MobileRead Forums - View Single Post

Derf · 08-19-2018, 08:11 PM

I just took an online reading speed test, and I'm a little dismayed.

I read it at my 'normal' reading speed, where I read most of my books that I am reading for enjoyment, and my speed was actually pretty low. It clocked in at 354 wpm. I did answer all of the questions correctly.

I then retook the test (something about Alice and Wonderland) and pushed myself to read as fast as I thought I was capably absorbing the material, and I reached 524 wpm with 100% accuracy on the questions. This was better, but I'm surprised that 'executives' and 'college professors' who are trying to absorb lots of material quickly read at close to 700 wpm, and feel like I'm still reading fairly slowly in comparison.

I took the test a third time (something about The Wizard of Oz), this time doing what I call 'skimming' or 'speed reading', and attained 958 wpm, still with 100% absorption, but felt like it was "work" to force myself to read that fast, and probably would not read like that for 300-400 pages of a novel. It didn't feel enjoyable, sort of like wolfing down food instead of enjoying the flavor and textures.

I found another test and tested myself there too, reading at about my 'normal' speed resulted in 434 wpm and 91% (10 out of 11 questions) comprehension. I couldn't re-take the test accurately, because the passage is the same every time and the questions don't change.

This was all prompted by coming across this random book blog, where this girl Jessica reviews multiple books per day, on consecutive days, for almost 6 months. And I wondered 'how in the world does she read so fast, or have enough time to constantly be reading, to crank through 500-800 pages per day?' It made me guess that she is just a rapid reader, and I was curious what my reading speed was...

Anyway, I set up a poll, and I'm curious to hear what your 'normal' reading speed is for novels. I'm not interested in your fastest possible speed, or what you read scientific papers or journal articles at. I'm curious about what speed you read when you enjoy the content and immerse yourself in the story for more than a quick 10-minute session.

08-19-2018, 08:11 PM	#1
Derf Connoisseur Posts: 99 Karma: 1173714 Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Long Island, NY Device: Kobo Clara HD / Mac User	Your Reading Speed I just took an online reading speed test, and I'm a little dismayed. I read it at my 'normal' reading speed, where I read most of my books that I am reading for enjoyment, and my speed was actually pretty low. It clocked in at 354 wpm. I did answer all of the questions correctly. I then retook the test (something about Alice and Wonderland) and pushed myself to read as fast as I thought I was capably absorbing the material, and I reached 524 wpm with 100% accuracy on the questions. This was better, but I'm surprised that 'executives' and 'college professors' who are trying to absorb lots of material quickly read at close to 700 wpm, and feel like I'm still reading fairly slowly in comparison. I took the test a third time (something about The Wizard of Oz), this time doing what I call 'skimming' or 'speed reading', and attained 958 wpm, still with 100% absorption, but felt like it was "work" to force myself to read that fast, and probably would not read like that for 300-400 pages of a novel. It didn't feel enjoyable, sort of like wolfing down food instead of enjoying the flavor and textures. I found another test and tested myself there too, reading at about my 'normal' speed resulted in 434 wpm and 91% (10 out of 11 questions) comprehension. I couldn't re-take the test accurately, because the passage is the same every time and the questions don't change. This was all prompted by coming across this random book blog, where this girl Jessica reviews multiple books per day, on consecutive days, for almost 6 months. And I wondered 'how in the world does she read so fast, or have enough time to constantly be reading, to crank through 500-800 pages per day?' It made me guess that she is just a rapid reader, and I was curious what my reading speed was... Anyway, I set up a poll, and I'm curious to hear what your 'normal' reading speed is for novels. I'm not interested in your fastest possible speed, or what you read scientific papers or journal articles at. I'm curious about what speed you read when you enjoy the content and immerse yourself in the story for more than a quick 10-minute session.