Daily Archives: August 17, 2006

The Speed of Read

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inspired me to find out how fast I read.

I did a quick google search and tried this site for a trial:

http://mindbluff.com/askread2.htm

It checks how far you get into a passage during a minute of reading.

My first test was John F. Kennedy’s inaugaral address:

–You read between 350 – 400 words per minute. Well above average reading level. (The average rate is between 200 – 250 words per minute.) It is assumed that you did not skim the words nor fail to understand the meaning of what was read.

I did it again, with The Professor’s House, by Willa Cather:

You read between 350 – 400 words per minute. Well above average reading level. (The average rate is between 200 – 250 words per minute.) It is assumed that you did not skim the words nor fail to understand the meaning of what was read.

So, pretty consistent.

I also tried this site, which tests comprehension as well:

Home

That clocked me at 366 wpm, and 82% comprehension, which makes me (according to them) a “good reader.”

From that site:

Typical reading results

Measurements of speed and comprehension depend upon the text contents and upon a set of questions. Results in the table do not correspond to a specific test but give a general idea of reading efficiencies.
Screen Paper Comprehension Reader profile
100 wpm 110 wpm 50%   Insufficient
200 wpm 240 wpm 60%  Average reader
300 wpm 400 wpm 80%  Good reader
700 wpm 1000 wpm 85%  Excellent, accomplished reader

Research shows that reading is around 25% slower from a computer screen than from paper. This difference generally increases with increasing reading speed. Thus you may slightly increase your results to find your speed when readingfrom paper.

Reader profiles

Hieroglyphics
  • 110 wpm, slow reader, but you have many possibilities for improvement. FReader will provide rapid comprehension and speed increases. You will soon realize that reading can be a pleasure. FReader will give you hours of instructions and training so that you keep improving up to top level reading performances.

  • 240 wpm, oral reader. You may rapidly and significantly progress by suppressing subvocalization. FReader software is perfect for you.

  • 400 wpm, auditory reader. FReader provides several speed reading modes to pace your reading beyond this sound barrier of 400 wpm.

  • 1000 wpm, visual reader. Your reading speed is the gem of your CV. You don’t need FReader but it could certainly be useful to members of your family, who are not such accomplished readers.

Book Log – The Speed of Dark

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The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

It took me a while to realize this was a science fiction novel. Largely because it’s not one of those SciFi novels where the Sci drives the Fi, but rather the reverse.

Told mostly from the POV of an autistic person (as was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time), I was once again struck with the feeling of being autistic after reading it. The pattern and the rhythm of the words sink into my brain, and I have to fight off talking or thinking similarly. I can’t help but think I’m a few bad neurons away. Of course, that’s part of the theme of the book, so perhaps mission accomplished on Elizabeth Moon’s part.

There are four classifications of (fictional) books for me.

1) Books I actively search out time to continue reading because I feel a certain amount of psychic pain at being separated from the storyline1.
2) Books I read when time is available and enjoy, but don’t go out of my way to make the time.
3) Books I want to have read, but don’t necessarily look forward to reading.
4) Sucky books. May they die, die, die!

This book fell comfortably into category 1, though I thought the antagonists were a bit cartoonish at times.

I wonder if it is easier to write a book with an autistic narrator, since you don’t have to avoid stilted language. Perhaps, though, it is more difficult to make stilted language readable.

Regardless, I’m definitely off to buy some underwear at KMart. Definitely.

Next on the Reading list: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

1 Note that this is not necessarily a sign of superior quality; I experienced psychic pain from having to leave in the middle of watching School of Rock.