Regression, back-skipping, and the duration of fixations can be minimized by using a tracker and pacer. After exactly one minute, multiply the number of lines by your average words-per-line to determine your current words-per-minute (wpm) rate. Mark your first line and read with a timer for 1 minute exactly-do not read faster than normal, and read for comprehension. Multiply this by average number of words-per-line, and you have your average number of words per page.Įxample: 154 lines/5 pages = 30.8, rounded to 31 lines per page x 12 words-per-line = 372 words per page Next, count the number of text lines on 5 pages and divide by 5 to arrive at the average number of lines per page. Divide this number of words by 5, and you have your average number of words-per-line.Įxample: 62 words/5 lines = 12.4, which you round to 12 words-per-line To determine your current reading speed, take your practice book (which should lay flat when open on a table) and count the number of words in 5 lines. We will cover two main techniques in this introduction:ġ) Trackers and Pacers (to address A and B above)Ģ) Perceptual Expansion (to address C) First – Determining Baseline Thus, if you currently read at 300 wpm and your target reading speed is 900 wpm, you will need to practice technique at 2,700 words-per-minute, or 6 pages per minute (10 seconds per page). The adaptive sequence is: technique ‘ technique with speed ‘ comprehensive reading testing.Īs a general rule, you will need to practice technique at 3x the speed of your ultimate target reading speed. Do not worry about comprehension if you are learning to apply a motor skill with speed, for example. These are separate, and your adaptation to the sequencing depends on keeping them separate. You will 1) learn technique, 2) learn to apply techniques with speed through conditioning, then 3) learn to test yourself with reading for comprehension.
Untrained subjects use central focus but not horizontal peripheral vision span during reading, foregoing up to 50% of their words per fixation (the number of words that can be perceived and “read” in each fixation). The untrained subject engages in regression (conscious rereading) and back-skipping (subconscious rereading via misplacement of fixation) for up to 30% of total reading time.Ĭ) Synopsis: You must use conditioning drills to increase horizontal peripheral vision span and the number of words registered per fixation. To demonstrate this, close one eye, place a fingertip on top of that eyelid, and then slowly scan a straight horizontal line with your other eye-you will feel distinct and separate movements and periods of fixation.ī) Synopsis: You must eliminate regression and back-skipping to increase speed. Each fixation will last ¼ to ½ seconds in the untrained subject. the size of a quarter at 8 inches from reading surface). Each of these saccades ends with a fixation, or a temporary snapshot of the text within you focus area (approx. You do not read in a straight line, but rather in a sequence of saccadic movements (jumps).
You should complete the 20 minutes of exercises in one session.įirst, several definitions and distinctions specific to the reading process:Ī) Synopsis: You must minimize the number and duration of fixations per line to increase speed. To perform the exercises in this post and see the results, you will need: a book of 200+ pages that can lie flat when open, a pen, and a timer (a stop watch with alarm or kitchen timer is ideal). If you understand several basic principles of the human visual system, you can eliminate inefficiencies and increase speed while improving retention. By comparison, the average reading speed in the US is 200-300 wpm (1/2 to 1 page per minute), with the top 1% of the population reading over 400 wpm… It was tested with speakers of five languages, and even dyslexics were conditioned to read technical material at more than 3,000 words-per-minute (wpm), or 10 pages per minute. The PX Project, a single 3-hour cognitive experiment, produced an average increase in reading speed of 386%. In fact, while on an airplane in China two weeks ago, I helped Glenn McElhose increase his reading speed 34% in less than 5 minutes. This post is a condensed overview of principles I taught to undergraduates at Princeton University in 1998 at a seminar called the “PX Project.” The below was written several years ago, so it’s worded like Ivy Leaguer pompous-ass prose, but the results are substantial. Increasing reading speed is a process of controlling fine motor movement-period. How much more could you get done if you completed all of your required reading in 1/3 or 1/5 the time?
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