Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Improving Your Speed ​​Reading Techniques
• Method 2 of 3: Trying the SQR3 method
• Method 3 of 3: Setting Up for Success

Fast reading is one of the many skills that can improve reading comprehension and shorten learning time. Many scholars believe that speed reading is always superficial, pointing out that one cannot quickly read a text and comprehend as much as when reading at a normal pace. However, cursory reading is a useful skill for familiarizing and evaluating texts, as well as for quickly isolating specific information.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Improving Your Speed ​​Reading Techniques

1. 1 Look at a group of words, not each word individually, even if you don't feel like doing it. If you read the text one word at a time, your reading speed will slow down. However, if you get in the habit of reading a group of words or whole chunks of a test at the same time, you will be able to read much faster.
   • Start by trying to look at a group of three or four words at the same time, and then work on the whole line.
   • Concentrate on words that give meaning to the sentence (such as nouns and verbs) and pay less attention to insertion words such as “a, but, yes,” and so on.
   • For big improvements in reading speed, combine this technique with other related approaches.
2. 2 Read with your own hands. Use your finger to run over the page. As you read, move your hand from left to right under the text, as if underlining it. Move your hand as fast as you would like to read. You can start at a pace a little faster than your usual pace and speed up the next time you read.
   • It used to be that this use of a hand or finger "guided" the eye, but now it has been found that the finger sets the pace of reading, rather than directing it. This is because it is difficult to measure the speed for the movement of the eyes, but it is easy to set this speed to the movement of the hand.
   • You can also use a pen or other object to create the tempo.
3. 3 Do a quick search for keywords. Skimming is an extremely effective way to isolate answers in a text without actually reading it. If you know what you are looking for (name, date, statistics, or exact word), you can quickly find it by running through huge chunks of text. For a quick glance, first just imagine the word, number, or phrase you would like to find. Then quickly run your eyes over the dough. The information you need should pop out in front of you.
   • Try walking over the text with your hand or pen, preferably blue or black. Experiment to determine what gives you the fastest results.
4. 4 Divide the material. One of the reasons for slow reading is that sometimes you have to pause to understand what the paragraph is talking about. Sometimes you also have to go back and re-read something.To improve your reading speed, try pauses for reflection only at the end of the reading itself (for example, after about 15-20 minutes) or when you finish a section or chapter.
   • To test comprehension after reading, write out keywords, or simply summarize what you read in a couple of sentences or retell the text to someone. This will help you to better assimilate and memorize information.
5. 5 Compete against time. You can learn to read faster by setting a time limit for yourself. Set a timer for 15 minutes and read at your usual pace. After the time has passed, check how far you have come. Don't count words, just pages or paragraphs. Write down the result, for example "15min / 6.5 pages".
   • Check how well you understood what you read. Tell out loud what you have learned. It is not necessary to write down, just check that you have absorbed the information that you just read.
   • The next day, start the timer again for 15 minutes and try to read faster. Mark the result again (for example, "15 min / 7 pages") and check your comprehension.
   • Do this every day or 5 days a week to improve your skills. Constantly try to improve the result from the last time.
   • If you find yourself losing text awareness, you may have reached your maximum or you need to aim for a more moderate improvement in your skills.

Method 2 of 3: Trying the SQR3 method

1. 1 Explore the text. Before reading, read all of the headings (chapters, sections, and subsections), and go through all the charts, graphs, charts, questions, and short descriptions you can find.
   • If the text does not have any of this, you can read the first and last sentences of each paragraph or chapter to get an idea of ​​what is presented in the text.
2. 2 Write questions. List any questions you hope to find answers to as you read. You will understand more if you start the text knowing what you want to find out. If you're not sure what you want to know, go through the entire text and turn into a question the heading of each chapter, section, and the like. Try to guess what you get from what you read. Ask yourself the question that you think this text can answer.
   • If you want, you can add questions as you read.
3. 3 Read the text or skim through it. Reread your questions and then study the text. You can flip through it, skip over it with your eyes, or read it at your fastest pace.
   • Depending on the length of the text, you can read it in full or select one of the sections.
   • For maximum understanding, pause at the end of each section and think about what you just read. If you can, answer the question.
   • For maximum speed, answer the questions after reading the entire text.
4. 4 Repeat questions. Now, after reading, you should be able to answer the questions you've asked yourself. It is not necessary to write down the answers (unless this is your assignment), just list them out loud.
   • If you pause at the end of each section, make sure you can outline the answer for that section before moving on to the next. If you can't, go back and watch it again.
   • If you think you made a mistake in asking one of the questions, rephrase it to give the correct answer.
5. 5 Check how well you have mastered what you read. In the SQR3 method, the last "R" stands for "review", which helps you remember the information you have learned. Go back to the questions you answered and see if you can answer them again from memory.
   • If not, skim the section again to find the answers.

Method 3 of 3: Setting Up for Success

1. 1 Expand your vocabulary. Bumping into unfamiliar words is one of the biggest hurdles to speed reading.Chances are, you will be stuck with words that you don't understand, which will increase your chances of missing out on key information. Read more to expand your vocabulary. If you don't know a word, look up its meaning in a dictionary.
   • If you are reading a text that requires knowledge of a certain vocabulary (for example, a medical textbook), it will be helpful to study basic medical expressions and terms before reading.
   • You can expand your vocabulary by reading a lot of literature from a field of interest to you.
2. 2 Choose priority texts. Since you will always be less able to perceive texts read at high speed, it may be worth keeping this pace for light and not-so-important texts. For example, you might choose speed reading for a book written for teenagers. Or, you can quickly read a book that you are working with in the lesson, but for which you will not have an exam or test. Another good choice is text that you have already read, but would like to refresh your memory.
   • Try not to read at high speed texts that are important for you to know, for example, materials for a test.
   • Try not to read at a fast pace text that needs to be analyzed or spoken internally while reading, such as poetry or fiction. This is how you might be missing out on the most important information.
3. 3 Take notes. If your goal is to comprehend the text, then processing the written down will help you best. Once you've finished looking at the text, rethink it for a while. Write down the key ideas, discuss them with a friend, or simply state your impressions in free form.
   • Don't mark up or highlight the text with a highlighter. This will slow down your reading speed and also distract from the information you want to learn.