Select a book to use for your test. This should be a work that you have not read before to ensure that you have not memorized the material. The book should represent a type of work that you are used to reading, such as a novel, textbook, etc. From this book, choose a section that's approximately 2 to 3 pages long. The text in your chosen section should fill the pages and should not contain pictures.
Determine the number of words per line in your book. Count the number of words in three lines of text. You should select three lines from random places on the page. Total the number of words for all three lines and divide by three to calculate the average number of words per line. (For example, Line 1=30 words, Line 2=28 words, Line 3=27 words. 30+28+27=85 words/3 = 28.33 words per line.)
Determine the average number of lines on a page. Count the number of lines on three pages of the book. Total the number of lines for all three pages, then divide this number by three to calculate the average. (For example, Page 1=50 lines, Page 2=49 lines, page 3=52 lines. 50+49+52=151 lines/3=50.33 lines.)
Calculate the average number of words per page. Multiply the average number of words per line by the average number of lines per page. (28.33 x 50.33=1429.85 average words per page.)
Time your reading. Select a section of text that you have not previously read. Set your timer and read for two or three full pages. Record the number of seconds that you read:
How long did you read: _____ total seconds ÷ 60 = ________ minutes spent reading
Determine number of words read. Multiply average number of words per page by number of pages read: _________
(# of words per page x # of pages read)
Determine your reading speed. Reading speed is calculated by dividing the number of words read by the number of minutes spent reading.
________# of words read ÷ _______ total minutes read = ____________ Words per minute (reading rate)
Determine your level of comprehension of the selected text. Note the major ideas from the text that you read. If you read for two minutes, you will likely recall two main ideas from the text. Three minutes of reading should result in three ideas.