Recommended reading speed?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

shaq786

Senior Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2004
Messages
366
Reaction score
0
Points
0
what is the recommended reading speed in words per minute on the mcat?

I heard 300wpm from one place but im only 120wpm lol.
 
shaq786 said:
what is the recommended reading speed in words per minute on the mcat?

I heard 300wpm from one place but im only 120wpm lol.

Jesus Christ you people are anal retentive.
 
seriously, youre insane. your reading speed wont change anything, it wont help your finish faster.

the time you save of VR is from understanding the passage the first time.
 
shaq786 said:
what is the recommended reading speed in words per minute on the mcat?

I heard 300wpm from one place but im only 120wpm lol.

um, i don't know, fast? you figured out your reading speed in WPM?!
 
velocypedalist said:
um, i don't know, fast? you figured out your reading speed in WPM?!

Yea they have programs out there, your reading speed varys depending on what your reading, but you can also just time your self on an mcat passage and thats the more accurate reading speed.

But just like someone said b4...i guess you just have to read it once but make sure you understand it...but im still trying to improve that speed to atleast a little bit so i dont have to finish at the last second of the verbal test.
 
haha my reading speed is 288 wpm. :laugh: I hardly ever read. I just started reading alot this month, ofcourse the mcat is still a long time(2+years) away for me.... Maybe there's hope for me yet.
 
i think ..(this varies) personally for me mapping is VERY usefull so is annoting the passage in my words when it gets hazy because for me if i dont get it i stop paying attention and waste more time re-reading when i get to the questions
but like an prior poster said u may not want to map ...i mean this is so varied because u haveto use the technique thats good for YOU and that may or may not work for anyone else...basically pratcice your own thing so by test day you have an idea on how u work best at attcking the passage...
 
DieselPetrolGrl said:
2+ yrs
omg !
2 years before this i was..i dont know but i didnt even think of the mcat..jebus u kids these days 😉


jesus you elders these days. 😉

Am i an overzealous freshman? Of course 😀
 
I gave my mom the verbal reasoning portion of the exam because she reads approx 1400 words per minute she finished in about 25 minutes and scored higher than me. Of course I barely finish. It sucks when your mom kicks your butt on the MCAT. 😱
 
shaq786 said:
1400 wpm??? thats crazy...I dont know how people do it.
I asked her the samething. How do you do that and why didn't I get that gene. She says she reads groups or lines of words all at one time. I still don't know how you can do that. MOM please teach me! 😳
 
Skoundrel said:
I asked her the samething. How do you do that and why didn't I get that gene. She says she reads groups or lines of words all at one time. I still don't know how you can do that. MOM please teach me! 😳

Hey it is possible, but its hard to do. Last month I searched google for a speed reading program as well as download.com, they make you practice by reading 1 phrase at a time and the phrases get larger and larger as you get more experienced. I practiced that every day but it wasnt helping so I put the program away. Soon after, I also started reading certain types of material thats easier to digest by phrases at a time instead of words at a time. Then I realized why those speed reading programs made me read phrases at a time. So I think it took a little while for the effects to kick in.

I still have to try it out on the mcat. But of coarse some passages are complex like h**l so that does slow me down quite a bit.

hope that helps.
 
Skoundrel said:
I gave my mom the verbal reasoning portion of the exam because she reads approx 1400 words per minute she finished in about 25 minutes and scored higher than me. Of course I barely finish. It sucks when your mom kicks your butt on the MCAT. 😱


well does she read alot? I believe that your reading speed depends on whether you read alot. That's why i'm trying to start reading. 🙂
 
Some people are natural speed readers. Most people, like me, couldn't read that fast without a lot of specialized training. Your reading speed won't change dramatically if you read a lot, assuming you start off with average speed.
 
silkworm said:
Some people are natural speed readers. Most people, like me, couldn't read that fast without a lot of specialized training. Your reading speed won't change dramatically if you read a lot, assuming you start off with average speed.


it won't change dramatically but it will still help.
 
The required reading speed is actually determined by a formula and is unique to each tester.

x = number of words in verbal passages
y = number of minutes needed to read questions
z = number of minutes needed to answer questions and bubble
% comprehension = amount of passage understood and retained in short term memory, expressed as a decimal value

x/(% comprehension)(85-y-z) = required wpm
 
hnbui said:
well does she read alot? I believe that your reading speed depends on whether you read alot. That's why i'm trying to start reading. 🙂
She reads all the time. Even watches television while reading.
 
Skoundrel said:
She reads all the time. Even watches television while reading.


not only does reading alot increase your speed. It also helps you to have better comprehension skills.

Do you read alot?
 
hnbui said:
not only does reading alot increase your speed. It also helps you to have better comprehension skills.

Do you read alot?
Unfortunately, I do not read enough. You are so right. I need to read more!
 
Skoundrel said:
Unfortunately, I do not read enough. You are so right. I need to read more!

yeah i am like you 🙂 it's just been a month or so that i started to read..

I just finished The color of water and The wanting Seed.

Right now i am beginning the invisible people.

Plus there's always those mags like time and scientific america. 👍

I hope this will boost up my reading skils by the time i need to take the mcat (about 2.5 yrs away)
 
hnbui said:
yeah i am like you 🙂 it's just been a month or so that i started to read..

I just finished The color of water and The wanting Seed.

Right now i am beginning the invisible people.

Plus there's always those mags like time and scientific america. 👍

I hope this will boost up my reading skils by the time i need to take the mcat (about 2.5 yrs away)
The Di Vinci Code was a good book. Anybody else got any suggestions of good reading?
 
Skoundrel said:
The Di Vinci Code was a good book. Anybody else got any suggestions of good reading?

yeah i loved that book. 🙂

If you're interested in scientific reading.... the hot zone and the invisible people are both excellent.
 
Im close to 10000 WPM, and I have a photographic memory, and I still only got an 11 VR. Be afraid be very afraid!!!!
















not really.
 
lol at amwattts...

i tend to read in blocks too, though i don't know my wpm. for mcat verbal however i read slower to fully grasp the passage in the first reading...the difference for me in time left over usually depends on how thoroughly i understood the passage on the first read...
 
EK prep books have a little calculation in the first few pages about speed reading. Let me repeat.

I took a random VR passage(1st one from aamc10) and it's 575 words. Assume 7 passages of equal length and that's roughly 4025 words total. If you read that with 300wpm its 13.41 minutes of reading passages. At 120wpm it's 33 minutes of reading passages. I would say the chances of you doubling your reading speed are really slim.
 
Top Bottom