Speed reading is the ability to increase your rate of reading while limiting the loss of comprehension. Obviously the faster you read over a block of text, the more your level of comprehension is likely to diminish. The key therefore is to find an acceptable level of trade-off where you maximise your reading efficiency.
Speed reading, however, is not just about moving your eyes faster across a page. It's also about selective reading and knowing what text on a page is important to read and what isn't.
Reading is not free. It costs you time and effort, so, when you do read, it makes sense to be as efficient with your time and effort as you possibly can. Just about every computer book written is inches thick, loaded with information, and sends a silent (and perhaps ominous) message to anyone opening the book for the first time that the road ahead is going to be long and arduous. But when you're studying for a computer certification (or any exam for that matter) you generally have a pre-determined set of objectives that you'll be tested on. So, armed with that information, you only need to focus your energies on those key areas. This knowledge, combined with an efficient reading technique, can really help you zero in on the specific information you need to know and give you more time to learn and understand the concepts that you're being tested on.
Keep in mind that you didn't learn to read overnight, and you won't learn to increase your reading speed overnight either. It takes practice to see any significant improvements but, if you have a long path of computer certifications ahead of you, then it's a skill definitely worth acquiring.
On the next few pages are a few tips to get you started, and if you're looking for some more in-depth information there are a number of good books you can try HERE.
Next:
How to tackle huge computer books
How to improve your speed reading
