by: Melvin Ng
It is an almost instinctive reaction to think that reading faster equates with comprehending less. Empirical evidence, however, seems to indicate otherwise - individuals who read at slower rates are just as likely not to fully comprehend what they have read as those who read too fast.
Consequently, trying to find an optimum between the speed you read at and the overall comprehension you have of the material is the key to good reading skills. What follows is a brief look at how you can try to optimize your speed reading and comprehension at the same time.
Speed and comprehension
It should be the goal of every individual who wishes to read efficiently to understand what they are reading, learn from it, and then move on. Reading should not be an activity which we linger over. In this regard, it is generally accepted that someone who can read between 250 and 300 words per minute is an average reader. Those who read less than 250 words per minute are slow readers. And those who read more than 500 words per minute are speed readers. However, there comes a point when reading too fast would make you lose your comprehension.
If that's the case, what should be the optimum speed? Only you can tell because you'll need to test it out yourself and try to stretch it as much as possible. Different people will have varying levels.
If we accept that these reading rates are fairly standard, it should be the aim of every reader to be reading more than 500 words per minute but at the same time, not to lose comprehension.
Why is reading faster important anyhow?
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