6 amazing speed reading tips to use in college entrance exams

The big moment has arrived! It’s finally time to face your final battle to say goodbye to high school and hello to college student life. However, feared by many, the vestibular need not be seen as a seven-headed animal.
We know very well that being face to face with dozens of questions, often with huge texts, not to mention the wording required by some institutions, can be really frightening. However, by adopting the right tactics, it is possible to understand everything that is available in the test without wasting too much time.
A very effective way to absorb questions clearly is through dynamic reading. Ever heard of this technique? Well, that’s what we’re going to talk about in this post! In it, we’ll explain better what dynamic reading is, how it can be useful during college entrance exams and some tactics to put it into practice during evaluations! Check out our tips now and start putting them into practice as soon as possible!
What is dynamic reading?
For your reading to be successful, it needs to go through three stages: see, pronounce and understand, so that you completely absorb what is being said.
When reading for a hobby, it doesn’t matter how long it takes to finish a book or a text on a blog. Each word can be “savored” without haste and, whenever necessary, you can go back to a passage, calmly, to clarify doubts.
However, in some situations we are required to be more agile when reading the contents, as happens during entrance exams. It is in these moments that dynamic reading is put into practice.
We consider dynamic reading the adoption of methods that aim to make reading faster and more effective, in order to understand and absorb the information that was given.
How can dynamic reading be useful during college entrance exams?
OK, now you know what speed reading is and you want to know why we say that it will be useful during college entrance exams, right?
First, you should remember that the entrance exams take some time to be done, so it will not be possible to calmly read and re-read all the questions. It is necessary to have objectivity when facing each question.
In addition, questions usually have long texts before demanding any response from the candidate. The answers, even if they are multiple choice, may have texts with pranks, in which attention must be redoubled, so as not to miss anything. That is, you have to be careful not to choose the wrong option, as you missed a word, such as “no”, for example, which can change the entire meaning of the sentence.
As the function of dynamic reading is to make it possible to scan the text in a faster and more efficient way, using it during a vestibular assessment will greatly facilitate the execution of tasks.
How to put dynamic reading into practice in the entrance exam?
To use speed reading wisely and discerningly, you need to know what techniques can be adopted. Below, we list the main ones that you can put into practice. Look:
1. Gently warm the eyeballs
Did you arrive at the test site calmly and in advance? So now, when you get to your seat and before starting the test, rub your hands together to warm them up. Then place them gently over your eyes for a few seconds. Repeat this a few times for about two minutes.
After that time, move your eyes up, down, left and right. This tactic will also help to warm up and prepare your eyes for the work ahead.
2. Several words at once
It is important that you develop the ability to read blocks of words at a time, be it sentences or even complete lines. One way to facilitate this technique is by using peripheral vision.
As you improve this method, you will feel less need to go back in the text and reread some passages, as this is what can harm your performance.
3. Have proper posture
Reading faster doesn’t just depend on your eyes: it’s essential to have a proper and comfortable posture to be able to perform more and better. So keep your spine straight and your feet pressed to the floor.
4. Use fingers to guide eye movements
In this topic we will also reinforce the idea that the eyes are not the only ones responsible for ensuring speed during reading. Aiming at an effective and fruitful reading, the fingers can be used to guide the eye movements. Thus, the faster the movement made by the finger, the greater the reading speed.
This technique also contributes to content fixation and assimilation, as it increases concentration. And for it to be correct, right-handers must use the right hand and left-handers the left.
5. Not pronouncing the words
Are you the type of person who pronounces words as you read them? Well, eliminate this habit as soon as possible, as it is quite harmful for dynamic reading, as you will read every word contained in the text, thus delaying your performance.
Still not convinced? Because in addition to performance, pronouncing the words makes it difficult to understand the material. That way, you would have to reread the content more than once to make sure you understood it. And that’s not what you want, is it?
6. Use skimming or scanning techniques
Here we are going to share two very useful techniques for speed reading. Skimming is the act of scanning key information from the text, such as title, topics, author, publication date and key subject.
If you have to read content to write an essay or an open question, this method may be the best way to find information that will be relevant.
It can also be used at first, before the main reading, so that you start it already aware of what will be covered.
Scanning is when the search is focused on finding keywords. This technique will be very relevant if you need to look for something specific in the text.