How to Increase Reading Speed?

I was eager to contribute when the editor approached me to write about How to Increase Reading Speed? My goal is to spread awareness about the importance of reading and provide tips to improve reading speed. In this piece, I will discuss the significance of reading in the Verbal Reasoning segment of exams like the CAT and offer suggestions to overcome common hurdles. Here, we will discuss some points about How to Increase Reading Speed.

Developing Speed through Effective Reading:

Improving reading speed requires familiarity and comfort with reading itself. Focus on understanding what you read, which will naturally increase speed. Here are some suggestions to help you tackle common obstacles:

1. Inadequate vocabulary:

Don’t let unfamiliar words discourage you. Instead, use a good dictionary to look up the meanings of unknown words. Once you understand the word’s definition, place it back into the sentence to confirm your comprehension of the context.

2. Lack of familiarity with grammatical tools:

Regular and careful reading will help you recognize parts of speech and grammatical tools. Break down complex sentences into main clauses and subordinates to better understand their structure and relationship.

3. Inability to establish links between ideas:

Pay attention to connectors such as “consequently,” “although,” and “similarly” while reading. These words and phrases indicate how ideas are connected. Context is crucial, as it helps you understand the importance of each idea and its place within the overall flow.

4. Tedious reading:

Train your mind to anticipate thought groups within a context rather than reading word by word. For example, when reading about a room, prepositions like “on the floor,” “by the door,” and “in the corner” can be easily recognized and understood within that specific context.

Pay Attention to Style and Tone:

In addition to improving comprehension, it’s essential to focus on the style and tone of a piece of writing. The style refers to the way ideas are organized and connected, giving insights into the author’s purpose. Tone reveals the author’s attitude towards the subject. Understanding style and tone helps you see the content from the author’s perspective and enhances comprehension.

Identifying the Organization of Content:

Develop familiarity with identifying the organization or “physical structure” of the passages you read. Typically, any essay or article consists of a Central Idea (or Theme or Focus) comprised of several key ideas presented in a specific sequence. Supporting features such as incidental ideas, examples, quotations, and repeated ideas may embellish the key ideas. The idea-flow, or the sequence of presentation of the essentials and supporting features, delivers the Central Idea effectively.

Active Reading for Critical Analysis:

In exams, questions often require critical analysis and inference-based answers. This skill, active reading or critical reading, involves understanding the lines and the author’s purpose and attitude. Reflect on what each line accomplishes in its paragraph and overall, and then analyze the text as a whole to draw meaningful inferences.