Software using rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) methods claim to eliminate unnecessary eye movements, thus increasing reading speed. It presents words above the average reading speed, one at a time, at a single location on the screen.Unfortunately, experiments show RSVP software does increase reading speed, but subjects could only sustain reading at high speeds with good comprehension for short bursts.

The Problem With Some Speed Reading Software

Skimming is a guaranteed way to increase reading speed, but just like speed-reading it hurts comprehension.

Fast Reading X Slow Understanding

Read. The more you read the more familiar you are with linguistic structures, contexts and content, which speeds up your reading. That’s especially true when learning new words or familiar words used in novel ways.It is not the eyes but what we know about language, print, and the world that determines reading skill.

The Shortest Answer To Faster Reading

“I took a speed reading course and read ‘War and Peace’ in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.”

There are many methods that claim to increase reading speed, going by different names, but they are all based on the same techniques and unsubstantiated facts that led to speed-reading.

Speed-Reading Spin-offs

This methods are supposed to let you read it right the first time, but regressive eye movements generate enhanced understanding beyond what could be obtained on the first pass.Due to sentences unfolding linearly, often contrary to the messages they convey, rereading becomes necessary for proper understanding.

The Flaw With Methods That Eliminate Regressive Eye Movements

Training the reader to process information in the visual periphery and using page scanning techniques.This idea defies physical constraints of the visual system, like the number of cells on the retina.

The Flaw With “Take In More Information At a Time” Methods

Provide exercises to silence that inner voice present when we read in silence as speed-reading programs claim it slows reading.This defies research that shows that subvocalization is a sub product identifying words.

The Flaw with Methods That Eliminate Subvocalization

Reading speed depends on factors such as the readers’ skills, goals and familiarity with content. 
The average reader reads about 280 words per minute according to empirical evidence and calculations based on properties of eyes and texts.  Despite speed readers' claims, this value can't be increased much without sacrificing comprehension.

The Con Of Speed-Reading

The late Nora Ephron famously felt badly about her neck, but that's minor compared to how people feel about their reading. We think everyone else reads faster than we do, that we should be able to speed up, and that it would be a huge advantage if we could.

The Flaw With “Take In More Information At a Time” Methods

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