Does a Speed Reading Test Make Sense?

Do speed and words per minutes matter? 4 Speed Reading Tests

One activity most speed reading courses will ask you to do is to run a speed reading test. Doing those tests can be a hassle; at least I didn’t like them. After running such a test a few years ago, I knew I was only an average reader with average comprehension and several bad reading habits.

Since then, I have tested my skills various times seeing good improvements. However, compared to earlier times I do not really mind the numbers anymore. Trust in my skills is more important than words per minute. So, is a speed reading test actually worth its time? And, which tests are actually useful? We will see below.

Speed Reading Test – Benefits

Good Start – Running a test to determine how fast you read is definitely a good starting point to increase your overall reading performance. You will know how many words you read per minute and how much information you could gather at this pace.

Type of Reader – A speed reading test will allow you to classify what type of reader you are, whether you are a slow, average or good reader, or what your retention level is. Being labeled as slow or average can be frustrating, though most readers are average ones anyway, achieving 250-300 words per minute for non-fiction material.

These ranges will drop significantly once your deal with more complex content, so it is important to not compare apples and oranges here. However, the benefit is that you will know where you are and which areas to improve on. Cold water.

What’s the twist? – At this stage, however, the twist might start. It’s too easy to keep focusing on numbers and speed rates, and ignore intuition. I therefore wouldn’t take speed reading tests too seriously. Testing may be good for evaluation, but it’s less important for improving literacy skills. Trust in your abilities, the right method is.

Keeping focus – The word speed can be misleading. Certainly, to read faster is a priority goal, but so is a high comprehension and retention. Why? Simply remove the word ‘speed‘ from this phrase to see what’s left: ‘reading strategies’. Pace will naturally increase by mastering these strategies, e.g. reading word chunks, previewing or hand pacing or. Practice and apply them daily and you will soon gain confidence in them.

Take it easy – As mentioned above, a speed reading test will provide data on average wpm ranges. Its result does not apply to all kind of texts. I do entertaining content much faster than a text having a more science based background. Latter one can slow you down to as little as 150 words per minute to maintain a good retention.

Just a number – Although a pace of 1,000 words per minute might be achievable, it is just a number you would end up hunting for. Just a number! A way more interesting skill would be learning to visualize material, which will also increase your performance. Once you’ve mastered this skill, speed reading tests aren’t that important anymore. You simply know that you are fast, and can recall all the content.

Keep in mind – An online speed reading test may deliver slower results than testing with books or print-outs. Above mentioned strategies or skimming and scanning simply work less efficient here. Using books or print outs allow you to use tactile senses too. It’s easier to flip through a book or use your fingers to adjust your focus stops.

4 Speed Reading Tests – Websites

So, which is a popular speed reading test that give you enough value and information? If you search the term online you will find a myriad of tests. Some of them are very simple, some include comprehension tests and additional settings such as font-size or different levels of complexity in regards to the material. I found the following four tests to be useful. Feel free to suggest other ones in the comments below.

1. WallStreetJournal Speed Reading Test

The WSJ online speed reading test (run test) lets you evaluate and improve your reading pace. It’s clean, modern and user friendly. However, there aren’t many settings to customize the test.

On the main page, click the Play button to start the test and follow instructions. You will be asked to read a text passage. Once you have finished reading and stopped the test you will be forwarded to a result page that displays your test score.

The test also includes a comprehension quiz in form of multiple choice questions. Look at the questions on the test page and answer them. Once finished you will know your overall performance and quiz score.

The WSJ speed reading test offers further tips to teach users more about the topic and to boost your test score. Three performance tips will be displayed on the screen. Each tip will direct you to a separate page with more information. One handy feature is that you can restart a new round of testing from any of these pages using the tips.

You will need to read some text again, and once you have finished it you can see the score of your first test and — for example — using the subvocalize tip (second test). Answer the quiz afterwards to get an updated test result showing all attempts.

2. FreeReadingTest.com

This speed reading test (run test) lets you create your own, personalized comprehension passage. On the test page you will find three categories to set various options: Theme, Text Complexity and Story. Choose any you like to adjust the test to your needs, then hit the Begin button.

The ‘Theme’ category includes topics ranging from American history, earth and space science, famous people or fun facts. The ‘Text Complexity Level’ allows you to lower or raise the text complexity ranging from 01 to 13. Within each category you can choose from different stories to add some variety to your test.

After reading, proceed to the comprehension test and answer the questions. Use the ‘Cancel’ button to go back to the previous page if you wish to reset any test options. Once done, click the ‘View Test Result’ button and check your pace and retention.

3. Staples Speed Reading Test

A great feature of the Staples speed reading test (run test) is that you can compare your own results/pace with the national average. Before you start, notice the little setting wheel in the top right corner which lets you adjust basic test options and preferences.

When ready click the ‘Start’ button. Go through the text at your own pace, try not to skim it. Click the ‘Finish’ button. The screen will direct you to a test page. Press on ‘Go To Result’ to view your test score. You will see your current performance (words per minute) and your position compared on a national average level. Below is also an infographic explaining words per minute and respective grades.

Another great gimmick is the total time (in hours and minutes) you would actually take to complete various classic books such as War and Peace, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone or The Lord of the Rings at your current pace.

Wanna challenge your friends? On the last page you will also find sharing buttons for the major social networks. This is probably the best speed reading test when it comes to having fun. It also takes away the pressure.

4. MySpeedRead Test

At MyReadSpeed.com (run test) you can do both take a test and read some of the best classic books absolutely free. To take the test, click on the green ‘Calculate Your Reading Speed’ tab. Select any of the ten classic books from the drop down menu. Customize font and line spacing to match your comfort level. Then click on the ‘Start Recording’ tab.

Read the text at your normal pace. Your pace will be calculated in wpm. Similar to Staples, the total days to read each of the classic books will be displayed too.

As said, you can choose from a range of classic books to read them at no extra cost. All you need to do is choose the book, select the time, days and how long you would like to read it. You will get to read the book in installments based on your chosen time and days. Not sure if that’s suitable enough, but it’s certainly worth a try.

Does a Speed Reading Test Make Sense? – Verdict

Testing really depends on one’s personality. Some people like tests in order to know where they stand, others passionately dislike them. There are, however, quite a few benefits to run a speed reading test at least once as it will show you what words per minute actually mean and what the correlation between pace and comprehension is.

The four speed reading tests mentioned above offer interesting customization, tips or useful stats. Choose any of them and let me know what you think of them. Keep in mind that concentration on the material in front of you is key to achieve a high performances. That applies to tests as well.

 
Alternative – One test we have not mentioned yet is the one offered by Illumine. You can test both pace and comprehension, the latter through a multiple choice quiz. This is a good alternative to the ones above, and also puts your test result into perspective tho the national average, the U.K. namely here.

Note: There are many tests out there that have not been updated over the last few years. They certainly work well but often lack the follow-up assessment to test comprehension. I recommend to ignore any speed reading test that does not offer some form of multiple-choice afterwards.

How to do a manual speed reading test?

Choose material – First decide on the type of text. To assess your average pace choose material containing an easy to understand topic. Count the words. Start the time. Read the text. Stop the time. Divide the total words by time in minutes. The test result is your average wpm.

Retention test – Prepare your test questions ahead, however, it is better to let someone else do that in order to avoid tricking yourself. Choose 10-15 test questions.
Formula: Number of correct questions x 100 / number of total questions.
Example: 10 x 100 / 14 = 71.42%.

Variations – There are some tweaks you can apply to test what you can recall when skimming through a text. Rather than focusing on pace alone these methods would boost your skills to extract data quickly. Try a speed reading test to skim for names, numbers, key facts, trigger words and jot down the most important learning outcome in one paragraph. Stop the time. Can you ingrain the knowledge immediately?

Resources: Tackle Bad Reading Habits

Have you done a speed reading test? Which one do you recommend? Feel free to share your wpm in the comments or any obstacles you have experienced.