Home / Speed read / non-fiction books
Speed read non-fiction books
How to speed read non-fiction books
Start at 350 words a minute. Non-fiction repeats itself. One idea, three stories and a summary is the standard chapter, and most of your time goes to the stories.
The method, in four steps
Read the chapter summary or last page first, so you know the one idea.
Run the chapter at 350 to 450 words a minute.
Slow to 250 for the paragraph that states the idea, and for anything with a number in it.
Take the quiz. A miss tells you which section to reread, and it is usually one.
The mistake to avoid
Finishing fast and keeping nothing. Speed without a check is how people read fifty books and quote none of them.
See the pace first
Not sure what 350 words a minute looks like? Take the 350 wpm test, or measure your own speed and start 50 above it.
Questions
How fast should I read non-fiction books?
Start at 350 words a minute and adjust by the quiz: at 80% or better, go up 25; below that, come down 50. The adult average is 238 for non-fiction.
What is the biggest mistake when speed reading non-fiction books?
Finishing fast and keeping nothing. Speed without a check is how people read fifty books and quote none of them.
More guides
Speed read fiction
Start at 300 words a minute.
Speed read textbooks
Start at 250 words a minute.
Speed read research papers
Start at 250 words a minute.