There is no single “High Court typing test.” Each High Court sets its own, and the numbers move between courts and between recruitment cycles. One court wants 25 WPM, another wants 35, and a third attaches a spreadsheet test to the same stage. Candidates preparing for Junior Judicial Assistant, clerk, or court assistant posts often practice against one number and then read a different one on the admit card.
What the courts have in common is more useful than any single figure, so start there.
The pattern most High Courts follow
Across the courts I checked, the typing test is an English computer-based test sitting after a written exam. In most cases it is qualifying: you clear the speed line or you’re out, and the marks don’t add to your merit rank. That detail makes it easy to under-prepare for. A candidate who has spent months on the written paper treats the typing stage as a formality, then discovers it carries the power to end the application.
Speed requirements land in a narrow band, roughly 25 to 35 words per minute, and the language is English. Hindi typing, which shows up in several other state recruitments, is mostly absent from these court exams.
Court by court
Delhi High Court (Junior Judicial Assistant). The selection runs through a preliminary exam, a descriptive main exam in English, an English typing test, and an interview. The typing stage is a 10-minute test with a minimum of 35 WPM, described as qualifying and not counted toward final merit. The 35 WPM figure matches the eligibility conditions, which list English typing at that speed on a computer.
Punjab and Haryana High Court (Clerk). After the written computer-based test, candidates sit a Computer Proficiency Test with two parts. Part one is a 10-minute spreadsheet test, passed at 40% or more. Part two is a computer typing test in English at 30 WPM, which is qualifying with no marks. The spreadsheet component is the unusual bit, and candidates who only drilled typing get caught by it.
Allahabad High Court (Review Officer / Assistant Review Officer). This one is the outlier: roughly 500 words to reproduce in 20 minutes at a benchmark of 25 WPM, scored out of 50 with a 25-mark cutoff and a reported 0.1-mark deduction per error. The full breakdown is in our Allahabad High Court typing test guide, including where sources disagree about whether Part II marks affect merit.
The takeaway: 25 WPM is the floor in the easiest case and 35 WPM is the floor in the hardest of these three. If you don’t yet know which court you’re targeting, train to 35 and you’re covered for all of them.
Why the headline number understates the difficulty
Passing speed on a typing test is not the same as your normal typing speed. You’re copying someone else’s text, usually a formal passage with legal-style phrasing, and you’re doing it on an unfamiliar exam machine with a clock running. Plenty of candidates find their exam-day speed lands noticeably below what they manage when typing freely.
Accuracy decides more of the outcome than speed does. How WPM is calculated covers the difference between gross and net speed, and it is the single most useful thing to understand before test day: errors are subtracted, so a fast, sloppy run can land below a slower, cleaner one. Where a court also penalizes mistakes per error, as Allahabad does, accuracy matters twice.
A preparation plan that fits every court
Pick a margin target. If the strictest court you might face asks for 35 WPM, aim for 42 to 45 in practice so that nerves and an unfamiliar keyboard don’t drag you under.
Match the test length. Delhi’s typing stage runs 10 minutes, so practice in full blocks rather than 60-second sprints. A 10-minute English typing speed test gives you the right duration to find out whether your accuracy holds in minute eight, which is where it usually slips.
Practice copying, not composing. Transcribing a passage requires you to read ahead, hold the text in memory, and keep your eyes off the keys. That is a trainable skill, and it feels different from typing your own sentences.
Fix accuracy before chasing speed. If you’re short on either, work on improving both speed and accuracy in that order, since slowing down by 10 percent to remove errors usually raises your net score.
Run full mock sessions in exam conditions near the end. An exam-style typing test online with no distractions and no pausing is the closest practice to the real thing.
Check the notification for your court
Treat every figure above as a starting point. Speeds, durations, and scoring rules are set in each court’s recruitment notification and are revised between cycles. The Delhi and Punjab and Haryana details here come from exam-prep summaries of past notifications, and the Allahabad speed requirement appears in the court’s own advertisement. Before you plan around a number, confirm it in the current notice on your High Court’s official website.
Common questions
What typing speed do High Courts require? Commonly 25 to 35 WPM in English, depending on the court and post. Delhi High Court’s Junior Judicial Assistant stage lists 35 WPM, Punjab and Haryana lists 30 WPM for clerks, and Allahabad lists 25 WPM for Review Officers.
Is the High Court typing test qualifying or scored? Often qualifying only, as with Delhi and Punjab and Haryana. Allahabad’s structure is different and sources disagree on how its marks are used, so check the notification.
Is the typing test in English or Hindi? English in all three courts covered here.
Can I fail the typing test with a high written score? Yes. A qualifying test is pass or fail, and a strong written result doesn’t offset a missed speed or accuracy line.
Ratatype.net offers free typing lessons and timed practice tests with no registration required, so you can build up to a reliable 35-plus WPM in English and walk into any High Court typing stage with room to spare.