Measuring Reading Speed

What you'll need

• Book - paperback or hardback size book (for easy calculating). Make sure it's easy-to-read fiction or non-fiction.

• Timer - countdown timer, stopwatch, clock or watch with a second hand

What you'll need

• Pocket calculator

• Two paper clips or sticky notes or a pencil to mark start and end points

Instructions

1. Identify start point

Ignore any preface, foreword or introduction and start at Chapter One of the book. Place a paper clip or sticky note or pencil tick to indicate your start point.

Instructions

2. Read for 3 minutes.

When ready, start the timer and commence reading for 3 minutes for good comprehension, that is, for excellent understanding and enjoyment. At 3 minutes stop reading and place a pencil tick or paper clip or sticky note to indicate your end point.

Instructions

3. Calculate reading rate in words per minute by doing the following steps: a) Count words per line To work out the average number of words per line, count the total words on three lines and divide by three. (A word has to have two letters to count.)

Instructions

b) Count number of lines read Then count the total number of lines you read. (Two half-lines count as one line). c) Calculate total words read For the total words read, multiply the number of lines by the number of words per line.

Instructions

d) Words per minute Divide total words read by number of minutes spent reading. Here's the formula: ___ Lines X Words Per Line = _____Total Words ÷ 3 = _____ WPM

Results

• If your reading rate is between 200 to 300 WPM that's an average reading rate. Most people read at this rate.

Results

• If your reading rate is below 200 WPM, did you choose technical reading material with a high degree of difficulty? This can slow reading rate. Or do you frequently read technical or scientific material at a slow pace so that everything you read is at the same slow pace?

Results

• If your reading rate is above 400 WPM, it indicates you are not so impacted by poor reading habits such as sub-vocalization (hearing each word in your head as you are reading), or regression (the eye flitting back to reread a word; most readers regress 50 or 60 times per page) or fixation (reading one word at a time with a narrow focus).

Results

• If your reading rate is above 1000 WPM, congratulations; that's a great result. If you also assessed your understanding and memory as excellent to very good, then you are a speed-reader.

What factors affect my reading speed?

• How you were taught to read

• At what age you were taught to read

• How much reading you have done in your life-time

• Your level of fatigue and concentration

What factors affect my reading speed?

• The extent of regressions and sub-vocalisation present in your reading technique

• The type of material you are reading

• The medium in which you are reading (for example, newspaper or computer screen)

• The quality of the writing

Reference

http://EzineArticles.com/6227020