An automated tempe cell test system was used in this study to measure soil-water characteristic curves (SWCC) for both wetting and drying paths. The test was performed by extracting water at a controlled rate from the soil specimen during drying and infusing water into the specimen during wetting. In this paper, effect of extraction and infusion rate on the shape, parameters, and hysteresis of the SWCCs were examined for pure sand and clayey sand. Results show that the rate has no effect on the SWCCs for pure sand, but has a measurable effect for clayey sand. Effects of the rate are observed on all the SWCC parameters, particularly slope of the SWCCs and re-saturation parameters. Consequently, the wetting path is more influenced by the rate than the drying path. The automated system can be used efficiently for sand at fast rates but for clayey sand, the rate effect should be considered.