Speed Reading

Speed reading is an art of quickly reading as well as retaining written matter. Unlike what most of the people believe, just reading something at a fast pace does not mean that you have the quality of speed reading in you. Rather, you have a give a test in order to prove this quality. In this test, after reading particular material within a set time period, a person has to undergo a test, in which question would be asked from the text read. Answering almost 50% of the questions correctly is considered average. In others words, the more correct answers you give, the greater will be your reading speed. Nonetheless, speed reading also depends on the reader’s interest. If a reader is interested in a particular genre, he would recall it better, as compared to the one he is not interested in. The best way to learn how to speed read is to practice. In the following lines, we have provided certain tips for speed reading.

Tips For Improving Your Reading Speed

Know the Purpose - The first step would be to clarify the reading purpose. Once you already know what you need to extract out of reading the comprehension, speed reading becomes possible.
Prioritize the Reading - It is very important to prioritize your reading material. Segregate them into three parts - important, moderate and least important. Now, read according to the importance of the material. This would improve your reading speed.
Read the Gist - Just glance through the reading material at first. This would give you information on what it contains in general, thereby increasing the reading speed.
Make a Question - Once you have made a question, it would be easier to read as you would be looking for answers. Not only would it increase the speed of reading, but also increase the concentration.
Read in a Proper Environment - Reading cannot be done at every place. Select such an environment where you do not get disturbed or strained, while reading. Chaotic or noisy places and dingy areas do not enhance your reading speed.
Do Not Highlight - Though you may think that highlighting enhances reading, it is quite the opposite. Once you have highlighted a particular line, you rarely pay notice to it and have to read it for the second time.
Read the Preface - Another good way to increase the speed of reading would be to read the preface or the introduction. This would give you the idea of the direction the author wants to you to take, while reading the material.
Read the Glossary - If the book or the reading material contains glossary, make sure you go through it before reading the text. This would make reading easier, as you would not come across any unfamiliar terms.
Flexible Reading Speed - Have a flexible reading speed. You cannot read a fairy tale, a novel, a short story, a legal contract, a mathematical equation and poetry at the same assigned speeds. Each of them belongs to a different genre and requires a different reading speed. So, it is advisable to have flexible reading speed.
Read Early - Reading early in the morning can be advantageous for some people, in enhancing their reading speed. The quiet atmosphere improves their concentration and makes them read faster.

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