Who in here can speed read?
An actual book related question: Who in here can speed read? I’m curious.
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An actual book related question: Who in here can speed read? I’m curious.
Not me!
I can finish a book in 2-3 days depending on how much I choose to read or how big the book is.
I believe it is a type of skimming. I must be pretty fast because I read a lot of books, but I don’t try to read quickly, it would be like chugging a gourmet meal.
Exactly! Someone who “speed-reads” explained to me that you sort of read down through the middle of the page, barely skimming the outside edges. What, praytell, is the point? Unless, of course, it’s boring — in which case why are you reading it?
My top speed with retention is 620 words a minute.
Not me, I like to take my time.
I want to!
I can read 400 pages in a day. Took it in high school as they made the AP English classes learn it and as part of Toastmasters.
@Brenda wow, like how many hours of continuous reading would you say for 400 pages?
4-5
Incredible! It takes me about 14 hours. That must seem really slow to you.
I like it as it helps.me read through news and daily social media posts quickly. I try to keep it up as they say people who do puzzles, challenge the brain, and work the brain as a muscle. I am irrationally afraid of getting dementia, Alzheimer’s, or some form of either.
Brenda, do you retain everything you read? I can read very quickly if I miss a lot of the plot when I do.
I’m curious about how many words per minute you read
@Keith…I can read slower, and when a book is good, I do slow down. If a book is mediocre and I want to still read it, I do read faster. Drives my husband crazy….??
I am not sure on words…last time I timed it, it was about 458 words per minute. I have slowed down a bit. I do retain most of what I read, @Calli. It’s weird, though, I can read a book in a day, put it away for years, seemingly forget about it. Then something triggers a recall and I can remember characters, storyline, and plot.
Hmm, I often forget how books end. I thought N.J. because I’m so into them I read the endings quickly. Then POOF gone. Lol
I can and I wish I would stop!
@Minda haha, how long does it take you to get through 400 pages?
Oh, I do that in a day too often to admit. At worse, when I finally decide to stop for a bit and fake doing something, I knock out the last 100 pages over coffee.
You mean you can finish 100 pages in like 15 minutes?
@Minda Inbox me, I’ll show you how to find out how many words per minute you can read
Not me! My son can, though.
Keeping in mind, my life is pretty lame..:), I have finished a 600 page book in an 8 hr day. Then I’m so mad it’s over.
I find that extraordinary!
I speed read all the time. I learned while I was in Law School as there wa so much material to get through.
Do you know your words per minute?
@Keith , no, I have never thought of it like that. I just can determine pretty quickly if what I am reading can be skimmed or needs to be carefully read. It really is more skimming than actually reading, at least for me.
How do you find out your words?
I usually will start a new book, set a timer, and an alarm and give myself either a set number of pages. If I want to do a word count, I have a starting point, a time set for a specific time period, say 10 minutes. Then the goal is to retain what I can and read for speed. There are other ways to do it. I set the timer, find my starting point, and have someone time me, quiz me, and count the words after the timer stop. That’s the simplest way. I always try to do three takes, it can change each time. I always have a witness or a verified for it, as well, so there is no question. I read to myself when I speed read, when going for time and quantity, I read aloud to myself.
Depends on the material … some books are easy to read; some, not so much (Anne Tyler vs Nabokov, for instance).
That said, I purposely read slowly (reading slowly “on purpose”); in fact, I often drop back and reread whole passages that have caught my fancy. Why the mania for doing everything quickly? I prefer savoring the experience.
I can.
@Carol how long does it take you to get through 400 pages?
An hour or so. The average paperback is about 35 minutes.
@Carol Wow! Can you inbox me? I am very curious.
Have no desire
I’m with you, Dana.
I read your question 2 hours ago.
I read your comment 2.5 hours ago. ?
I can. I had to learn how to stop, haha.
Bet that was difficult.
It really was…I am glad I can do both now. I basically ruined a lot of great books by speed reading them. I gulped the stories and didn’t take time to savor them or take pleasure in the writing. I only speed read internet news or pure-entertainment-fluff books now 🙂
@Bron that’s what I do. My husband is a slow reader and it drives me nuts sometimes. Like when he reads the menu or a brochure on an activity we want to do.
No interest.
You shouldn’t! I don’t eat a great meal like a bat out of hell, wish I didn’t read that way either.
I can!
I slow read. Almost as though I’m reading for a part in a play.
I can not wish I could and sometimes try
I can
@Susan how long does it take you to read a 400 page book?
@Keith probably 6-8 hours depending on content.
@Susan Wow. It takes me about 14 hours. Be honest, is that slow?
@Keith no I don’t think thats slow
Have been a speed reader, forever..
…even with non- fiction, and annotating..
If the book has a boring bit, I will skim a few pages but don’t enjoy reading fast. I would work at it while in college but now I read for pleasure.
I. Am a. Graduate. Of. The. Evoline. Wood. Speed. Redding Course
I don’t think I’d want to. With my personality I make sure I read EVERY word. It’s annoying at times but I’m ok with it.
That’s how I am too.
✔️ – though I’ve learned to save it for boring stuff
I can
@Jamie how long does it take you to read a 400 page book in one setting?
I can but I don’t usually do it. Unless it’s something that’s boring or a news article. I like to read every word the author wrote.
Same
I can but several years ago I decided to read at a pace that honors the story, I laugh out loud and read certain passages out loud.
I learned how to speed read many years ago-but seems to me for reading a book for pleasure, that it takes all the fun out of it. I believe it would work well for technical books.
I do over boring parts or when I just want to find out how it ends but it’s a chore to read
I do and didn’t even realize i was doing it until my husband pointed it out once when we were reading the same thing at the same time & i was just done and he was not even 1/2 way through the paper. He even tested me about the content and yep I’d read it & comprehended it. I know i read books the same way & I’m sure i miss things.
wow, how many words per minute can you read? If you don’t know, you can use this test to find out. Doesn’t take long: https://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/technology-research-centers/ereaders/speed-reader/iframe.html
@Keith that is so cool! 608- i had a panic attack at the questions but got them all right! Took me longer to recall the answers than to read it!!
Wow, that’s incredible speed!
Me
@Ysabel how many words per minute can you read? If you don’t know, here is a test that will tell you https://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/technology-research-centers/ereaders/speed-reader/iframe.html
@Renée wow that’s amazing
For that passage, 617 wpm, 100% on questions. I slowed since there was a quiz, but I get no feel for style.
I’m a tad surprised myself
I’d love to learn to read faster. I’m so slow!
I speed read with textbooks but generally take my time reading for pleasure so that I can really put myself into the storyline.
I can when the content and situation call for it (or if a book isn’t as good as it hoped but I want to see where it goes), but, I can’t capture the feel of beautiful writing. For a well written book, I slow way down and savor.
I am a speed reader. But I do love to savor the story. 🙂
@Heather haha, how many words per minute can you read?
I’ve never even counted. But I go thru a book/day and I work full time. Lol
try this, it’s quick: https://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/technology-research-centers/ereaders/speed-reader/iframe.html
984.
@Heather wow that’s incredible. Could you inbox me? I’m curious
Sure
That was strictly reading for speed. I enjoy it more when I slow down, but sometimes u just gotta finish the chapter. Lol
Wish that was optimized for mobile. It’s tiny on my phone. May try again on the PC later
I enlarged it by zooming in before I started
Sure but it’s timed
That’s why you zoom it before you start it lol
Wastes time
Zoom before u hit start
Not if you zoom in on it before you start the test.
Ok!
454 wpm 75th percentile. Not shabby but not a speed reader I guess. Did get 3/3 on the questions
What’s the definition of speed read?
I can and tested in grade school and moved up, the wonderful part is I can retain almost 100 percent, the down side is that I don’t want to reread books i really like. My wife will sometimes look over and say “you are not reading that”, well I am but if it’s not striking, I’m speed reading. .???
I can & do if it’s a boring section. If it’s a very good book, l do it less often! Kinda feels like cheating, tho!!
Exactly
I can if its something I don’t want to read.
I can due to the high reading tempo of school, but when I read for pleasure I make myself slow down and savor the story
Nope.
No
@Jenn wow that’s really fast
It’s a family trait I think . Plus I honed it in grad school
@Jenn both of your talents must be hard to do lol, especially raising one eyebrow
Yes. Evelyn Wood, back in the day!
I can. I read a 412 page book during my sophmore year of high school in 3 days. I get it from my mom she does as well.
Compared to people around me, i am a very fast reader. I don’t know what constitutes speed reading tho
@Brittnie how long does it take you to finish a 400 page book if you read uninterrupted?
I honestly don’t know, i never get to read uninterrupted ? i just know that i can read like an entire page in the time it takes my husband to read 2 sentences lol
@Brittnie I have a quick little test you can take to see how many words per minute you can read. Will you take it? 😀 https://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/technology-research-centers/ereaders/speed-reader/iframe.html
Keith ArchLich Joiner
I am..when i was a senior in high school, the Evelyn Woods folks came in and assessed us. They told me I didn’t need their classes, lol.
I even took a speed reading seminar in college that was supposed to teach us in easy steps how to do it…and I still can’t. My 8 year old daughter, however, comes by it naturally. She was reading books so quickly that I was convinced she wasn’t actually reading all of them. One day I sat behind her, trying to read the same two-page spread of a simple book of hers silently along with her. She was turning the page before I was off the first page! ?After this happened, repeatedly, I began snatching the book out of her hands to quiz her on what she’d just read. It was legit. I don’t know how she does it. I read quickly, but I read like I’m talking quickly. haha
When I was in 1st grade I was reading while the teacher was talking. She stopped me to ask what she had been talking about and i repeated it to her verbatim. Then she asked what my book was about and I told her. From that day on she let me read whenever I wanted.
She probably self-taught herself the three Gulp Method. I somehow learned how to read that way even before I started school.
No, but I wish I could. But only for work related stuff.
If I’m reading for pleasure, I would rather savor the read.
☺️ possibly because it wasn’t book related? Not sure.
I was enjoying it as well.
@Rebecca Yeah but the only reason I even posted it was because I had checked the guidelines and there was nothing in the rules against posting off topic content. Anyway, what’s done is done. We can always talk about it here. I meant to ask you, are you surprised, or like shocked, to hear that someone can’t raise one eyebrow?
I mean, shocked? No, certainly anything is possible.
Surprised in that it’s something I take for granted and it’s a question that makes you question your accepted reality.
Have you really tried? What have your efforts produced that have convinced you that you can’t do it?
I’m curious.
@Rebecca Because I can’t make one stay down. Every time I try, both go up at the same time.
Oh, ok. I get it. Thank you.
@Rebecca How do you make one stay down?
It’s the same muscles, just an opposite movement.
Watch someone do it. Watch the movement in their forehead and picture in your mind what your own muscles would have to do to emulate it.
You move the muscles in your face to change expression all the time without thinking about it. Look in the mirror and think about the muscle movements. Feel what your muscles do when they make this movement or that expression. And practice until you’ve built up a facility of movement to easily do it. Then it’s just a part of you.
@Rebecca An interesting response. I’d ask to see you do it but, you’re married and all haha
I can – but I learned to do so many years ago and found that even though I can still read at the same speed my retention has dropped off considerably. So unless it is something I only need to comprehend and retain temporarily, I slow the process down.
I can.
https://youtu.be/TmVCinctZjk
400 is good. At 500 I start to miss some
Same for me … 400 is fine. Although I can do 500 it feels uncomfortable and I feel I am missing some.
I read quickly. Before I had my son, I’d read a book in one day. It’s harder for me to read the way most people do because I feel like I lose interest if I have to put it down and come back to it.
@Meghan how many hours would it take you to finish a 400 page book if you kept reading from beginning to end?
@Keith I don’t actually know the answer to that question.
@Meghan We can test how many words per minute you can read if you want 🙂 https://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/technology-research-centers/ereaders/speed-reader/iframe.html
That was interesting 386 words per minute
I can
@Kayla how long would it take you to read a 400 page book?
4-5 days
@Kayla I’m more so talking about if you didn’t stop reading from beginning to finish
Oh if i didn’t stop reading it maybe 8 or 10 hours
Can depends if fiction and narrative style or nonfiction..
400pp maybe 4+ hours..
I have always speed read – even before I started school. And I read every single word by using the Gulp Method. Except, it wasn’t anything I was taught. It was just how I taught myself to read.
I can speed read in both Greek and English .
Jealous! Xx
It didn’t get deleted
I have dyslexia I can’t even slow read well but ever since school age I’ve somehow managed myself to be able to read for fun and appreciate each book no matter how long it takes me to reach the end. However give me an academic text (I’m a masters student) I can read it 500 times and still be crying at the end because I can’t process it anywhere near as easily as the things I read for free reading ??♀️
I can but don’t. At 700 wpm I start to lose a few words and a bit of comprehension.
I can if the book is worth it. I read Harry potter and order of phoenix in one night
So, did I! People tell me it cant be done.
Well, people don’t know us
I can, but don’t. It just isn’t enjoyable for me to finish books so quickly. I like to savour!
It depends how much I’m enjoying what I’m reading x
I can but I don’t usually speed read if I’m reading for pleasure. Speed reading got me through college! ? I can read 554 words per minute.
Only in English and non-fiction. Although the first book in my research pile I take it really slow.
I can, but I only really do it on very large books, it’s relatively easy to learn how to do and makes sense once you figure it out
I can but restrict that skill to legal & technical matters. With reading for the joy of it, I savor every word. I will often re-read a well crafted sentence or paragraph more than once.
I read fast, but not the speed reading thing. It is quality vs. quantity. I enjoy reading, it is not a chore, I don’t want to buzz thru a well written book that captures my imagination and interest.
I wouldn’t say I speed read but I can read a book I am really into in a day or two.
If it’s a book on embedded systems, like signals, wireless communication.. I can speed read. ?
When I was younger I read 2 pages a minute, I’ve slowed down to about 1 1/2 pages a min. I don’t consider it speed reading though – I’m not skimming, it is simply the natural pace at which I read. For instance, last night I read Lake Silence by Bishop in 3 1/2 – 4 hours it has 402 pages
One of my friends can speed read. Glad to connect you with her if you want to know more.
I’m slow, slow, slow.
I am probably slower than you are.
The truth is, I enjoy the words. I don’t want to skip them.
Quite a good reason to be slow 🙂
I can’t and I don’t think I will ever be able to… Which is absolutely fine…
I learned some key points in high school. It’ll kick in if I find the book starting to bore me or slow down.
I read so slowly
I’m a fast reader, but I tend to read my outlander books slower and say some of the words aloud as I read. I like how they sound! Mainly the Scottish ones!
I can but it’s not very enjoyable. Not for me anyway.
learned many years ago and do it if book gets boring but I want to know what happens
I read a book a day, so I guess I do.
I can read quite fast but not sure if it’s speed reading. I find it hard to retain and I don’t get to imagine what the characters and scenes look like.
I usually test at between 700-850 wpm. However, my brain is super visual in general, which I’m told makes a big difference on reading speed.
I am a very fast reader of novels. However I read technical text at a slower rate to aid comprehension. I also have ADD so there’s that too.
Guess I can… I don’t do it often, though. I like to savor the words ???