Canada Typing Tests — Federal & Provincial
Canada's Public Service Commission (PSC) coordinates federal clerical recruitment under the Public Service Employment Act. CR-04 (Clerical Officer) is the core federal cadre with typing at 40 NWPM (Net WPM) English or French at 5 minutes. Bilingual Imperative posts require both English and French at specific levels (BBB or CBC profiles). Provincial public services in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta operate independent recruitment with similar standards.
- Authority
- Public Service Commission (PSC)
- Languages
- English · French (bilingual posts)
- Speed
- 40 NWPM English/French
- Profiles
- BBB / CBC bilingual
Available typing tests
Each tile links to a dedicated practice page with full passage simulator, scoring, and a four-week prep plan.
Federal Public Service clerk
Flagship federal clerical cadre. Through GC Jobs portal. Typing at 40 NWPM English. Selection by score + essential qualifications.
BBB / CBC profile clerks
Bilingual-required posts in National Capital Region and federally-bilingual cadres. French + English at 40 NWPM each.
Service Canada / CRA call-centre
Operational call-centre and case-handler roles. Typing at 40 NWPM with 95% accuracy as operational baseline.
Ontario / Quebec / BC provincial
Ontario, Quebec, BC, Alberta provincial public services run independent recruitment through provincial portals. Standards mirror federal.
Frequently asked questions
40 NWPM (Net WPM) English at 5 minutes. NWPM means Gross WPM minus errors per minute. Most candidates clear this comfortably; the practical target for competitive applications is 50 NWPM with 95% accuracy.
Bilingual Imperative posts require both English AND French at the BBB or CBC profile level. The typing test is in both languages at 40 NWPM each. This roughly doubles the preparation time for unilingual candidates but opens significantly more posts (especially in the National Capital Region).
GC Jobs is the centralised federal portal coordinated by PSC. Agencies still run direct recruitment for some specialised positions, but most CR-04 hiring flows through GC Jobs. Provincial public services use separate portals (OPS Careers, Recrutement Québec, etc.).
Yes — Canadian Forces veterans have priority through the Veterans Hiring Act and PSC's priority-eligibility framework. This applies after standard PSC assessment screens.
Our Canada CR-04 typing test page provides administrative English passages at the 40 NWPM target. The same English speed standard transfers to Service Canada and CRA preparation.
Canada CR-04 aspirants commonly also prepare for US federal GS-0356 and UK Civil Service AO — Commonwealth-style English-medium federal clerical patterns. Bilingual candidates have additional opportunities in EU institutions and Commonwealth Secretariat.