Calculate gross typing speed from words and time
Gross words per minute equals the number of words counted divided by typing time in minutes. The source example of 200 words in 90 seconds uses 1.5 minutes and returns 133.333 GWAM. Gross speed does not penalize mistakes.
Choose actual words or standardized keystroke words
When a test reports actual word count, enter that count directly. When it reports characters or keystrokes, divide by the selected standardized word length before dividing by time. The default five-character convention is useful for comparison, but test providers can define counting rules differently.
Keep gross speed, net speed, and accuracy distinct
The optional net estimate subtracts uncorrected word-level errors per test minute from gross WPM and never reports a negative net speed. Its simple accuracy percentage compares error count with words counted. Real typing platforms may count corrected errors, substitutions, punctuation, spaces, or partial words differently, so use the platform's definition for official results.