How fast do you read?

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400 wpm at 82% comprehension. I do normally read a lot faster, but all those darn numbers really give me pause to understand them.

400 at 92. I thought that was a good score, until I saw some others around here

I do read faster than any other person I know personally, I just haven't taken a course or anything, and yes, I do imagine every word in my head. I tried reading really fast, reached around 1000 words, but my comprehension was awful.

I haven't measured my reading speed when I'm reading an entertaining, intellectually light book, when I'm fully concentrated though. It is probably a bit faster.

I'm not sure if this is an Aspie or Autistic trait, but I am not a speed-reader like some of my NT counterparts are. Whenever I try to read something faster (whether it's a novel, online newspaper article, or a scientific journal article), I can't even process what I read or pick up the main idea. So I would usually re-read a few sentences and define terms that I'm not familiar with in order to better comprehend what I'm reading. This must be why I got medium-low scores on the verbal sections of the SAT and GRE exams.

I read at an average speed, but then I go back on what I just read because I didn't pick up on a paragraph at all.

Thank you for being honest about your results OddDuckNash. I hadn't posted my results, because they were SO much lower than anyone who had responded. As a reward, for your bravery I will replace you as the lowest score. I only tested at 133 wpm.

I have to translate everything I read into a concept in order for me to understand the information. This process can take a while. I have to do this to relate what I'm reading to the big pile of invisible concepts that represents knowledge to me. I have a visual processing issue... I can't see any images in my mind's eye. Basically, I have NO non-verbal working memory, at all. I process visual information extremely slowly.

On the bright side, I think that having to do this translation to a concept is why my abstract reasoning ability is good. On the not so bright side, this caused me huge issues in school, was the reason why I was put in special ed, and why my gifts were overlooked.

I work as a software programmer now. I was apprenticed into the profession after a manager in my company's R&D department saw some of my strengths. I wasn't formally trained in programming. I love the work, but I must admit that every day is a challenge. My strengths and weaknesses are in constant conflict. There's not a day that goes by where I'm not reminded of both.

I am very happy that posting my score made you feel more comfortable in posting your own score. With the exception of my math/visual-spatial deficits, which can be quite severe and embarrassing, I really don't care all that much about telling others about scoring very low on some cognitive test. It just helps show how uneven my skills and abilties truly are, which I find fascinating in and of itself. Like you, I have to turn every word into an image or concept for me to properly understand it. I am both extremely visual and extremely verbal. Due to my NVLD, I have a lot of difficulty interpreting graphs/tables/charts if I just see the picture. I need to be told what everything on the graph means in words for me to "get" the meaning of the data. And on the flipside, if I'm given solely a verbal explanation of something, I need to "see" it to properly understand it. For math and other visual-spatial subjects, I need to see every single step, no matter how minute it might be, or I just get lost and have to memorize definitions or processes without any understanding of WHY I'm doing it.

I agree that my "concept translation" requirement of reading is why I'm able to understand lots of abstract concepts in science. For instance, even though I'll never be able to understand mathematically what the Schrodinger equation means, conceptually, I understand quantum mechanics. I tend to personify inanimate objects in order to turn abstract ideas into visual concepts, much like cartoon explanations you see on Through the Wormhole and other science shows.

And like tcorrielus mentioned, although I DO have the ability to read words at a very fast pace, when I do not slowly digest every single word and understand each word and concept by converting it into visual imagery, I have zero retention of what I read.

386 wpm, but then English isn't my first language either, maybe that matters. Also I can read a 800 page book in a day if I love it. So I guess it's never easy to know how fast you read. The important part is that we can read I think

For fun I decided to read while listening to music and my score was 261 wpm.

when i was in grade school i was tested at over a 1000, one time. i remember in college not seldom just sitting down on the floor between shelves in the library & reading a book then & there. i don't like to read that fast anymore (maybe only a third); & i much prefer writers who write with enough care that it matters, not just to find out what they are saying, but how.

I've just read this whole thread and I think it's really interesting. I've taken the test too and got about 1000wpm as a result. For me this was a surprise, because English is not my first language.
For fun I timed myself reading today and got an average of 2000-2500 wpm in my first language, but it depends on what type of text and the style of writing. Going for speed I was well over 3000wpm.