This page describes methods to increase your reading speed, improve your reading comprehension, and shorten the time you need in which to review a reading before a test.  

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Here are some tips on how to read your homework faster by skimming and speed reading.  Doing so will improve your comprehension and memory of what you read, allow you to read texts faster when you need to, and help you review chapters and books before tests--even if you have not yet read them.

The two skills go together.  I learned both skimming and speed reading when I was in my first term of graduate school.  I was so nervous about doing well in my courses that I tried to read ever more slowly to absorb it all.  As my reading speed became slower, I had more trouble understanding, so I read even more slowly.  Then I hit a crisis: my reading speed dipped to 2-4 pages per hour, and the print started looking like unintelligible symbols and lines!  (This was a temporary form of what is known as “dyslexia.”).  I became very scared and thought I might flunk graduate school.  I tried a speed-reading course.  From that course, I learned how to study faster by skimming selected parts of books and then reading them faster than I ever had in my life. 

Skimming

            Speed skimming works best if you do it before fully reading an assignment.  However, if you are short of time and must choose to either speed skim all of an assignment or read just part of it, usually you’re better off to speed skimm all of it.  Here are the steps for speed skimming a chapter:  (1) Read the entire first and last paragraph.  (2) On the remaining pages, glance at all pictures, diagrams, and subtitles or other lines in bold.  (3) Then read the first sentence of each paragraph (most authors summarize the contents of a paragraph in the first sentence).  (4) With some authors, you may have to read both the first and last sentences of each paragraph.  Why does speed skimming work well?  It quickly helps you remember the main ideas.  Almost everyone can learn it.

Speed Reading

            Speed reading requires that you start with your fingers.  (1) Read normally for several minutes, and use your fingers to follow along beneath each line as you read it.  (2) Next, increase the speed of your fingers, and make your eyes follow the print.  Practice this for several minutes until your eyes adjust to taking in the meanings of the sentences.  (3) Then increase the speed of your finger movement even more.  (You may find your eyes will follow your fingers better if you tap each line two or three times in different places instead of moving your fingers steadily.)  (4) You can stick with “3,” maintaining or increasing your speed, or you can try doing so without fingers.  However, practice is required.  Why does speed reading work well?  It not only is faster but also may improve your absorption of content.  How does speed reading work?  Your mind switches from reading “out loud” inside your head to reading visually, which is much faster.  A majority of people can learn effective speed reading. 

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Contents and Page Design © 2001 by Richard Jewell.  Nonprofit copying for education is allowed. Images courtesy of Barry's Clip Art, Clip Art Warehouse, The Clip Art Universe, Clipart Collection, Microsoft Clip Art Gallery and Design Gallery Live, School Discovery, and Web Clip Art Most recent update: 4-9-04 Home page:  http://collegewriting.info   Contact the author by going to www.Richard.Jewell.net.  I welcome questions, suggestions, and notes about links.

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The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota.