How to Speed Read

Throughout our life, we read so many things. In school, text books and newspapers are what we mostly resort to. As we go into college, novels, magazines and the like, also start getting our attention. During all this time, we indulge in e-mailing and chatting too, which also involves reading. Have you ever wished that you could have a faster reading speed? If your answer is yes, rest assured that you are not the only one who wishes so. Many people in this world wish for a reading speed that is quicker than what they have. Keeping in mind their wishes, we have provided a number of tips on speed reading, in the lines below. Go through them and learn about ways to increase your reading speed.

How to Speed Read

First of all, you need to get your eyes tested. This is because, at times, the problem of slow reading can be attributed to an undiagnosed vision problem. Even if you don't have any visible problem, there is nothing wrong in getting a test done.
Next, you need to ascertain your reading speed i.e. how fast or slow do you read. This will help you set a goal and also keep you motivated. You can either determine the number of words you read in a certain time period or how much time you require to read certain number of words. You can also take online tests for the purpose.
One of the basic things to do is to get rid of distractions. Though you might be unaware of it, TV, radio and even the talking of people distracts the mind and can have a negative effect on the reading speed. So, whenever you are reading, try to stay away from noise as much as possible.
Your reading speed should always depend upon the material that you need to study and how much of it do you need to comprehend. For instance, while reading newspapers, you don't need to memorize anything and can rapidly skim through it. On the other hand, a science book or a mathematics book will require you to pay more attention, thus slowing down your speed.
Most of the people indulge in re-reading i.e. going back to the previous sentences or frequently stopping and skipping back to words. This can easily become a habit and you might indulge in re-reading without even noticing. You have to get rid of the habit consciously. You can try taking an index and covering the lines that have been read.
Stop saying the words that you are reading. While pronouncing the words in mind is okay, you should not move your lips and say the words, whether under your breath or loudly. It only helps to slow you down. Try to break the habit, if possible, by keeping a finger on your lips.
Always try to read blocks of words, rather than a single word. You must learn to read groups of words, whole sentences or even short paragraphs straight away. First, be aware of the number of words you read at a time and then gradually, try to increase it.
After following the above steps for sometime, ascertain your reading speed once again. This will tell you whether you are moving towards your goal or not and if you are, what is the level of success attained. Every time, you feel your reading speed has increased, pat your back and feel proud of yourself.

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