The Sword and Laser discussion

Link:
http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/market...

If you read at a normal speed the test is useful.
It'll give you a rough idea how long its going to take you to get through a book. You you can also work backwards. e.g.If you know how long your trip is
(say an airline flight) you can look for a novel that's around the right length.
A rule of thumb- 350 words per paperback page. 250 for a regular book.

I got 315 words per minute.

403 wpm, but I know people who go through books at twice the rate I do.

I vary a lot. I know reading at work night shift I'm a lot slower than during the day.

Apparently 478 wpm but it depends on what I'm reading. That sample is pretty basic. Interesting though.

476 wpm, but that was a very easy read. I'm not nearly that fast with most things.

351 wpm. But it's first thing in the morning and I'm fairly alert (no coffee yet though LOL!) and the light is good. Late at night I'd expect much less.

Mm, I'm not sure that's an entirely fair test. For one, I'm reading it on a laptop and had to scroll, which means I'm faffing about looking for buttons and that obviously changes the timing. Secondly the passage was one I already knew (from Alice in Wonderland, which I read recently and several times previously) so I could answer the questions easily without paying any attention.

I did a couple of these things last year at http://www.readingsoft.com/ and http://www.turboread.com/read_checks.htm - have a go and compare the results. I can't remember the exact scores I got now but they were pretty high, I've always read quickly.

Caroline wrote: "the passage was one I already knew (from Alice in Wonderland"

They must randomise the reading material. I got a passage from "War of the Worlds"

749 wpm, but im the fastest reader i know, and in fact, i read like an old teletype, left to right for the first line, right to left for the second line, then back to left to right for the third line

My ability to read so fast is why i dont do audiobooks, because they read too slow

Err, I got 186 and failed all the questions.

Ok 296 and all questions right for alice in wonderland, but I guessed one.

I usually read 30 pages an hour unless it's a really easy book.

595 words per minute but it ranks me below college professors, which I AM, so now I just feel inadequate. Sigh. And yes, that's reading, not skimming, since I got the answers right. :P

I got 719 wpm on that test which also explains why Audio Books are an elaborate torture device my 'friend' uses to torment me with.

You guys know you can speed up audio books right?

I believe I can read as a fast as an audiobook at 2x speed, which actually seems to be 1.5x speed on an iphone, so divide audiobook time by 1.5 and that's usually my reading speed. So if the Stand (new doublestuff version) is 45 hours, reading time is probably 30 hours. I usually calculate my reading time after the 1st 20 minutes, and keep track of my current page in simplenoteapp.

Jenny wrote: "You guys know you can speed up audio books right?"

To get them at a level that would be comparable I would have to turn them into the critter from Hoodwinked. :)

I think in print, I get into a pattern of knowing what to actually read and what to gloss over. Impossible in audio. But I'd still rather listen to audiobooks when I can't be reading (like when I drive or clean) than not!

Yeah, I've taken that test (and others) before and gotten between 750 and 850 wpm most times. But I love audiobooks too, mainly for rereading favorites during work or driving or cleaning.

I scored 742 wpm, but I know that my reading speed varies dramatically with content and my own energy level.

I also think it varies based on how much you like (or interested in) what you are reading. I took the test twice. I got 275 war of the worlds and 600 wiz of oz.

Thanks. That gave me a rough idea.
I know everyone is different. I'm just tying to get a rough idea .
So for a large group of people say around a page a minute.
7 hours a book.
With each person adjusting for their own speed.

i got 884 wpm (which cant be right)

I only scored 391 for War of the Worlds and 432 for Alice which makes me a bit above average. Answered all the questions correctly though.

Left me wondering where they got their scoring comparisons.

It's not race; there are no prizes for the person who dies having read the most books or read them the quickest.

Personally, I like to take my time so I can become engrossed by the text. I would consider myself a delibrately slow reader.

Jenny wrote: "I think in print, I get into a pattern of knowing what to actually read and what to gloss over.

Ditto here. I'm slow starting out, when I don't know the people or the setting (so I have to pay extra attention). Once I do, though, I'm much faster.

AndrewP wrote: "I only scored 391 for War of the Worlds and 432 for Alice which makes me a bit above average. Answered all the questions correctly though.

Left me wondering where they got their scoring comparisons."

Agreed!

I think there's something to be said for changing pace based on the book and the circumstances. I'd guess people's scores vary greatly depending on genre, setting, familiarity with the characters, and especially why they're reading. I know I go through, say, a Sookie Stackhouse novel, much much faster than I do a book for work or school or something like that. And 'comprehension' varies too... sometimes it matters whether you remember names, dates, places, and specific facts... and sometimes it just doesn't.

In regards to the scoring comparisions, I do wonder whether there is a correlation between reading speed and occupation, etc. not because reading faster necessarily indicates brain power or anything like that, but just because someone like a college professor, especially in the humanities and other similar fields, has to consume so much of the written word. People who read faster may just end up being more likely to choose to do that for a living. I know plenty of people in academia who read much more slowly than I do, though, and they do just fine.

I got 302, which is slow, but then again, I knew I was a slow reader. Part of it is intentional, because I really want to absorb myself in what I'm reading, but I also know that I've always been a slower reader :)

I read faster on things that draw me in and slower on things that don't interest me. I think I am slowing down though as six books a day in my younger days was the average while in my middle age it has gotten a lot less mainly because I'm involved a lot more in other things and because finding new books that interest me has become a lot harder.

re: the scoring comparisons: keep in mind it looked like at least 2 of these sites were from people selling speed reading courses. not that it makes the words per minute any less valid, but they do have a vested interest in making people feel they aren't reading fast enough! by all means, have fun with the tests, see where you score, but remember as long as you're loving it, there's no wrong speed to read!

Yes. I simply wanted a rough idea of reading speeds. It looks like the "average" would be 7-8 hours a book. So a book a month is more then reasonable. I wasn't looking for the high score.

Kristen wrote: "I got 302, which is slow, but then again, I knew I was a slow reader. Part of it is intentional, because I really want to absorb myself in what I'm reading, but I also know that I've always been a ..."

That is about what I got. I've always been a little slow. No matter.

Did the test twice, got 290-310 wpm. That's not fast, but since english isn't my first language I'm ok with that. Also it's a speed where I actually know what's going on. I tried speedreading, and it worked fine for the second reading of a text (for studying) but when i do it for a first read I miss to much.

Hmm, at 178 wpm, I seem to be the slowest here so far, but the 'light' effect on the 'ebook reader' was very distracting, plus I'm tired and reading on a netbook. I mean, I'm a terribly slow reader anyway, but such things also have an effect, I feel, not that it matters. :P

I'd rather read slowly though, in most cases, as I feel like I'm not enjoying a book if I try to rush through it.

I got 504 :-) but for me the speed varies, depending on what I'm reading.

I'd better not post an article about highway speeds
otherwise people will begin posting their high scores.

http://trafficwaves.org/

326 for Alice.
1,071 for Dorothy.
672 for WoW

Reading speed: It's not consistent.

I know it's supposed to be for entertainment purposes, but I think it's the test that isn't consistent or accurate; maybe the samples aren't long enough? I agree that people read different things at different speeds but I don't think it should vary that much. There was roughly a 500wpm gap between my slowest and fastest time, but I'm pretty sure my reading speed is more consistent than that.

I'm not sure about this test. I got 323 WPM. I'm a very slow reader.

Tom wrote: "I'm not sure about this test. I got 323 WPM. I'm a very slow reader."

What? You don't trust an intellectual assessment from someone
wearing a red shirt and a name tag that reads:
Hi! My name is Bob".

Dharmakirti wrote: "It's not race; there are no prizes for the person who dies having read the most books or read them the quickest.

Personally, I like to take my time so I can become engrossed by the text. I woul..."

I know what you mean.

If you sit down to 5 star meal, do you gobble it down in 3 bites, belch loudly, and say "what's for afters?"

Random wrote: "If you sit down to 5 star meal, do you gobble it down in 3 bites, belch loudly, and say "what's for afters?""

You do when they give those ridiculous, minuscule portions.

I am no speed reader, that's for sure.

Even when reading in my head to myself, I read at the speed that it would be coming out of my mouth were I reading aloud, character voices, sound effects, songs sung, etc.

Its ironic to use that analogy as I would go buy a book before I would go eat Sunday lunch to make certain I slow down enough so I could enjoy eating while I read my book.

Damn, now I feel kind of lame. I got 285 words per minute..... LOL. It took me two tries to get the questions right.

You know.. That reminded me of taking my ACT's. I blew away the math and science ones.. But reading comprehension? I didn't have enough time to finish it all and couldn't answer any of the questions. Lol.. I love reading.. I'm just a slow and steady kind of reader.

But hey... It at least says I'm 14% faster than average! That just happens to be 2,000% slower than y'all :P

Ummm.. And then I did Wizard of Oz... And got 615 :P


What now reading test? You just got owned.

263 WPM. I've always said I'm a slow(er) reader, I think this is proof! I like to ensure I never miss a word or thought.

I've read the first few Pierre Peviel books.
They were written in French then translated.
As a result the sentence structure is "different."
I have to slow my pace considerable.I enjoy the books,
it just mean that its going to take me a bit longer.
I just finished another book translated from Japanese.
I went through that one fast and also enjoyed it.
Just highlighting that speed and quality aren't related.

I happily came in at 481 wpm and that was with the local news on the tv as well. I do worry sometimes about what. I may be missing though.

A library book has been returned to Navan library in the Republic of Ireland ... 80 years late.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern...