Anyone can read quickly, believe it or not. Are you a speed reader? What about when it comes to textbooks?
I get it. Textbooks are far from light and easy to read. They’re full of pages of seemingly uninteresting details that suck the joy out of life.
But what if I were to tell you that it’s possible to read textbooks just as quickly as you would a cookbook?
The methods I’m going to share with you are actionable and practical. Put these tips into practice, and you’ll put textbooks away by volume.
Sit back, put on those reading glasses, and stay glued to my guide on speed-reading textbooks!
Begin With the Learning Objectives
Stephen Covey once said: “Begin with the end in mind.”
It’s true in life, and it’s also applicable when you speed read textbooks. One way to apply Covey’s advice to become a “highly effective reader” is by beginning with a chapter’s learning objectives — if your textbooks have them.
Most textbooks will have chapters with things you’re expected to learn. These pieces of information you’re supposed to learn are the learning objectives. The learning objectives will usually contain questions about the chapter.
Write down the learning objectives and the questions. After that, read them consistently or keep them somewhere visible.
With the learning objectives visible, you’ll better understand what to pay attention to and what to ignore. Right away, this targeted approach helps you read faster. Most importantly, you read in a way that you retain only what you’re supposed to get out of a textbook’s chapter.
Scan the Words Instead of Reading Them in Your Head (or Aloud)
Did you know the average person reads anywhere from 250 to 450 words? Right down the middle, that’s about 300 words on average.
What does this mean for you?
It means that you can read no more than 300 words out loud unless you’re already a speed reader. Because you’re limited to about 300 words verbally, you’ll also read silently at the same pace.
At this pace, reading verbally will get you through a page or two. But a whole textbook? It’s unlikely.
What do you do? The best alternative would be to stop reading and start scanning.
Scanning allows you to browse sentences and retain the main information at the paragraph level. By clearing paragraphs, you’ll not only equip yourself with a chapter’s general information. You’ll also slash your reading time.
If you’re having difficulty scanning because your eyes get side-tracked, read on for my next speed-reading tip.
Trace Sentences With Your Finger or a Pointer
I got this speed-reading tip from Mark Manson.
Trace every line you’re reading using your finger or a pointed object like your pen. Doing this lets you speed read textbooks by giving your eyes something to focus on as you read.
Let me explain.
Surrounding the eyes are a group of muscles. The oculomotor nerve controls these muscles.
Your oculomotor nerve innervates your eye’s major muscles — including the ones responsible for moving your eyeballs side-to-side.
If left to its own devices, the nerve allows the eyes to fixate on multiple things in their fields of vision. This is why it takes little effort to let your eyes wander versus focusing on one object at a time.
Whenever you read, your eyes fixate on multiple parts of the page, slowing you down. However, with a focal point like your finger or pen, the eyes stay glued to it longer — long enough for you to mentally absorb what’s in the field of vision.
When reading, trace the lines, you’re reading as you scan. This will direct your focus, improve retention, and help you clear a page faster.
This technique works amazingly well when you have the luxury of time. However, what do you do when you only have a night or a few hours? Read on for my speed-reading tip for time-crunched situations.
Look at Multiple Words in a Line
As mentioned earlier, you don’t have to read each word out loud or in your head. I’ll even say that you don’t need to read each word. Instead, read faster by “chunking” your words.
Chunking involves looking at multiple words within a sentence. Doing this allows you to get through the sentence faster without having to fixate on every word.
Doing this is a skill in and of itself. To practice, start small. Start with just a handful of words. Over time, your “chunking” skill will develop. Before you know it, you’ll be eyeballing sentences and even short paragraphs in record time.
Of course, one tool in your speed-reading arsenal will help with chunking. You should improve it if you want to breeze through your textbooks in record time.
What’s this skill? Read on to my next speed-reading tip.
Beef Up Your Vocabulary
Have you ever stopped reading halfway because of an unfamiliar word? If you have, you’ll agree that it slowed your reading down significantly. The word may have even discouraged you from reading the sentence or paragraph.
There’s nothing wrong with skipping unfamiliar words. I’ll talk about this in the next section. However, if you want to read textbooks quickly and maximize your retention, you’ll want to understand as much of your reading as possible.
A broad vocabulary lets you comprehend as much of a text as possible. Most importantly, you’ll read faster since you’ll be hesitating less over new words.
Now, I’m not saying you memorize the entire dictionary. However, you can broaden your vocabulary by exposing yourself to many written materials.
Every time you encounter a new word, write it down, look it up, and remember it. For extra credit, try using it in a conversation.
The more times you do this, the more words you learn. The more words you know, the more of a text you can easily scan and chunk.
Now, it’s normal to encounter new words when you speed-read textbooks, but what do you do when you’re short on time?
Sometimes, you have to take a bird’s-eye-view of a text. This brings us to the next speed-reading tip.
When Short on Time, Skip a Bit
It’s easy to fall into the trap of having to know what new words mean. It’s a good idea to broaden your vocabulary by looking up unfamiliar words. I advise it, as I’ve mentioned in the previous tip.
However, time won’t always be an abundant resource. When you’re looking to retain quick information for an upcoming test, it’s better to skip unfamiliar words and sentences — at least for now.
Take notes of new words and phrases by marking them or putting notes next to them. This way, you can get back to them when you’ve got the time to find out what they mean.
Bonus Tip: Practice!
The tips I’ve shared here will slash your reading time significantly as soon as you implement them. Nonetheless, I leave you with this one final tip.
The ability to speed-read textbooks for maximum retention is a skill. Like any skill, repetition and deliberate practice are the only way to get better. Try it out!
FAQs:
What is the average speed to read a textbook?
Generally, readers are capable of reading 200 to 400 words per minute. However, keep in mind that there is no specific average speed for reading a textbook because it depends on the person’s reading skills, the textbook type, and the text’s specific complexity.
How can I speed up reading a textbook?
You can speed up reading a textbook by:
1. Focusing on the learning objectives of the chapter from the very start
2. Scanning the words instead of reading them aloud
3. Tracing sentences with your finger
4. Going through sentences in a chunk
Which is the best book for speed reading?
There is no one specific best book for speed reading. However, some books that have gained significant attention are: “Breakthrough Rapid Reading” by Peter Kump and “The Speed Reading Book” by Tony Buzan.
How can I read textbooks faster online?
The same techniques for speed reading a printed book can be applied to reading textbooks online. Start with the learning objectives, scan the words, trace sentences, and read sentences in chunks.
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettnelson/2012/06/04/do-you-read-fast-enough-to-be-successful/?sh=6aa4d43f462e
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ2Lvi9kG2Q
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-ways-increase-your-reading-speed.html