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On the general, all students want to finish their studies successfully. Still obtaining an university degree is not an easy task for everybody and some students do not manage to graduate. It is a widely spread belief that you have to work hard in order to get good results in university. At the same time many students do not have interest and will to devote to much time for their studies as it is boring and there are lots of other pleasant and necessary activities, which take their time.

But is it really necessary to spend lots of time studying for being a successful student? Can’t there be any easier options, how to study more efficiently and spend less time behind the reading desk or computer. In fact, there are such possibilities. There are many ways of acquiring knowledge more efficiently, spending the time wiser and allowing the student to save time for other activities.

The central keyword for efficient study is acting faster and prioritising. As we get most of our information by reading, then the pace of studying depends on our reading speed. So if we could read faster then we could learn faster. Therefore speed reading skills are a must for an efficient student in order to spend a minimal amount of time on reading the course materials. If we practise speed reading techniques we can increase our reading speed by 2 or 3 time, which gives a huge time gain for a student.

Efficient learning means setting priorities. For every course or subject there are topics which have great importance and also those, which are the side-issues. If we have not unlimited time available for our studies, then it is a good idea to spend more time on the key topics of the course and to start studying the material from these central issues. In most cases, it is more important to get the idea of linkages between different concepts and to master the general rules rather than have knowledge of detailed facts. It is good if you get the general picture of the subject as fast as possible. For getting it, you have to work through the entire range of topics consisting in the course right at the start of the course. Working the study material quickly through does not mean detailed reading, but instead of that you have to preview the material efficiently. This involves reading only the most important parts of the text such as introductions and conclusions. Later, after we have got a picture of the general issues of the material, we can move on to dealing with more specific topics and details. That kind of approach will also guarantee that we always obtain the most important knowledge first and even if we later have not time to study any further, we still now the central issues.

But how do we know what is most important? There are several possibilities for getting that information. One option is to look all the course material through and search the issues which the author wants to stress. Which topics and thoughts are repeated again and again? Which arguments are written in large font of bold? What do the graphs and tables tell us? What is written in the introduction and conclusion? It is also a good idea to contact senior students who have passed this course already and to get relevant information form them. They usually can tell you what kind of question may be asked at the exams, tests, which issues you have to turn more attention, where you can find good materials on the course topics etc

It is also necessary to know the rules and requirements for passing the course. Which are the required and which are the recommended reading materials? What are the deadlines for course work? What kind of grading system is used? What are the topics discussed on the seminars? You have to get all this information right at the beginning of the semester. In that case you will know exactly, what you have to do for passing the course. If you do not have clear picture of these technical issues then you have to obtain it up to the smallest details for being sure that you always know what you have to do.

Usually students start intense studying shortly before the exams and at the beginning of the semester many do not work seriously. An efficient student acts exactly the other way round. He works hard on the first weeks of the semester and by the time the exams approach he has already acquired the required knowledge and he only has to revise it slightly to avoid forgetting. That kind of approach will also give self-confidence that you are never late with your studying. You avoid time trouble and panic before the exam. You have to get quickly the broad picture of the course topics during the first weeks of the semester and next you will work it through for thoroughly. It helps a lot if you have prepared for lectures and seminars. If we even have slight knowledge about the issues presented in the lecture, then we will remember the material much better, we will make more connections between different concepts in our mind and we get a clear picture of the discussed topic. Sadly most students do not follow that kind of practise, which results in time trouble before exams. If we start learning only a few days or weeks before the exam, then we have no time to do it decently, we have to study long hours every day and we become very exhausted. We do not remember what we read well and we can not keep our mind fresh for the exam day.

The worst thing is cramming during the last hours before the exam. It is natural that we want to use the last available free moments for gaining extra knowledge but in fact, it very inefficient and can be harmful to you performance on the exam. You will get tired and nervous by doing so. You may even temporarily erase some knowledge from your brain with it. It is more sensible to rest and relax before exam and to keep your mind fresh. You will benefit more from resting than last minute cramming. Even if you have not prepared well for the exam, it is wise to cope with it and try to relax. You will keep your mind clear by relaxation and it will help you to solve problems and be creative on the exam, Remember that normally it is more important to show good problem solving skill rather than knowledge of facts on the exam.

It must be clear by now that efficient students devotes enough time for resting. It is not a good idea to learn without pauses for extended period. Studying the whole day makes you tired and bored and we will forget a lot from the studied material. It is important to have breaks and alter physical and mental activities. You should make a short brake (5 minutes) for every 45 minutes you study. The pauses have not to be long, but you have to make them quite often for avoiding fatigue.

kristjan Speed Reading, time management efficiency, exams, learning, study

Speed reading has numerous benefits. If you are able to read faster then you can work faster and be more productive. You can finish your job tasks within a shorter period of time, which means that you can work more to earn more or you may choose to have more free time. In addition speed reading skills will allow you to read more for educating yourself. If you are planning to get MA degree then being able to speed read will make your life much easier.

There are many different speed reading courses and all of them have basically the same benefits. I do not know what is the share of population, who have learned speed reading but it is likely to be a relatively low proportion. It is definitely not 50%, 30% and probably not even 10%. In case of Estonia, where I live, this number is below 1%.It may be higher for some other countries, where there are more speed reading training trainers and where the traditions of speed reading are longer.

But when speed reading has so many benefits, why most people do not learn speed reading.

The first reason, which may not be the most important one, is that not all people are aware of the benefits of speed reading. There are still some people who have hardly heard something about speed reading. Probably this reason has greater importance in my countries as there were no speed reading courses in Estonia during the Soviet period. It became possible to learn speed reading here only in the mid 1990s.

Second, there are people who know what speed reading is and which are its benefits, but who are doubtful about them. Many people think that these benefits are some kind of advertisement trick and actually speed reading is no use. If you look around in internet forums, then you can find a lot discussion on the question: “Does speed reading actually work?”. It is true that not all the participants of speed reading courses could apply what they have learned to their everyday life. As it takes time and effort to develop your reading skills then many people give up in the middle of the learning process and find that speed reading does not work. Many people participate in one- or two-day speed reading classes, which require the trainees to continue practicing individually after completion of the course, but these people will not practice and that is the reason that they will not benefit from these courses.

Third, there are people, who do not think that the ability to read faster will make there life much easier. A popular argument against speed reading is “I do not want to read faster”. Some people find that it is essential to be slow and careful while reading. Or they may have a job, where it is very important not to make any mistakes. But there are not so many benefits of reading slowly and carefully. It is difficult to improve your reading comprehension significantly by reading extra slowly. And even if your work process does not require fast reading, you may still benefit from speed reading for leading for hobbies and leisure. Wouldn’t it be nice f you could finish your newspapers in the morning in half of the usual time.

Fourth, some people think that they are not able to learn to speed read. Many of them are natural slow readers, who think that their reading abilities are so bad that there is no point in even trying out the speed reading. This is absolutely wrong as naturally slow readers, who have usually very inefficient reading techniques are the ones who benefit most from speed reading courses. If you are very slow then there is more room for improvement for a naturally fast reader. Some people think that they are too old for speed reading. Well, some participants of my speed reading classes have been more than 70 years old and they have managed to increase their reading speed.

Fifth, there are people who are satisfied with their reading speed although they can be relatively slow readers. We learn to read at early ages and it may seem strange for a grown up and educated man or woman. For example, when I was visiting IZA (Institute for Labor Market Research) in Bonn, Germany a year ago and I talked about speed reading there, I was asked if I had a problem with reading. It is sad to see that many people will not be able to enjoy the benefits of speed reading because they have that kind of attitude towards speed reading.

kristjan Speed Reading age, benefits, free time, learning, speed reading skills