How to Learn Quickly when Reading

Many people have experienced frustration because they can either read quickly without necessarily digesting information in depth or they can study carefully as they read, in order to learn something (and therefore read much more slowly). These two actions are not, however, as mutually exclusive as you might have first imagined. Here are some steps to help you get the most out of what you read the first time through.

Things You Should Know

Give yourself 1-2 minutes to look over the text and think about what you need to absorb from it.
Use a highlighter to flag key points and things you want to remember. You can quickly reread those passages later.
Use a different color highlighter to mark things you don’t understand so you can investigate them.
Write any comments or notes you have alongside the text to help you retain the information.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Pre-Reading the Text

Download Article

1
Pre-read the text. Give yourself a minute or two to just look things over and think about what it is that you need to absorb from the text. Use the steps in the section "Familiarizing Yourself with the Text" to Identify the basics first:^{[1]XResearch source}
- Is it a list of facts? An understanding of a concept? A sequence of events?
- What sort of learning do you need to do?
2
Direct your reading with questions about the content you're about to read. Especially if you are reading something that was assigned in class, good questions to consider include:^{[2]XResearch source}
- Why am I being asked to read this? What is the purpose of the assignment?
- How does this assignment fit in with the rest of what we have been doing? It is the main idea? Or, is it just an example or sideline to the main idea?
- What am I supposed to be getting out of this? (Ideas, background information, procedures, overview?)
- What level of detail am I going to need to retain? (Do I need to understand everything, or will the main ideas be sufficient?)
Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Familiarizing Yourself with the Text

Download Article

1
Think about what you already know about the text. This includes considering the context in which it was written, or is used. Sample questions might include:^{[3]XTrustworthy SourceDarmouth University Academic Skills CenterCenter within Dartmouth University dedicated to assisting students achieve academic goals by providing pedagogical resourcesGo to source}
- Who wrote it? What do I know about this person?
- When was it written? What do I know about that time?
2
Figure out what is in the book, how it is arranged, and where the important stuff is. Sample strategies include:^{[4]XTrustworthy SourceDarmouth University Academic Skills CenterCenter within Dartmouth University dedicated to assisting students achieve academic goals by providing pedagogical resourcesGo to source}
- Scan TOC (Table of Contents)
- Scan chapters and headings.
- Look at pictures and graphs.
- Read the introduction and conclusion.
- Scan introductory sections.
You may not need to read more, or you may be able to read only the parts you still need to learn.^{[5]XTrustworthy SourceDarmouth University Academic Skills CenterCenter within Dartmouth University dedicated to assisting students achieve academic goals by providing pedagogical resourcesGo to source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Highlighting What Matters

Download Article

Marking the text serves as a way of anchoring what you've learned––you can find the ideas again quickly and it will also remind you of the initial thoughts you had when reading these marked portions. Methods of highlighting will depend on what you're reading, for example, if it's your own book or the library's or if it's printed on paper or read on a screen.^{[6]XResearch source}
2
Try the highlighter and pen reading system if it's your own book or paper. If you read this way, you will always have questions and comments on the reading for class discussion and your teacher will think you are a conscientious, engaged student. The method works as follows:^{[7]XResearch source}
- Find 2 highlighters and a pen.
- The first highlighter is for key points and things you want to remember. (Be judicious—only highlight a few items per page.)
- The second highlighter is for things you don’t understand, questions, and places you disagree.
- The pen is to write comments in the text. (Writing comments keeps your learning active and helps you remember the content you read.)
Instead, make notes on cards, slips of paper, or in a separate notebook.
To take notes from an on-screen text, select the text and copy and paste into another document. Some formats also allow on-screen highlighting, comments, and other ways to mark up the text.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Digesting the Reading Matter

Download Article

Don’t immediately switch gears when you finish reading. (Switching gears immediately is the surest way to erase everything you just read from your short term memory.) You will process better and remember more if you take a few minutes to reflect on what you read.^{[8]XTrustworthy SourceReading RocketsOnline resource supported by PBS providing research-based strategies for assisting children to become confident readersGo to source}
2
Try using two or more of the following strategies:
- Reflect on your pre-reading (fit it into the course goals).
- Write a summary. Here are some sample questions you could discuss:
  - What is this writer’s purpose? Who is the audience?
  - What are the main points/topics covered?
  - What reasons and evidence support these main points?
  - How is it relevant to this course? Context.
  - What am I supposed to learn from this?
  - How and how strongly do I react to this? Why?
- Question the material. What do I think is wrong/right? Why? What reasons do I have for my beliefs?
This helps move the material from short-term to long-term memory.^{[9]XResearch source}
If you find you need to review the material in order to complete your assignment, you will be able to find the parts you need more quickly.

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question
What tricks are there to learn something quickly?
Ted Dorsey, MA
Academic Tutor
Ted Dorsey is a Test Prep Tutor, author, and founder of Tutor Ted, an SAT and ACT tutoring service based in Southern California. Ted earned a perfect score on the SAT (1600) and PSAT (240) in high school. Since then, he has earned perfect scores on the ACT (36), SAT Subject Test in Literature (800), and SAT Subject Test in Math Level 2 (800). He has a BA in English from Princeton University and a MA in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Ted Dorsey, MA
Academic Tutor
Expert Answer
Mnemonic devices work so long as you have them actively in your mind, which means that you probably can't manage that many of them at one time. The more you practice with them, the more second nature they become. Also, personalize it. Find a way to make it apply to you. Tell a story problem in terms of yourself, your friends, your world, or your existence. The more that it makes you laugh, the more likely it is going to stick.
Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If How.com.vn has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support How.com.vn
Yes No
Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1
Question
What's your advice for calming your nerves before tests?
Ted Dorsey, MA
Academic Tutor
Ted Dorsey is a Test Prep Tutor, author, and founder of Tutor Ted, an SAT and ACT tutoring service based in Southern California. Ted earned a perfect score on the SAT (1600) and PSAT (240) in high school. Since then, he has earned perfect scores on the ACT (36), SAT Subject Test in Literature (800), and SAT Subject Test in Math Level 2 (800). He has a BA in English from Princeton University and a MA in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Ted Dorsey, MA
Academic Tutor
Expert Answer
Nerves are not your enemy. Anxiety leads to better performance. Very low anxiety leads to low performance, very high anxiety leads to low performance, but a mid-range of anxiety leads to the highest performance. Try to embrace your nerves and convince yourself that it will help you!
Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If How.com.vn has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support How.com.vn
Yes No
Not Helpful 0 Helpful 5

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Reader Videos

Tips

Many PDF readers will allow you to highlight in different colors and to underline or write notes, so the above highlighter and pen method can be adapted for screen reading too.
Thanks
Helpful3 Not Helpful0
Try making notes if you ain't able to read the book again and again. Notes help you remember things nicely.
Thanks
Helpful3 Not Helpful0
Get a full night's sleep (8 hours for most) in order to have your newly obtained information moved into long-term memory.
Thanks
Helpful3 Not Helpful0

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of How.com.vn readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on How.com.vn, please submit it in the field below.

If you're having a hard time concentrating when reading a book or printouts, use a sheet of paper to cover everything below the line you're reading. Move the sheet down after you finish reading each line. This can help you focus on one line at a time instead of worrying about how much left you have to read.
If you're not understanding what you're reading, try looking for videos on the same topic. Someone probably made a video on the subject you're reading about, and they may do a good job of breaking down the complex concepts.
Read it out loud to yourself, or ask someone to read it to you. Not everyone retains information by reading alone. Sometimes, it takes hearing it spoken aloud to retain the information.
If you highlighted or underlined important sentences, write or type the text you highlighted in a new document, then read the new document.
Before studying, take a shower and drink plenty of water. It's easier to learn quickly if you're clean, energized, and hydrated.

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!