How to test and time yourself.

Let’s take a look at another method for testing and timing your own reading skills. Before we do, let’s conduct a brief review.
Reading has been an integral part of human lifestyle since the birth of the alphabets. People basically read everyday, and will continue to do so for as long as they know how to. It can be generalized then that reading is a daily, inescapable task, regardless of social status, gender, work and cultural affiliations. But inescapable as it may be, not all people can read efficiently and fast enough. Minority of the population comprises the efficient ones, with their level as much as five times greater than common readers.

Certain factors made this phenomenon possible. For one, some people give little attention to their reading speed. Amidst the fact that they want to improve, there still is the conception that nothing much can be done about it.

Secondly, most people do not regard improvement of reading as something that can compensate as much as improving on other human skills. Most people prefer taking proficiency courses in typing than reading.

Also, reading involves characteristics and habits that have been acquired by the person since he started to read. These aspects are hard to manipulate through normal means. Efforts have to be exerted to correct years of wrong habits.

These habits include oral analysis of the read texts which limits the processing of the information to about 150 words, eye movements and focus which limits the number of words we read based on what we see in an instance, going back on parts of the text more often than necessary, poor concentration which leads to longer reading time, vocabulary deficiency which affects understanding of the texts, efforts to recall everything which makes reading heavy, and lack of interest in reading that makes the task more difficult.

These notions may very well be related to lack of precise information about reading and self-evaluation of reading habits. This evaluation can be done by taking a comprehensive speed test to gauge not just how fast a person reads, but also the level of comprehension that he employs in reading.

Okay, let’s move on to this alternative method of testing. So, how is this speed test conducted?

Step 1. Choose two good reading materials.
A page for each of the reading materials will do the job. The chosen materials should not be too simple or too complex to be understood. Count the number of words on each line and take note of the figure acquired. Then, count the number of lines in the page selected.
Again, take note of the result.

Step 2. Have someone read the texts prior to the test.
Ask the person to list questions. The answers must of course come from the article. This will come in handy after the speed test.

Step 3. Do the pre-test.
At this stage, read the first selected material without getting the time needed to finish the article. Focus on the difficulties that made reading slower and harder for you. List these things after reading the whole text.

Step 4. Get a timer.
Start reading the second text. Take note of the time needed to finish the whole page.

Step 5. Answer the questionnaire.

Step 6. Calculate.
To know the reading speed (expressed as words per minute or wpm), multiply the two figures acquired from step 1. This value denotes the total number of words read. Divide this figure by the time (in minutes) needed to finish reading the text.

The quotient determines the reading speed.

The comprehension rate can be calculated by dividing the number of correct answers by the number of questions provided. The number acquired, when multiplied to 100, will yield the comprehension percentage.

Step 7. Evaluate.
Common readers have reading rates approximated to 200 words per minute, with considerable comprehension rate. Efficient readers, on the other hand, can read up to 1000 words per minute with a high comprehension rate.

As we discussed in the previous chapter, one may also avoid going through all the steps listed above by looking for websites that offer interactive methods of determining your reading speed. Take note, however, that the results obtained from the sites vary from one another because of the various methods employed.

Additionally, remember that some consider reading online is slower than reading physical content.

By taking the simple step of knowing your reading speed, you become closer to the promises that efficient reading can bring. By knowing and understanding your reading characteristics, you can determine the right affectivity course to suit your needs.

Also In This Category:

Reading Speed & Comprehension
- Who needs Speed Reading?
- What happens to your eyes while you are reading?
- About "speed reading" books and classes.
- It is important to track your progress.
- What role do your hands play in reading?
- Who needs speed reading?
- Is speed reading a genetic ability or a learned skill?
- What is Speed Reading?
- How to increase your comprehension
- How we learned to read slowly
- Fiction vs. non-fiction - is there a difference?
- How you can test your own reading speed.
- Speed reading and how we vocalize.
- Test yourself to determine your retention.
- How to increase your reading speed.

Currently Online :

336 member(s), 965 guest(s):
AbstractCat, AbstractCat, AbstractCat, AllSeeing, AllSeeing, AllSeeing, AngelWings, AnimalRites, Apples, April, Autobot, Autobot, Autobot, Barbwire, Beachrunner, Beanie, Beanie, Beatasone, BerryNice, BetterYou, BirdGossip, BlackCloud, BlackCloud, BlingBling, BloodFlower, BloodFlower, BlueBreakfast, BlueBreakfast, BlueButterFly, BombDrop, BubbleBlock, BubbleBlock, CaffineAddict, CaptainCrunch, CaptainCrunch, Carnivour, CarpetShark, Cashsplash, Casper, CaterpillarCrawler, CatNap, CheeseCake, CheeseCake, Cheesybite, Cheesybite, Cheesybite, Cheesybite, CherryBerry, CherryBerry, ChocolateDrop, Clockwork, Cocktail, Commitment, Connie, ConverseShoesRule, ConverseShoesRule, CookieMonster, Cosmiclight, Cow, Cutefrog, DarkDemon, DarkDesire, DarkThinkeR, DarkTrinket, David, David, David, DawnsAwaken, Discodancer, Dolphinswimmer, Dolphinswimmer, Doughnut, Doughnut, Doughnut, Doughnut, DTrain, Dyllon, Dyllon, EarthShine, Eatsnow, Eclipse, Eddy, EgyptianWonder, electric, Erin, Erin, Erin, EyeSpy, EyeSpy, EyeSpy, Fairground, Fairground, Fairground, Fairground, Fantasies, FantasyFootball, FantasyFootball, FeelingHot, FeelingHot, FeelingHot, FeelingHot, FeralFeline, FerociousDragon, FireHead, FireHead, FlowerPower, FollowTheLights, FootballFan, Foxglove, Foxglove, Foxglove, Freedom, FreeSpirit, FreeSpirit, FriendlyBug, FriendlyBug, FrostFlake, fruitsalad, FullOfHeart, FunnyFish, FunnyFish, GiddyUp, GoneFishing, Grapes, Grimmy, GuitarsRock, GuitarsRock, HappyCake, HappySnapper, HartToHart, HartToHart, Heat2010, Helen, HighMaintenance, HighMaintenance, HighMaintenance, Highway, Highway, Hippie, HocusPocusCrocus, HocusPocusCrocus, Horselover, HoustonKnockout, Hunter, Hunter, Iceberg, Iceblast, Instrumentallegs, Instrumentallegs, IntoTheTrees, JetSki, JohnnyKnox, JohnnyKnox, JohnnyKnox, JustMe, Kea, Kevin, KittyInCollinder, KoolKermit, LadderToHeaven, Ladybug, LadyWoman, LadyWoman, LazyDogg, Lenny, Limey, liquidmetal, liquidmetal, LittleMonster, LittleMonster, LittleMonster, LollypopLover, LostMarbles, LuckOfTheIrish, Lucky, Lunatic, Lunatic, MagicStick, MazMaz, McFox, McFox, Micky, MindsEye, Mitch, Mitch, Moonguide, Moonhaze, MortalKombat, Musicmaker, Musicmaker, NaughtyNinja, Neigh, Neigh, NeverAlone, Nicki, NoOne, NoOne, oddperson, Omnious, ontheplains, OpenRoad, OrangeDaisy, OrangeDaisy, OrangeDaisy, Orangedog, Orangedog, Orchid, Orchid, Orchid, pandatome, Paperclip, PassionForDance, PassionForDance, Penguinpal, Penguinpal, PerfectPartners, Piramidy, Power2Frogs, Power2Frogs, Pulsar, PumpkinPie, PumpkinPie, PuppyLove, PuppyPower, RacerX, RacoonClingon, RadicalRodent, RadicalRodent, RadioActive, RadioActive, RainbowPop, ReadyToLaunch, ReadyToLaunch, RedBlocker, RedBlocker, Retrogamer, RunningFree, RunningFree, SageBrush, Salinger, SandyPrints, SandyPrints, ScardyCat, Scorpion, Scorpion, SeaHorse, SeaHorse, Seashells, Seashells, Seashells, SecretHoarder, Sheepish, Sheepish, Sheepish, Sheepish, SilentHunter, SilentHunter, SimpleStripes, SimpleStripes, SkateRForeveR, Skatergod, Snowlilly, Snowman, Snowman, SoftballPlayer, SoftballPlayer, Solitarygrowth, Solitarygrowth, Solitarygrowth, SomeOne, SpeedDemon, SpikeyDesert, Splash, Splash, SplitDog, SplitDog, SplitPersonality, Standoutfromthecrowd, Standoutfromthecrowd, StarbucksCoffee, StormBringer, StraightToThePoint, StrangerHere, StrangerHere, StreetRacer, Stumped, Style, SugarRush, SugarRush, sunworshipper, SurfsUp, Sweetlips, SweetLove, SweetLove, TangerineLeaves, TeamWork, TeeOff, TeeOff, TemprementalExplosion , TheBirdWatcher, TheProposal, ThreeRashers, thruthelookingglass, thruthelookingglass, thruthelookingglass, thruthelookingglass, TigerHen, TigerHen, TochaTocha, TotallyChilled, ToxicSkull, TrickSkate, Tryyourluck, UpThere, UpThere, Victory, Victory, VinyLover, WarmWater, WellBalanced, WhoLeOw, WildFlower, WildFlower, Wildthing, Windows, WinterWonderland, WoolyFriend, WorldWideWonder, WyleCoyote, Xfactor, Xfactor, YellowCall, YellowCall, YummyCherry, YvY, Zoe, Ask Jeeves, Gigabot, Google, MSN.com, Cobion.com, Slurp, Speedy Spider

Search :

No comments yet

Latest Education Forum Topics:

How to test and time yourself.

Sponsored Links:

Related Articles:

Also In This Category:

Currently Online :

Search :