Firstly, you need to really make good use of your textbook. Don’t worry about resale value, or whether or not it will look pretty when you’re done. The textbook is for you to use during the semester – that’s why you have it.

Underline, circle and make margin notes as you read along. I don’t mean highlighting the whole page; just the few key phrases that can help the main concepts “stick out” on the page, and thus “stick in” your mind. This helps direct your focus to the most important things, while also making those things easier to recall.

Get some sticky-notes and mark the important pages. In a textbook with 500 pages there would probably be about 50 pages worth marking. Skimming through these pages in those last few precious seconds before the exam can make a big difference to your performance.

Transfer important notes to the front of the book. Use the covers to scribble away new facts or ideas. This helps to cement the concepts in your mind. Also, making notes helps you to understand concepts more clearly; just because your mind is re-absorbing the information in a different format. And, of course, the better your understanding of the material, the more likely you’ll be able to recall it correctly when a test comes along.

Finally, when you finish with the book, re-read the marked pages. If you want, you can make a mind map of the content; some people say that mind maps can greatly improve your memory. In any case, mixing up the format of the information will make it easier to digest.

Try using these tips for the courses you’re taking now, and see if you can’t turn the tables on those students that always beat you on tests!

Speed reading is a complex skill. There are many things that can contribute to your reading speed, and also many things that can contribute to your reading comprehension.

And so, achieving the highest possible speed AND comprehension is a pretty complex task.

Luckily, these days it’s pretty well understood how to speed read, and it can be learned without much difficulty.

One good way to approach learning speed reading is dividing it up into multiple elements. When you classify the big issue into multiple little issues, you can tackle it more easily.

For example, one essential part of “learning how to speed read” is employing intense focus and concentration. These two are extremely important for the successful execution of the skill.

If there is anything that CAN distract you from your reading, then it WILL. Distractions always end up reducing your reading speed as well as damaging your comprehension.

Even worse than that, though, is that those distractions can infiltrate your mind and make your brain branch out onto several unrelated topics. Everyone experiences this at some point: while “reading,” you catch yourself thinking about something else, and then you skip back to a part in the text you remember reading.

Obviously, this is a huge problem for anyone who wants to learn speed reading.

So consider this: when you sit down with a book or a newspaper or whatever, you’ve obviously got a reason for doing so. Whether you’re trying to learn how to do something new, or you’re absorbing some news or something, you’ve got a good reason for reading.

It doesn’t really matter what the reason is, specifically, as long as you have it clearly defined in your mind, this is going to work…

Place that reason firmly in your mind. This will prime your brain and motivate you to read. And while reading, try to think of nothing other than the content of the text. You have to be totally focused on what you read, otherwise your comprehension level will not nearly be as high as it could be.

This is a crucial maxim of fast reading.

So if you’re unable to focus properly on what you’re reading, just take a break! Try some other activity. Go do a crossword puzzle or something. If you focus on the distraction consciously, and then return to the text, you’ll find a renewed interest in the material.

So take a nice break every once in a while – it will prepare your mind to focus again on the text.

Also, try resting at the end of each chapter. Then, you get a chance to really think about what you read, and maybe you’ll want to take some notes, to make sure you remember the stuff.

Taking notes is actually another Key to speed reading. I don’t want to cover it in detail here, but note-taking can drastically improve comprehension – even if you never look at the notes again.

After a couple minutes of thinking and/or note-taking, you will be even more inclined to continue reading than you would have been if you had kept reading all the way through.

Reading straight through a book does have the “benefit of the flow”, but some rest-time between segments will drastically ameliorate your comprehension level. After all, the author in all likelihood didn’t write the entire text in one session! A lot of time and thought goes into writing books. You should your books much in the same way the writers would treat them: they take serious thought, dedication, and focus.

If you want to learn more keys to speed reading, check out our free Speed Reading Newsletter. It covers not only how to speed read, but also how to improve your memory, and how to maximize comprehension. It’s an easy (and free!) way to get started on the right foot. What more could you want? Sign up here.