, UW
- Scribe-X posting, Himalayas
- iScribes posting, 2019
- Michigan Medicine posting
- PMaps scribe assessment
- KFF Health News on Augmedix
- typing.com on WPM
- 10FastFingers typing test
- 10FastFingers Scribe America text
- SDN, scribe typing speed, 2015
- SDN, PhysAssist vs ScribeAmerica
- SDN, ScribeAmerica typing test, 2018
- SDN, ScribeAmerica qualifications
- Reddit, interviewing with ScribeAmerica
- Reddit, honest ScribeAmerica experience
- Reddit, rejected from ScribeAmerica
- Reddit, advice at 49 to 56 WPM
- Reddit, PhysAssist diction test
- Reddit, Vituity scribe
- Reddit, ScribeU exam
- ACMSO typing benchmarks (secondary)
- Rheum4us, ACMSS acquisition
- MSCAT slides, 2014
- Interim Physicians on the MSCAT
- Salt Lake Community College program
- AAPC CPMS
- AHDPG MSCE
- AHDI RHDS
- AHDI CHDS
- AHDI sample QA score sheet
- Reddit, HelloRache
- MBVA 24-7 posting
- Interventional radiology clinic posting
- Dermatology scribe posting
- Pain clinic scribe posting
- ScribeEMR FAQ
- Acurus posting, Chennai
- Waterside Clinic posting
- NHS England on ambient scribing
- North Cumbria clerk typist posting
- Walker et al., BMJ 2019
- TalentMed typing test
- TalentMed test guide
Common questions
How many words per minute do medical scribes need?
Posted minimums for US scribe jobs are mostly 40 to 45 WPM, from ScribeAmerica, ProScribe, AQuity, CityMD and Vituity. Scribe-X and iScribes post 60, and a Michigan Medicine neurosurgery posting asks for 70. Aiming for 60 WPM on clinical text at 95 percent accuracy or better covers most postings.
Do scribe typing tests use medical terminology?
Usually not. Most screens are generic one-minute tests on ordinary English that you take yourself and submit as a screenshot or link. Some employers add a dictation test, a live scribing exercise or a spelling list, and those use clinical language, so practicing on clinical text prepares you for both.
Do employers see gross or net WPM?
It depends on the site they ask you to use. The typing.com test reports speed and accuracy separately, so screenshots show gross speed, while 10FastFingers counts only correctly typed words. The timed test here reports gross WPM, net WPM and accuracy together.
Is this an official scribe typing test?
No. It is free practice with no account, and the result is not a certification. None of the scribe certification exams we found measures typing speed.