Speed Reading

Has anyone tried this? Has anyone had any success with it? Does it really work? I'm thinking about learning how to do this because I'm a college student looking to make life easier.

I know stupidly high speeds like 10,000 WPM aren't possible but I read at about 300 WPM and I'm looking to double that.

It can be taught, and some methods are better than others. But it's been my experience that, for students, memory is more important than celerity.

I'm a natural lightning-fast speed-reader, but this doesn't afford me much of an advantage in studying. I just end up reading the textbooks cover-to-cover multiple times anyway, because my mind is a leaky sieve.

edited 20th Nov '12 9:25:48 PM by Muramasan13

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I apparently read 530 words per minute on a slow day, (I have a MASSIVE headache).

A big help is not to read the individual words, but to read the sentence all at once.

Also, you can check here for your rough reading speed http://gandalf.psych.umn.edu/groups/gellab/MNREAD/DEMO_RS/

edited 20th Nov '12 9:33:28 PM by Poisonarrow

Feminist in the streets, sex slave in the sheets

Apparently, I clock in at around 800 words per minute, word-perfect. Could probably break 1000 with some inaccuracies.

And it doesn't help with schoolwork much.

edited 20th Nov '12 9:39:33 PM by Muramasan13

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I just realized something... That thing is inaccurate. Mura, try going higher. It doesn't go any faster after about 600 words per minute for me. Seriously, look at it, there's no time difference between 6 and 8 hundred on it, though that would be a fair difference in person.

edited 20th Nov '12 9:42:08 PM by Poisonarrow

Feminist in the streets, sex slave in the sheets

That's because it caps at 750. Doesn't it? That's what it tells me.

edited 20th Nov '12 9:43:38 PM by Muramasan13

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Not if you type in the numbers.

Feminist in the streets, sex slave in the sheets

Oh. Well, I guess it just isn't built to go that high.

It looks like someone's quick project. The programmer probably didn't have the opportunity to test it at that high of a score.

edited 20th Nov '12 9:47:11 PM by Muramasan13

Smile for me!

Lol, now I have to go find a book and actually bother with TIMING myself.

Feminist in the streets, sex slave in the sheets

Anyone else?

A brotha can't get any responses?

Give it time. Some threads in this forum move quickly, but bumping every few hours won't make this one of them. You appear to be newish here; remember that this is Yack Fest, so people are also generally not too concerned about staying on-topic.

That was the amazing part. Things just keep going.

I can read pretty fast when I'm reading narrative (never bothered to time myself, though), but when I'm studying I think that it would not be a good idea. Much better to take your time, read slowly, and make sure you are really understanding what you are studying.

This is especially important for scientific disciplines, and in particular for mathematics: if you do not end up spending hours on a single page, trying to understand exactly what makes the proof of a theorem tick, then you are not studying.

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

So basically it's not good for studying? That's disappointing.

I'm not sure, exactly how fast I read, but its been commented on by others, as impressively fast.

When I was younger, I bought this eyeQ thing to increase my reading speed, since I avidly read just about everything I can possibly find.

I still use it, and can usually get somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 wpm, depending on if I'm tired or not. I can probably go faster, but I don't really want to strain my eyes, and I usually read at a slower pace when I want to absorb what I'm reading.

It also has exercises that increase your reading comprehension, by the way. Yeah, it probably won't help that much for particularly complex subjects that require a shitload of studying, like Car said, but for must subjects it'll be pretty damn useful.

And now I feel like a fucking advertisement. Damn, this feels weird. And furthermore, I should be getting paid for it.

If you are doing math, it's definitely no good. Yesterday, it took me about three hours to learn 11 pages of new material to my satisfaction; and it was relatively easy material at that.

For other subjects, I am not sure; but I doubt that it would be a magic wand. At least in my experience, it is better to mull over things, to try to absorb them and their implications until they truly become a part of you. To rush through a book might let you pass an exam, sure, but you'll forget everything you've read within the week.

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

So it's just fine for most classes, then, right? :P

Anyone have any idea of how much this Eye Q stuff costs?

Any more experiences with speed reading?

I read about 500 WPM.

Does it help you?

Can you read at that speed naturally or do you have to use speed reading techniques? Can you read technical stuff at that speed?

edited 25th Nov '12 2:16:01 PM by AceNapalm

My speed is currently around 900 wpm, though it was already decent (600 wpm) before I took a course last year. For me, it's as natural as breathing. I don't remember the techniques anymore and once you learn, you don't need them. It's not something you can un-learn, especially if you read a lot. The more you read, the faster you'll be. Regarding foreign languages: from experience, it's possible to get to the same speed as in your native language but it takes a lot of practice.

The bad: As people have already said, it makes studying harder as you can't slow down, especially if it's something boring and extensive like a history textbook; or something you need to truly understand to pass (like physics); same goes for technical texts. My eyes just automatically fly over it and I remember little unless I make a conscious effort to concentrate and go over a paragraph multiple times. Which is basically the same as reading slowly. Also, no good book is ever long enough

The good: However, it's great when you have to quickly go through a text directly before the test You also finish it faster as you spend less time reading the instructions. Being able to read texts in an extermely short time comes in handy many times; some examples would be powerpoint presentations, boring mandatory books, shopping, cheat sheets... It's also great for showing off.

Bottom line: Is it worth it? It depends. Think carefully because there's no coming back once you're there.

edited 26th Nov '12 12:07:26 PM by Brightfyre

@Ace: I don't remember the price, but it probably says so on the website.

So it seems that speed reading isn't all it's cracked up to be. Thanks guys.

I just naturally can do this,my current speed is 2.5 pages per minute when I really am not trying to get into it or it's very basically written like say a Warrior Cats book or I'm re-reading.

I don't know how many wpm that turns out to be though.

My usual speed when I want to absorb is roughly 1.3 pages a minute (that's 80 pages an hour),it's the most effective. Makes most reads done fairly quickly.