Speed reading tips?

[Cinisajoy]

Took the test. Interesting, but way too many statistics. Or in other words, I can't remember numbers . Reading speed was 844. Comprehension was 64%. I missed some of the number questions.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

200 wpm is average.
300 wpm is not slow. Where did you hear that?
I have been told more than once that is fast reading.
1000 wpm is speed reading.

I took a speed reading course in college and they measured our speeds. I think I remember mine being 300 wpm although I'm not really sure of that. it was almost 50 years ago. Anyway I am sure that I was one of the slower ones in the class.

At the end of the course I was still one of the slower speed readers. Again I don't remember my speed for sure but I do think it was around 1000 wpm.

I just googled the average reading speed for adults. Some sites said 200 wpm. Some said 250. Some said 300. I wonder if there have been any serious studies of this that could establish real parameters.

Barry

[4691mls]

Some books are faster reads than others no matter whether one is naturally a fast or slow reader. It varies depending on if the book is mostly action, dialogue, inner thoughts, whether there are many unfamiliar words, the writing style, etc.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

You might find this thread of interest.

Originally Posted by rcentros

Took a test linked there ... 221 words per minute with 100% comprehension. So that confirms I am a pretty slow reader.

From what the page suggested, your reading speed is above average and your comprehension was well above the 60% average. From their calculation, your ewpm is 221 compared the the average reader at 200 wpm and 60% comprehension for a 120 ewpm so your effective wpm is close to double the average.

When I tried the linked test, my speed was ~1100 wpm, comprehension was 90%. About the same speed I read at in high school and this test didn't question me finishing the material as fast as I did.

[kansaskyle]

I tried the free test at http://www.freereadingtest.com/ (a service offered through www.acereader.com), and I'm just an average reader at 297 wpm with 75% comprehension.

I'm thinking about trying their software to see if it would help improve my speed and comprehension. Has anyone tried AceReader?

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

Some books are faster reads than others no matter whether one is naturally a fast or slow reader. It varies depending on if the book is mostly action, dialogue, inner thoughts, whether there are many unfamiliar words, the writing style, etc.

Yes, that definitely makes a difference. A good, clear writer who is not in love with obscure words writes stuff that is much easier (and faster) to read than something written by a pompous windbag.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DNSB

From what the page suggested, your reading speed is above average and your comprehension was well above the 60% average. From their calculation, your ewpm is 221 compared the the average reader at 200 wpm and 60% comprehension for a 120 ewpm so your effective wpm is close to double the average.

I think I could read a little faster on my eReaders because the font was a little small and columns were pretty wide on that site. But I also think the comprehension was skewed upwards because multiple choice (guess) tests have always been fairly easy for me. There's usually only two answers that are close so, even if you're not sure, you've got a 50/50 chance of getting it right. Sometimes I get lucky. If there had an essay test at the end, I sincerely doubt my reading comprehension would have measured that high.

Originally Posted by DNSB

When I tried the linked test, my speed was ~1100 wpm, comprehension was 90%. About the same speed I read at in high school and this test didn't question me finishing the material as fast as I did.

That's pretty amazing. So how many books do you read a day? When I'm in my "reading binge" mode I read quite a few books in a month, but I do it by blunt force, not skill.

[sjfan]

On that test page I was 540 wpm/100% comprehension, with a lot of going back to double-check numbers—the latter is a huge no-no in speed reading. That’s probably pretty close where I sit when I’m reading news articles or nonfiction for the sake of learning information.

But I expect I’m closer to 250 wpm when I read books for pleasure. When the prose is good, it’s worth savoring.

[Dazrin]

When talking about averages, remember that people here are already self-selected as "readers" (otherwise why would we be here?) and our average is almost certainly higher than the general public. In other words, don't feel bad if you don't come out in the upper half of this group for reading speed, even the lower quarter here is probably faster than the general average.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by DNSB

When I tried the linked test, my speed was ~1100 wpm, comprehension was 90%. About the same speed I read at in high school and this test didn't question me finishing the material as fast as I did.

Originally Posted by rcentros

That's pretty amazing. So how many books do you read a day? When I'm in my "reading binge" mode I read quite a few books in a month, but I do it by blunt force, not skill.

Hmmm... the last time I took a couple of sick days, I churned though 18 books in between trips to worship the porcelain goddess. My assumption is the average book is readable in 80-90 minutes. The last time I tracked reading time was for a re-read of the Lord of the Rings trilogy plus Bored of the Rings which took ~10 hours This involved sitting in a hospital waiting area while a friend for the last 40 years was undergoing catheter heart surgery -- it was either read or nibble my fingernails to the elbow as a procedure which was supposed to last 3 hours plus recovery time took 8.5 hours plus recovery time -- dropped him at the check-in at 7:30 AM, got to take him home at 7:45 PM.

[kansaskyle]

I signed up for a one-year AceReader.com subscription tonight to improve my base reading speed.

If anyone is interested you can use promo code INDEPENDENCE to get 10% of the subscription price.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the program will help increase my reading speed and comprehension!

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by kansaskyle

I signed up for a one-year AceReader.com subscription tonight to improve my base reading speed.

If anyone is interested you can use promo code INDEPENDENCE to get 10% of the subscription price.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the program will help increase my reading speed and comprehension!

Please report back and let us know.

[GlenBarrington]

I've always found moving my lips faster really helps.

[spindlegirl]

I have found myself reading more quickly (not literally "speed reading") since I got my kindle and I have the control over font size, and the amount of text that appears on one screen and margin size.

I have found that I absorb more of the content more quickly when I have only that part visible on one page, tap to read the next page and same amount of text. I used to linger for hours in a printed book with tiny font, and a large amount of words on it (I don't have any reading disorder to my knowledge). Even the old trick of getting a sheet of paper and hiding all but the line I was currently reading didn't seem to do it for me.

My Kindle usually has my chosen font, the widest margin, a couple blank lines between paragraphs, and often a larger size font (6-7 at minimum, but larger when I am reading at night and don't want to wear my glasses).

[rdfry]

luckily for me I am able to read most books in a couple of days even working full time. Speed reading course in college helped with studying and with some faster comprehension. If I have the time I can easily read a book a day.