# Speed Reading Techniques: Which Ones Actually Work?

> Previewing, skimming, pacers, word groups, RSVP, Schulte tables, PhotoReading: the popular speed reading techniques, graded by what research actually shows.

Page: https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/guides/speed-reading-techniques/ · Updated: 2026-11-05 · By: Abdullah Yılmaz · Speed Readingo

## The short answer

The speed reading techniques that work are previewing before you read and skimming when you need only the gist; over time, reading more and building vocabulary help most (Rayner et al., 2016). Word groups and a quieter inner voice help within limits. Pacers and Schulte tables are unproven for speed, and never looking back and PhotoReading are contradicted.

1. Measure your speed and comprehension together with the reading speed test.
2. Preview each text for a few seconds before you read it.
3. Practise with a pacer a little above your tested speed, about 10 minutes a day.
4. Then read real texts, and look back whenever a sentence doesn't land.

## What are speed reading techniques?

Speed reading techniques are habits and drills meant to get you through text faster. Below, each popular one is graded against the research, mainly a 2016 review led by Keith Rayner ([Rayner et al., 2016](https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615623267)). One finding from that review explains most of the grades: what limits reading speed is how fast you recognise words, not how your eyes move.

## Which speed reading techniques actually work?

| Technique | What it does | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Preview first | Scan headings and bold words | **Works** |
| Skim for the gist | Reads selectively | **Partly**: gist, not details |
| Pacer or finger | Sets a steady pace | **No evidence** for speed |
| Word groups (chunking) | Fewer stops per line | **Partly**: extra words are guessed |
| Whole line at a glance | "Widens" peripheral vision | **Contradicted** |
| Quieter inner voice | Pronounces fewer words | **Partly**: silencing it hurts |
| RSVP | One word at a time | **Partly**: worse at high speeds |
| Never go back | Bans look-backs | **Contradicted** |
| Schulte tables, eye exercises | Train attention or eye muscles | **No evidence** for speed |
| PhotoReading | "Photographs" pages | **Contradicted** |
| Read more, grow vocabulary | Makes words familiar | **Works**, slowly |

## Does previewing or skimming first help?

**Previewing** means looking over the part you are about to read for a few seconds; Speed Readingo's course calls it pre-reading. Previews improved low-ability junior-high students' comprehension and recall of difficult stories ([Graves et al., 1983](https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ279344)). See the [pre-reading lesson](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/lessons/pre-reading/).

**Skimming**, reading selectively instead of fully, can be two to four times faster than reading, with less comprehension (Rayner et al., 2016). Under time pressure, it caught more main ideas than reading half a text, but not more details ([Duggan & Payne, 2009](https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016995)).

## Does a pacer or your finger help?

A **pacer** is a guide your eyes follow, such as a finger, a pen or a moving highlight (sometimes called meta-guiding). It keeps your place and sets a rhythm, but we found no controlled test showing that it raises reading speed. Use it for practice at a pace you understand, and still glance back when you need to: blocking look-backs lowers comprehension ([Schotter et al., 2014](https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614531148)). Try the drill above or the [exercises page](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/speed-reading-exercises/).

## Can you read word groups or a whole line at a glance?

**Chunking** means resting your eyes on a few points per line and taking in the words around each; the course calls those stops [pit words](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/lessons/pit-words/). From each stop you identify only about one word beyond the one you look at, so fewer stops means more guessing (Rayner et al., 2016).

Taking in a whole line at a glance is another matter. **Peripheral vision** is what you see outside the point you look at, and it is blurry: you identify words only about seven letters to the right of that point, and nothing from the lines above or below (Rayner et al., 2016). See the [peripheral vision lesson](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/lessons/peripheral-vision/).

## Should you stop subvocalizing?

**Subvocalization** is the inner voice that says words as you read silently. Turning it down works; switching it off does not. When researchers blocked inner speech, comprehension of difficult text fell, while easy text was unaffected (Rayner et al., 2016). See the [subvocalization lesson](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/lessons/subvocalization/).

## Does word-by-word reading (RSVP) work?

**RSVP** (rapid serial visual presentation) flashes words one at a time in the same spot. It matched normal reading at about 200 words per minute, and recall of details fell at 400 and 600 (Rayner et al., 2016). At 700 and 1,000, people understood ordinary text better ([Acklin & Papesh, 2017](https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.130.2.0183)), and the Spritz app gave no speed gain over paper, plus more eye fatigue ([Benedetto et al., 2015](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.12.043)). Use the [RSVP reader](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/rsvp-reader/) for short drills, as the [speed stages lesson](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/lessons/speed-stages/) does.

## Should you never go back?

A **regression** is a look back at words you have already read. Skilled readers make them on about 10–15% of their eye movements ([Rayner, 2009](https://doi.org/10.1080/17470210902816461)), and taking away the chance to look back lowered comprehension (Schotter et al., 2014). See the [common mistakes lesson](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/lessons/common-mistakes/).

## Do Schulte tables, eye exercises or PhotoReading work?

A **Schulte table** is a grid of the numbers 1 to 25 in random order, found in sequence. The course uses it to train peripheral vision; researchers use it to measure attention. In a nine-week trial with 28 college soccer players, a similar grid exercise improved concentration no more than no training ([Greenlees et al., 2006](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2005.02.001)). We found no good evidence that it, or eye-muscle exercise, speeds up reading: play the [Schulte table](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/schulte-table/) as an attention game.

**PhotoReading** promises to "photograph" pages at 25,000 words per minute; a small NASA-funded evaluation found no speed gain and lower comprehension ([McNamara, 2000](https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20000011599)).

## What actually makes you read faster?

- **Reading more.** Across 99 studies, people who read more had stronger language skills, and the link grew with age ([Mol & Bus, 2011](https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021890)).
- **A bigger vocabulary.** Familiar words get shorter looks (Rayner et al., 2016).
- **Knowing the topic.** Students who knew more about a topic recalled more of a text on it ([Recht & Leslie, 1988](https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ384774)).

These gains come slowly: doubling or tripling your speed with the same understanding is unlikely (Rayner et al., 2016). Our [evidence review](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/guides/does-speed-reading-work/) has the details.

## Speed reading techniques for beginners

Take the [reading speed test](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/reading-speed-test/): a speed counts only if you get at least 70% of the questions right. Then play the pacer above at 250 words per minute, the course's first practice stage and close to the adult silent-reading average of about 238 ([Brysbaert, 2019](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2019.104047)). If the meaning slips, lower it by 25.

Next: [how to read faster](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/guides/how-to-read-faster/), or the [lessons](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/lessons/).

Read next: [How to remember what you read](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/guides/remember-what-you-read/) · [How to choose a speed reading app](https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/guides/speed-reading-apps/).

## FAQ

### What are the best speed reading techniques for beginners?

Start with the ones that cost nothing in comprehension: preview each text for a few seconds, decide what you need from it, and read easy passages a little faster than feels comfortable. Count a speed only if you get at least 70% of the questions right, the cut-off a classic study of more than 12,000 readers used (Brysbaert, 2019).

### Do speed reading techniques actually work?

Some do, within limits. Training can raise speed, but comprehension tends to slip: in one study, adults who took a speed-reading class went from about 280 to 400 words per minute while comprehension fell from 81% to 74% (Rayner et al., 2016).

### What is the most effective speed reading method?

No single method beats reading practice. The central research review found that lasting gains come from reading more and building vocabulary, and that they come slowly (Rayner et al., 2016). When self-described speed readers were tested, comprehension dropped sharply above about 600 words per minute (Carver, 1985).

### Does reading with your finger make you faster?

A finger or pen keeps your place and sets a steady pace, but we found no controlled study showing that it raises everyday reading speed. If you use one, keep it at a pace you can understand, and still glance back when you need to: blocking look-backs lowers comprehension (Schotter et al., 2014).

## Sources

1. Rayner, K., Schotter, E. R., Masson, M. E. J., Potter, M. C., & Treiman, R. (2016). So much to read, so little time: How do we read, and can speed reading help?. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 17(1), 4–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615623267
2. Brysbaert, M. (2019). How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate. Journal of Memory and Language, 109, 104047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2019.104047
3. Graves, M. F., et al. (1983). Effects of previewing difficult short stories on low ability junior high school students’ comprehension, recall, and attitudes. Reading Research Quarterly. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ279344
4. Duggan, G. B., & Payne, S. J. (2009). Text skimming: The process and effectiveness of foraging through text under time pressure. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 15(3), 228–242. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016995
5. Schotter, E. R., Tran, R., & Rayner, K. (2014). Don’t believe what you read (only once): Comprehension is supported by regressions during reading. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1218–1226. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614531148
6. Rayner, K. (2009). Eye movements and attention in reading, scene perception, and visual search. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 62(8), 1457–1506. https://doi.org/10.1080/17470210902816461
7. Acklin, D., & Papesh, M. H. (2017). Modern speed-reading apps do not foster reading comprehension. American Journal of Psychology, 130(2), 183–199. https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.130.2.0183
8. Benedetto, S., Carbone, A., Pedrotti, M., Le Fevre, K., Bey, L. A. Y., & Baccino, T. (2015). Rapid serial visual presentation in reading: The case of Spritz. Computers in Human Behavior, 45, 352–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.12.043
9. Greenlees, I., Thelwell, R., & Holder, T. (2006). Examining the efficacy of the concentration grid exercise as a concentration enhancement exercise. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 7(1), 29–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2005.02.001
10. McNamara, D. S. (2000). Preliminary analysis of PhotoReading. NASA Ames Research Center (report NAG2-1319). https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20000011599
11. Mol, S. E., & Bus, A. G. (2011). To read or not to read: A meta-analysis of print exposure from infancy to early adulthood. Psychological Bulletin, 137(2), 267–296. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021890
12. Recht, D. R., & Leslie, L. (1988). Effect of prior knowledge on good and poor readers’ memory of text. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ384774
13. Carver, R. P. (1985). How good are some of the world’s best readers?. Reading Research Quarterly, 20(4), 389–419. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ319724

## How to cite (APA 7)

Yılmaz, A. (2026, November 5). *Speed Reading Techniques: Which Ones Actually Work?* Speed Readingo. https://speedreadingo.fastemy.com/guides/speed-reading-techniques/