Speed Reading
Pre-Test
This test is best viewed in Firefox or Safari (not in Internet Explorer!)
Get ready to read. To begin the timer, click the Start button and start reading. Read at your normal speed without trying to "speed read" in order to find your present reading level.
Click the Stop button as soon as you have finished. This will stop the timer and display your reading speed.
Speed Reading Pre-Test
Readers read for many reasons. Some read for enjoyment, some for homework. Most reading leads to acquiring new information for whatever reason the information is needed. It’s hard to escape the act of reading. There are words at every corner. Most readers desire to be speed readers in order to read all the information they are presented with each day. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “You have to be a speedy reader cause there’s so so much to read.”
While it’s easy to read faster, it’s not always easy to understand what is read at such lightening speeds. The most important part of reading is understanding, at least to a certain extent, what is read. Without this understanding, the activity is wasted time. The goal is to increase speed without losing comprehension of the text.
Reading speed is measured in words per minute. The more words that are read in a minute, the faster the reader is. But, when focusing on understanding the text as well as reading it quickly, words per minute alone may be deceiving. A higher words per minute rate does not equal higher comprehension. To balance out the speed and the comprehension, readers need to calculate their effective words per minute rate.
The effective words per minute rate identifies the speed at which a reader can read with one hundred percent comprehension. It is calculated by determining the words per minute rate as well as the percentage of the text that was understood by the reader. The reader then multiplies the comprehension percentage by the number of words per minute which results in the effective words per minute rate. Say a reader read a text at 400 words per minute (wpm) but only understood 40%. The reader would multiply 400 by 40% (or .4) to find the effective words per minute (ewpm) rate of 160. 400 wpm seems like a fast reader, but when only 40% is understood, it’s really like reading at 160 wpm.
To truly see an improvement in reading speed the effective words per minute rate needs to increase, not just the wpm. Average readers read between 200 and 400 wpm or 120-240 ewpm while top readers reading over 1000 wpm with 85% comprehension or 850 ewpm represent a very small number of readers. But, like any skill, there is hope for improvement. By recognizing pitfalls that cause slow reading or poor comprehension and replacing those bad habits with proper reading skills, all readers can improve their speed and comprehension thus leading to higher ewpm rates.
Speed reading results
Write down or remember your reading speed. Now answer some questions about the previous text to perform your comprehension test.
If you really think it is impossible to do better, that is, to both read faster and improve your reading comprehension, then redo the speed reading test.