The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

I thought this would be an interesting thing to discuss seeing as there are many people here attempting to read a lot of books in an admittedly short time :D

How quickly do you guys read? Do you read books at your 'comfortable' level and get lost in the story or do you read quickly on purpose, to read as much as possible?

Are there any speed readers in the house? Is it difficult to master?

I did two reading tests online right now. This one here and it told me I read at 198 words per minute, and then did the comprehension test at 73%

The 'average' reading speed is 200 - 250 wpm

I also did this reading test and got 150-200 wpm, with 100% comprehension later on. Don't change the timer, I put mine on 3 minutes once and my reading speed was almost 600 words. It doesn't divide well.

There are many occasions when I read fiction at a consciously much faster pace, but it can have a detrimental effect on my enjoyment because I'm 'aware' of being the reader and my inner editor is very critical.

I also read ebooks on my computer most of the time. I read that computer reading can be about 25% slower than reading paper books.

I don't know what my official rating would be but I am a naturally fast reader though I still take in every word I read. I like the spacing in a normal mass market or larger size book as it helps me to read fast especially if I love the story. Very small print slows me down a bit though.

On the first test I scored 390wpm with a comprehension of 91%, whilst on the second one I was told I was between 300-350wpm, with a 67% Comprehension, which would equal about 250-300wpm according to the test. However, I only got 3 questions on the second comprehension test, whilst the first one gave me 11.

I have always been a fast reader. I have never taken a speed reading class either I think it just comes from reading ALOT since I was very young. I have always loved reading! Just for fun I took both of the tests you linked and they said that I read at around 300 words with 82% comprehension.

The first one said I read 300 wpm with comphrehension of 91% (10 out of 11 questions right).

While I have no idea if that's right, and not the world's highest opinion of the validity of an online test.... I am a fast reader if I am really into the book or topic. I do tend to fly through books I enjoy, whereas books that aren't interesting drag on FOREVER b/c reading feels like s chore more than a pleasure.

I've always considered myself a fairly average reader and I think my score reflects that.

While nursing my son, I scored 266 wpm with a 91% comprehension on the first test. And then while patting a screaming baby on the back who desperately needed to burp, I scored 200-250 wpm with only 33% comprehension, giving me an actual wpm count of around 150. Big shocker, screaming babies and comprehending what you read does not mix, ha!

I don't try to read quickly because for me the whole point is to relax and enjoy my book, and I try not to let the reading challenge prevent me from doing that! I suppose it would be different if I was studying or reading for work.
However, for fun, I just took the reading test and read at 476wpm with 91% comprehension, so I seem to be a fast reader - particularly as I stopped to think about it when I was distracted by the American spelling of practising, which I saw as a spelling mistake!
Obviously the reason I can't finish the challenge is not that I don't read fast enough, but don't spend long enough reading! And I usually read for about 5 hours a day.

I was suprised because I have always thought that I was a slow reader - a friend of mine reads the same books in days that take me weeks, but my reading speed from the test was 321 - so obviously not that bad.

I had accuracy of 91% - however, I reckon the accuracy thing is skewed because the thing we read was advertising their product, and I know a fair bit about advertising and speed reading, so I could guess at answers I couldn't remember...

I try to read 50 pages a day, sometimes I read 100 0n weekends. I never really tested my reading speed.

I scored 217 wpm with 73% comprehension on the first test. However, the font size was small for me, making it necessary to concentrate more closely as I read which could have impacted my speed.

Bec wrote: "I was suprised because I have always thought that I was a slow reader - a friend of mine reads the same books in days that take me weeks, but my reading speed from the test was 321 - so obviously n..."

Yes - agree about the accuracy - you could easily hit on the right answer without genuinly remembering it - if you'd understod the point of the article.

It all depends on what I'm reading, too. If it's fiction with no real philosophical aspects or anything that I have to think about, then it's easy to whip through. On the other hand, even if it's fiction, if it's densely written or has complicated elements (think about trying to keep the characters straight in one of the Russian novels!) or has a lot to think about, it's slower. Non-fiction is the same - if it's a subject that's not familiar to me and not easily in my comfort zone (say, something about science), it slows me down considerably!

A big issue for me is also time of day. In the evening, I'm usually tired, and since my job involves reading and writing and thinking for much of the day, I often have trouble getting through more than a few pages of anything that requires thought (which is why I always have 3 or 4 books going at a time, so that I have something simple and easy to read).

Another issue is format - at this stage of the game, even with contact lenses, I don't do so well with paperbacks with tiny print! If I'm reading on my kindle, though, and can jack the font up to a nice comfortable size, I can read more quickly than if I'm struggling with the physical aspects of reading.

All of that is very true, Sandy. And, sometimes, I find that I just want to take my time and enjoy the process. :)

Bea wrote: "All of that is very true, Sandy. And, sometimes, I find that I just want to take my time and enjoy the process. :)"

Absolutely - and sometimes, there are those books that you just hate to have end!

ditto to everything that Sandy read...I have like multiple books going at once, and find that some nights I can only read a couple of pages of one, but devour another...and totally agree on the Russian literature - good but dense

I feel the same way as Sandy too. I often have a non-fiction book going that I read over several weeks, during which time I read several fiction books.

I wear glasses so I try to get either hardcover or trade paperbacks to read since they have the larger print.

I also feel the same as Sandy does. Even though I am retired, my best time to read is when I first get up. I am at my best then. And like most people over 50, I find that I ramp up the font on my NOOK and take advantage of trade paperback or large print books (even with my half lens reading glasses.)

I find that when I really like a book and the author's narrative is easy, almost conversational the pages seem to fly. But when the narrative is stilted or un-conversational (if you will,) my concentration level slows and so does my reading speed regardless of the genre. Multiple characters do not necessarily slow me down, it is always the narrator's voice. If it is easy, I read fast. If it hard for me to understand, my eyes glaze over and I am re-reading whole passages, if not pages. And if I really dislike the book, the reading becomes laborious and very slow.

I got 150-200 words per minute at 100% accuracy.

I got 296 wpm--but I think I read fiction faster. I also knew there was a comprehension test so I reread several pieces. I've always thought I was a pretty fast reader, but I'm NOTHING compared to people who can finish the challenge. I'm also interested in how much time people spend per day reading. I usually try to read before I go to bed--which is about 30 minutes. On weekends, I can do more and I've started listening to audio books when I walk in the morning, but I wonder how much time people who finish can dedicate each day to reading.

Elizabeth (NC) wrote: "I got 296 wpm--but I think I read fiction faster. I also knew there was a comprehension test so I reread several pieces. I've always thought I was a pretty fast reader, but I'm NOTHING compared to ..."

I read most evenings - I'm not a tv watcher, and I don't have kids at home any more, so unless I'm having to work, I usually have at least a couple hours free to read. And, I try to force myself to get to the gym at least 4 or 5 days a week - and on my cardio days, I use my kindle to entertain myself on the treadmill - so that's a solid 45 min - 1 hour several times a week.

That's one of my gimmicks to make myself go to the gym - I have some book I'm really, really interested in on my kindle, and tell myself that I'm only allowed to read it while I'm on the treadmill!

Sandy wrote: "Elizabeth (NC) wrote: "I got 296 wpm--but I think I read fiction faster. I also knew there was a comprehension test so I reread several pieces. I've always thought I was a pretty fast reader, but I..."

That's how I get myself out in the morning as well! It stinks when I have a book that I don't like as much though which has happened a couple of times and I listen to them on my ipod, so it takes me a while to change books and download the new one. I'm definitely walking a lot more though!

I got 350-400 words a minute in both tests 99% concentration. I've always been able to read and comprehend when at a good clip.

But I'll never complete the challenges though - too many books for me to read and review! I can't read something without commenting. LOL, I must be a frustrated want-to-be book critic!

I did the first test and got 223 words per minute with 91% accuracy. This is average speed.

I don't think I read fast enough to ever complete the challenge. Like Anne, I enjoy commenting about the books I read. I remember the books better if I comment, or discuss them in a book group at the library.

Connie wrote: "I did the first test and got 223 words per minute with 91% accuracy. This is average speed.

I don't think I read fast enough to ever complete the challenge. Like Anne, I enjoy commenting about..."

Me too, Connie. I keep a book journal of all of the books I read with a full synopsis of the book. That helps me when I review the book.
And thanks Connie for reminding me that I need A NEW BOOK JOURNAL!!!!!!A Great excuse to go to my favorite "candy store," BARNES AND NOBLE!

I got 525 wpm with 73% comprehension, which squares with my self-assessment - I read very quickly, but my retention is terrible! Basically, I read like most people watch TV - it's in my eyes and out of my brain almost immediately. Reading is something that gives me pleasure in the moment, so I don't put a lot of pressure on myself to retain what I read unless I need the information later (like when I'm studying for professional certification exams).

I also find a marked difference in my reading speed between fiction and non-fiction. For fiction I typically read about 100 pages/hour, but non-fiction's normally only 50 pages/hour.

I did not score well on the comprehension at all. I scored 289 WPM with 64% on the first test and 350-400 with 75% on the second. I think I would do better with something i enjoy reading. Both rest were really not interesting to me so I really did not retain any of it. I do catch myself with fiction sometimes skimming when the part is really exciting and I miss something and have to go back but generally I remember books I read a couple of years ago. The major parts anyways.

I haven't taken this yet, but I always thought i was pretty slow, but I think it really comes down to how much you are enjoying the book, the text time, and the amount of time you give yourself to read each book at a time. I am going to take this little test because it seems pretty interesting, but I do think there are a lot variables when it comes to this.

thanks for sharing this information!!

the first test showed me at 283 with comprehension of 64% while the second showed about 250-300 wpm (I didn't see the comprehension part) so I guess they are about right, but again, I think it really depends on what your reading, distractions, etc This is pretty interesting though.

I did the first test and got 480WPM with a comprehension of 82%. I've always been a fast reader, especially when trying to take things in, but if I'm really into a novel and getting into the story I'm probably a bit slower

I can read fast, but often choose not to. And I love to read out loud, which means reading every word and not skimming. :-) So, it depends on the material, how tired I am, and how fast I choose to read.

I get hung up on names I don't know how to pronounce and stumble EACH time I come across them. This makes me crazy. Also, I find as I age that I just cannot remember names. If there are a whole lot of characters, I may forget who is who and have to restart the book. It also makes me mad at myself when I finish a book and can't remember the main character's name as I write my review. So with me, speed of reading is not the problem.

Ellie wrote: "I've been reading an average of 2 books per week lately."

That's about what I read too when the book averages 300-400 pgs. I find I can average 100 pgs a day unless I'm really into it, then I stay up to keep reading.

I usually get through books faster in less than a day, but it depends on if I am enjoying it. If a book is about 486 pages and I am skimming half of it, than I will get it done in the same day. I usually don't do that, I like to wait a day, before I start reading the next chapter. It all depends on the book I am reading and whether or not I am enjoying it.

Good question:)

I did ok on the first test 238 WPM with 73% comprehension but horribly on the second 200-250 wpm but 33% comprehension. But I must say that it's hard to compare results with only 3 questions vs 11 from the first test. A lot also depends on the subject matter.

I usually read a (300-400 page book a day and remember well enough what happens (at least for a day or two) then I promptly forget as I'm well into the next book by then.

My reading speed seems consistent on both tests. 500-55o wpm on the first and 507 wpm on the second. But I received 50% comprehension (possibly because my mind glazes over on reading speeches) while I received 83% comprehension on the second.

I guess, on an average, I can finish a 400 page book in 4-5 hours, if undisturbed.

You read between 850 - 900 words per minute. Virtual Speed Reader. (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.

My Reading Speed is Between 100-150 words per Minute on both test. The first I got a score of 119wpm with a Comprehension was 64%. On the second Test I got 100-150 wpm with 50% Comprehension.

Yeah, I am a super slow reader. I only took the first test but I got a 140 wpm with 91% accuracy. In my defense, I have always found stuff like that hard to read and boring. If they had given us a few paragraphs of fiction, my score might have been a tad bit higher. But I am naturally SLOW. I would say it takes me 3 minutes to read a page of most books. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter depending on what I am reading, the font, the spacing, etc.

While I did both tests at a similar word count (550-600), my comprehension varied between 82 and 60%.
But I have to be honest, I think neither test is suitable for fiction.
While the first one contained formulas that I tried to work out (which slowed down my reading speed), the second comprehension test is less about comprehension and more about remembering abstract rhetorics.
I also looked for a German test, and there I got up to 700 wpm, with about the same comprehension.

I would guess that I can read about 200-300 pages of normal books every day (only a little bit more if it would be in German), without feeling terribly stressed. More when a read-a-thon is on, but thank god those don't last forever!

I don't really have any interest in taking the tests, but fiction I read a little over a page a minute unless the font is really large. Non-fiction takes me longer, plus I usually don't finish it in one go--I need to digest the information in smaller chunks.

I'm generally a fast reader but it does depend on the book.

The first test I got 783 wpm with 82% comprehension.

I don't think the tests suggest much in terms of fiction reading as I tend to take more time over that because I enjoy it whereas if I'm reading textbooks, I've developed my ability to read a lot quickly and take in important information.

First: 113 wpm with 99% comprehension
Second: 100-150 wpm

So both of mine were basically the same. I don't really need a test to tell me I'm a slow reader though I've always known that. That is the one this that actually affects me from being dyslexic. But I think because I am such a slow reader I always understand what i'm reading better.

First: I did 636wpm with 8/11 answers right (73%)

Second: 500wpm once I subtracted the comprehension test mistakes (although the comprehension consisted in reciting words from the text rather than understanding it..)

However I think that when I'm caught up in a novel I tend to read faster - a regular MMP (about 300-350p) takes me about 2-3 hours...

This is interesting! It has never occurred to me to measure my reading rate. I'm sure when I'm reading a book I'm really interested in I read quicker to get to the climax. I'm also very sure that a) I care little about how quickly I read and b) I get through very little when reading late at night (in between dozing). :-) I might do the tests, just for fun, though.

On the first test, I was 492 @ 91% comprehension.

Second test was between 450-500 wpm with 80% comprehension.

I can finish a 300 page novel in an afternoon if I'm not interrupted.

traditional Western learning, elementary school teachers instruct you to read one word at a time, sounding out each letter or syllable to reinforce enunciation. Even if you didn’t read out loud, you may have vocalized in your head, a strategy that, while helping you pronounce words and complete reading assignments successfully, can be one of the leading causing of slower reading for adults. Speed Reading Techniques (speedreadinfo.com) allow you to disengage from these types of unconscious reading habits and introduces new practices that can change the way you view and process reading materials.

I read anywhere between 450 and 630 wpm depending on the difficulty of the text; but my comprehension rate is really low, around 45% to 50%.
I tend to blitz through books in a matter of days but I often find myself rereading them later because I don't remember all of the details.

Mine is 144 wpm and comprehension was 64%.

I have always read like the description above,
every word ... one at a time. Didn't know there
was another way.

My comprehension has gone way down since
I have had to take so much medication and speed
as well.

I do think I may try to learn to read somewhat faster,
maybe checkout a computer speed reading site.

Thanks for posting this.

I got an e-reader this summer and I can't believe how much slower I read on that than an actual paper book. A 400 page hard cover book from the library takes me about 2 hours to read. The same book on my e-reader takes more like 6 hours, maybe more. I put it down and walk away to do something else more often too, whereas a paper book in one sitting is easy. But I live in the middle of nowhere and my library doesn't stock the fantasy, sci-fi and non-fiction I like, so the e-reader stays until I win the lottery and can buy hard cover copies of everything I want. :D

I read faster on an e reader than a hard copy book.