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How to Time My Reading Speed

Everyone can read. However, not everyone reads at the same rate. Reading speed or rate is how many words you read per minute. Usually a college student's reading speed is from 250 to 350 words per minute. And even though optimum reading speed is from 500 to 700 words per minute, there are some people that can read up to 1000 words per minute and more.

Some factors that can inhibit your reading speed are word-by-word reading, vocalization or reading aloud, lack of concentration, regression or re-reading, trying to remember every detail instead of the most important ones, unfamiliar terminology, technical material and more.

Things You'll Need

Stopwatch or timer
Pencil or pen
Book

Instructions

Preparation
- 1
  Take a book you want to practice with, open it and put it on the table. It is best not to choose a detailed, teachnical book for practice.
- 2
  Count the number of words in five lines and then divide this number by five. You will get the average number of words per line. Round the number up if necessary.
- 3
  Calculate the number of lines on five pages and divide this number by five. You will get the average number of lines per page. If the number is not whole, also round it up.
- 4
  Multiply the average number of lines per page by the average number of words per line to get the average number of words per page. Also round the number up if necessary.
- 5
  Mark the beginning of your reading with a pencil or a pen.
Testing
- 6
  Set your stopwatch or timer for exactly one minute.
- 7
  Read for one minute from the line that you marked as the beginning of your reading. Do not try to read faster than usual. Try to retain the same speed and comprehension as always.
- 8
  Stop the timer after one minute and mark the word where you stopped with a pencil or a pen.
- 9
  Count the number of lines you have read.
- 10
  Multiply this number by the number of words per line to get your current reading speed per minute.

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