A FREE test of reading speed from Basic Learning Systems, Inc.

How To Test Your Reading Speed

This reading speed test is designed to measure the average English reading speed in the U.S.A. which is slightly less than 200 words per minute.

When you are ready, scroll down the page so that the entire test area is visible in your window. Click once on the start button and start reading. After 20 seconds a pop up window will appear and your computer will beep to indicate the end of the test. Note where you stopped reading; to the right is the number of Words Per Minute (WPM) at which you read this passage.

(Please note that your reading speed on your computer screen may be slightly lower than if you were reading a book. Most people read slower on their computer screen, and for this reason even our online course requests that you print out all reading examples.)

Read Instructions before testing.

Only click Start once as you begin to read.
There will be no sound when you click start, only when the 20 seconds are up.

From early Colonial days on, ships loaded with wooden
hogsheads of thick, dark molasses came regularly from
the West Indies to unload at Boston's wharves.
Molasses took the place of sugar, which few colonists
could afford, and it made Yankee rum. It was a keystone
of Boston's prosperity and trade for almost three
centuries--until January 15, 1919.
I was a reporter on the Boston American on that fateful
day. The stories coming in over the wire were
predicting, rightly, that on the morrow Nebraska would
become the 36th state to vote dry, thus bringing
nationwide Prohibition upon this country (and rendering
great quantities of molasses virtually useless). But even
before the news could be printed, the biggest molasses
storage tank in all Boston burst and sent an angry
deluge of the stuff rampaging through the old North End,
tearing down the elevated railway, demolishing
buildings, drowning and crushing 21 persons and
dozens of horses, wreaking property damage of more
than a million dollars.

... 27 WPM
... 51 WPM
... 78 WPM
...102 WPM
...135 WPM
...159 WPM
...174 WPM
...207 WPM
...234 WPM
...258 WPM
...282 WPM
...303 WPM
...327 WPM
...354 WPM
...384 WPM
...414 WPM
...432 WPM
...453 WPM
...477 WPM
...489 WPM

You now have an idea of your reading speed. How did you do? Please click here and let me know how you did on this reading test.

Being able to read over 300 words per minute, comprehend what you have read, and remember the reading material is essential in today's world. Information is bombarding our personal and professional lives through email, the internet, magazines, and work-related materials.

The above passage is a sample of a reading exercise that will test your speed and comprehension. A famous film producer mentioned that he took a speed reading class using "Of War and Peace" as the reading material. He said after speeding through the novel, all he remembered was that it was about a war.

The goal of my self-paced reading course is for you to gain more than just reading speed. We want you to understand and remember what you have read. This course is about helping you gain improved productivity, increased speed, comprehension, and vocabulary so you will be able to handle today's expanding work loads.

Workbook Price: $19.95 plus shipping and handling (no tax, except for Florida residents)

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Order Online Now! Go to our secure online order page and follow the easy steps

Fax/Phone Orders: To order by fax, simply use our shopping cart system and select the option to order offline instead of online. Then print the order form and fax it to us at the number on the printed order form. Or you can phone toll-free 1-888-204-3600 to place an order.

The Business Reading Skills workbook can also be ordered in CD-ROM format and as an online course that includes personal instruction from business communications coach Gloria Pincu. Please email Gloria for more information.

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