Boost Your Reading Speed for Online Examinations: Techniques and Tips

Efficiently managing time during an online examination, especially for exams like the CAT (Common Admission Test), requires a sharp and effective reading skill. Given the tight time constraints, it is crucial to improve your reading speed and comprehension. This article will provide you with a strategic approach to enhancing your reading speed, making your way through passages more efficiently, and saving precious time.

Understanding Your Reading Speed

For an average text such as a passage from a GMAT, a newspaper journal, or the CAT exam, a speed between 700-1000 words is typical. Accommodating approximately 4-5 questions, you have around 12-16 questions to answer within 30 minutes. This means just 1.2 minutes per question, making each reading comprehension (RC) passage consume a significant portion of your allotted time. With a total of 34 verbal questions to answer within 60 minutes, enhancing your reading speed can be a game-changer.

Improving Your Reading Speed

Improving your reading speed is non-negotiable for success in such exams. However, a novice reader typically struggles with a mere 120-150 words per minute. To diagnose your reading speed, use a stopwatch to time yourself reading a passage of 700-1200 words. You should aim to complete this within 6 minutes. After reading, revisit the passage and questions. This process often consumes a significant amount of time, leaving you with only 2-3 passages to read in 30 minutes.

Making Reading More Efficient

To improve your reading speed, it is essential to break some bad reading habits:

Bad Reading Habits

Common reading habits that slow you down include:

Reading with your lips or tongue, which can make your brain "hear" the words you are reading. Thinking about unrelated things while reading. Trusting your comprehension and repeatedly returning to already read passages.

These habits can severely hinder your speed. Here are strategies to overcome them:

Tips to Overcome Bad Habits

Chewing a Gum or Using a Piece of Wood/Erasers: Try chewing gum or placing a piece of wood or eraser between your teeth while reading to break the habit of lip reading. Consistent Reading: Overcome the speech habit by focusing on consistent reading. Try reading a passage backward or reverse reading some parts while keeping the completed section closed. Single Passage Completion: If you find yourself naturally returning to previous parts of the text, complete the current passage first and then go back to review it. Eye Span and Perception: Improving your eye span so you can focus on 4-5 words at a time instead of just the first word of a sentence. Pay attention to the middle of the sentence rather than the beginning.

Focus on the First Month

The first month should be dedicated to enhancing your reading speed and addressing bad habits like inner speech and vocalization, as well as unnecessary regressions. You should aim to have at least 45 minutes of reading exercise every day. Set clear goals and measure your progress to ensure sustained improvement.

Improving Eye Span and Perception

Developing a broader eye span is critical for quicker passage reading. Focus on reading groups of words rather than individual words. This technique helps you comprehend larger chunks of text with less effort. Consistent practice will help you achieve better comprehension and faster reading.

Conclusion

Improving your reading speed for online examinations like the CAT requires effort and consistent practice. By addressing bad habits and focusing on techniques to enhance your speed, you can save valuable time and boost your performance. Start today with these strategies and see the difference they can make in your preparation process.

Stay tuned for our next post, where we will cover comprehension techniques and other valuable tips. Follow us for more such concepts and strategies to help you prepare effectively for the CAT and other competitive exams.