1,585,527 view s Edited 7 days ago

How to Learn Speed ReadingThree Parts: Learning to Read Faster Further Speedreading Exercises Skimming Text Faster

Whether you're hitting the textbooks in philosophy class, reading long-windedemails from co-workers, or just reading the morning newspaper, chances are atone time or another you've wished you could read a little faster. Follow theseinstructions to train yourself in faster general reading, extreme speed reading, orskimming. Keep in mind the last two will not let you absorb as much information,but are still excellent tools to have.

1

Ad

2

3

Understand the purpose of these tips. These instructions are great for increasingyour reading speed without losing too much comprehension. They are the best way

for anyone to begin increasing their reading speed, including someone who wants tobecome an extreme speed reader.

If you're trying to cram for a test faster or browse magazines more quickly, take alook at the section on Skimming Text Faster.If you want to learn to read books extremely quickly and don't need to understandthem fully, browse these tips first before moving on to Further SpeedreadingExercises.

Stop imagining the spoken word. Even if you don't mouth the words silently as youread them, chances are good you "subvocalize," or imagine the words being spoken

aloud.[1] This is useful for difficult texts, but mostly just slows you down needlessly.

Stop yourself whenever you notice this happening. Being conscious of the habitcan be enough to minimize it.If you can't stop, try quietly chanting something repetitive such as "1 2 3 4" or "A E IO U."[2] Stop if the chanting distracts you from reading.Groups of words are harder to vocalize, so practice reading in blocks using thetechniques below to help with this issue as well.If you are physically moving your lips as you read, hold a finger against them whilereading to stop this habit.

Take in groups of words. Instead of reading each word separately, train yourself tounderstand a group of words at once. This requires less eye movement, which in turn

makes reading much faster.[3]

Hold the book or screen a little farther from your eyes than you are used to as youread to take in more words at once.Soften your gaze and relax your face. If you are too focused and tense, you won'tbe able to see the words farther from your center of vision.

Double Your Reading Speedgloo.com.au/speed-readingSpeed Reading Course, Small Group Melbourne15 Oct Special Available

Part 1 of 3: Learning to Read Faster

4

5

6

7

Follow along with a pencil or other object as you read, but hold it slightly above thetext to make your eyes focus on a wider area.

Train yourself not to read the same passage twice. Most people frequently stopand skip back to words or sentences they just read to try to make sure they

understood the meaning. This is usually unnecessary, but it can easily become a habit, andmany times you will not even notice you're doing it.

Use an index card or pen to hide the words you've already read, training your eyesnot to move backward.

Find a quiet, well lit environment. Even if you think you read better when you havemusic playing or when you're in a crowded coffee house, you will understand the text

much better if you reduce distractions to a bare minimum. Try to find a solitary, well lit placeto read, and turn off the TV, radio, and cell phone.[4]

If no solitary place is available, try using earplugs to block out any distractionsaround you.Light is important even when reading on a computer screen.Reading in bed makes many people sleepy. Try sitting up at a desk, with yourbook tilted at a 45º angle away from you.[5]

Read when you're alert and engaged. Some people function well in the morning,while others think better in the afternoon. Save important reading for those times of

day.[6]

Start a reading session by reading the important material first, when your eyes andbrain aren't tired out.Ask questions to yourself as you read the text or the chapter headings, and searchfor answers as you read. This keeps you focused and avoids daydreaming orother mental distractions.[7]

Adjust reading speed depending on the material. Even this one article probablycontains advice you've already heard as well as some that's completely new to you. A

good reader slows down to understand something complex and speeds up through familiarsections.

Don't be afraid to fall back on "bad habits" to understand a text better. If you arereading a difficult book and don't have a time limit, feel free to reread sections orread them aloud in your head. In fact, you can use these tools to better effect nowthat you're aware of them!

1 Understand types of reading. Speed reading is a set of techniques for blitzingthrough a book or article. You don't skip any sections, but your comprehension will

suffer. Skimming involves only reading the most important sections in order to gain ashallow understanding, and does not require a fast reading rate. Finally, you should readevery word carefully if you want a deep understanding of a text.

Part 2 of 3: Further Speedreading Exercises

2

3

4

5

Speedreading software and apps often claim not to affect your comprehension,but this is only true up to a certain reading speed: possibly around 500 words perminute, although research results are divided on the exact number.[8]

Pick fun, easy reading material to train with. Something enjoyable and easy tocomprehend will keep you focused and quick, which is great while you're practicing.

Don't practice on a book with many pictures and diagrams among the text, sincethat interrupts your pace and makes it hard to measure.A book that remains open when lying flat makes it easier to perform some of theseexercises.

Time your reading speed regularly. Not only will timing help you to know whetheryou're improving, trying to beat your best speed is great motivation.

Count the number of words on a page, or count the number in one line and multiplyby the number of lines on the page to find this number.[9]

Set a timer for ten minutes and see how much you can read in that time whileunderstanding the text.Multiply the number of pages you read by the number of words per page anddivide by the number of minutes spent reading to get your words per minute orwpm, a common measurement of reading speed.[10]

Alternatively, you can search for an online "speed reading test," although you willprobably read at a different pace from a screen than from a printed page.[11]

Read faster than you can understand. Many programs claim to increase yourreading speed by training your reflexes first, then practicing until your brain can catch

up.[12] This can be effective, but be wary of exaggerated claims not backed up by research.

Run a pencil along a text at a rate of one second per line. Say "one one thousand"in a calm voice as you move the pencil and time it so you reach the end of a line atthe same time you're done with the phrase.Spend two minutes trying to read at the pace of the pencil. Even if you can'tunderstand anything, keep focused on the text and keep your eyes moving for theentire two minutes.Rest for a minute, then go even faster. Spend three minutes trying to read at thepace of a pen that moves across two lines every time you say "one one thousand".Practice these exercises every day or few days. Eventually you may be able tounderstand more of the text at this pace, and even if you don't your regular readingspeed may improve.

Reduce the number of eye movements. Moving your eyes several times per line isunnecessary. Here is an exercise you can practice to keep your eyes as still as

possible while reading:[13]

Take an index card and place it over a line of text. You can use a magazine printedin narrower columns if the index card doesn't cover the entire line.Make two Xs at the base of the index card, dividing each line into three roughlyequal sections.Read quickly as you move the index card down, trying to only focus your eyes justbelow each X. Focus below the first X and read the first half of the line, then moveonce to just below the second X and read the second half of the line.

6

7

Narrow the range of your eye movements. Pencil a light vertical line about twowords from the left margin, and another one about the same distance from the right.

Try to read quickly without moving your eyes further than those lines.[14]

You can combine this with the "read faster than you can understand" exercisedescribed earlier. Move a pen only between the two vertical lines as you try to readat a pace of 1 second a line or 1/2 second a line. Continue for two or three minuteseven if you understand very little. Regular practice can improve your readingspeed.Calmly saying "one one thousand" is a good estimate of one second to get yourpen rate correct. It doesn't need to be exact.

Use speed reading software. Free online programs such as Spreeder can trainyour reading to high speeds by using electronic methods such as flashing a sequence

of words on your screen in the same spot. Similar programs are available for your phone aswell.

Be wary of paying for software like this before you've done your research.While you can read at extreme rates using this kind of software, yourcomprehension will likely suffer.

1

2

3

4

Know when to skim. Skimming can be used to gain a shallow understanding of atext. It can be used to scan a newspaper for interesting material, or to get the

important concepts out of a textbook in preparation for a test. It's not a good replacementfor thorough reading.

Read the titles of sections. Begin by only reading the chapter titles and anysubheadings at the start of large sections. Read the headlines of each newspaper

article or the table of contents in a magazine.[15]

This should give you a good idea which sections you need to or want to read morein depth and which sections you already know about.

Read the beginning and end of a section. Textbooks usually contain introductionsand summaries of each chapter. For other texts, just read the first and last paragraph

of a chapter or article.

You can read quickly if you're familiar with the subject, but don't try to speedread asfast as possible. You're saving time by skipping most of the section, but you doneed to understand what you're reading.

For unfamiliar sections, skim the text in between. If you still wish to learn more,brush your eyes rapidly across the page rather than reading normally. Now that you

know the gist of the section, you can pick out key nouns and verbs that give you a little extrainformation.

When you see a complex or interesting key word, stop and read that paragraph.

Part 3 of 3: Skimming Text Faster

5

6

Ad

Diagrams are another signal that a section may be worth paying closer attentionto.

If you still need detail, read the start of each paragraph in that section. The firstone or two sentences of each paragraph will teach you a surprising amount of

information.[16]

Move through each section the same way. Read the beginning and end; skim themiddle; and read the first sentence of each paragraph if you need detail.

You don't need to follow every step for every section. You can always move on to anew section if you feel you are familiar enough with the current topic.

MoneyTransfer toGhanaworldremit.com/Ghana

Fast & Secure with no HiddenFees. Use Code FREE forFree 1st Transfer

EarlyLiteracyClasseslittlescholar.com.au

Reading classes for 3-6yrolds PLUS reading tutoringCheltenham

Windows 7DriverDownloadwindows-7.driverupdate.net

Windows 7 Driver - LatestDownload. MicrosoftCertified. (Recommended)

Tell us everything you know here. Remember, more detail is better.

If so, share what you know about restringing a necklace.

Please be as detailed as possible in your explanation. We will take yourdetailed information, edit it for clarity and accuracy, and incorporate it intoan article that will help thousands of people.

Ad

Take frequent breaks. Your comprehension and focus will be better ifyou take a five-minute break every hour or half-hour. Taking breaks isalso important to keep your eyes healthy and avoid eye strain.

Get enough sleep whenever you can to improve your reading speed andcomprehension.

You may not want to read some things quickly, even if you can. If you'rereading poetry, for instance, every word matters.

Get your vision checked if you can't improve your reading speed.

Are you an expert on Necklaces?

Tips

TAFE Courses Australiaseeklearning.com.au/OTEN

Nationally Recognised Courses. StudyAnytime, Anywhere

Beware of expensive speed reading products. Try the tips above beforeyou spend money on a speed reading book or kit. Many of them offersimilar advice and exercises.

After a point, reading faster will always have a trade-off in lesscomprehension or worse memory of the text.

Reading material

Earplugs (if noise is a big distraction)

Stopwatch

Index card

Pen or pencil

1. ↑ http://www.mindtools.com/speedrd.html2. ↑ http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/10/18/how-to-speed-read-like-

theodore-roosevelt/3. ↑ http://www.mindtools.com/speedrd.html4. ↑ http://www.mindtools.com/speedrd.html5. ↑ http://www.learningtechniques.com/speedreadingtips.html6. ↑ http://www.learningtechniques.com/speedreadingtips.html7. ↑ http://www.learningtechniques.com/speedreadingtips.html8. ↑ http://lifehacker.com/the-truth-about-speed-reading-15425083989. ↑ http://fourhourworkweek.com/2009/07/30/speed-reading-and-

accelerated-learning/10. ↑ http://www.gradschools.com/article-detail/speed-reading-156411. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1880281912. ↑ http://fourhourworkweek.com/2009/07/30/speed-reading-and-

accelerated-learning/13. ↑ http://www.gradschools.com/article-detail/speed-reading-156414. ↑ http://fourhourworkweek.com/2009/07/30/speed-reading-and-

accelerated-learning/

Warnings

Things You'll Need

Sources and Citations

15. ↑ http://www.mindtools.com/rdstratg.html16. ↑ http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/16/how-to-read-faster-

bill-cosby/

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,585,527 times.

FeaturedArticle

Ad

Categories: Featured Articles | Improving Reading Skills

Recent edits by: Gloster flyer, Reiko Shinozaki, Insider55

In other languages:

Français: Comment apprendre la lecture rapide, Español: Cómo desarrollar la lecturarápida, Italiano: Come Imparare la Lettura Rapida, Português: Como Ler MaisRápido, Deutsch: Speed Reading erlernen, Русский: освоитьскорочтение, Nederlands: Leren snellezen,中文:学会速读

Double Your Reading Speedgloo.com.au/speed-readingSpeed Reading Course, Small Group Melbourne15 Oct Special Available

Article Info