When you're reading for pleasure, it's always best to savor each and every word. But when you have to read and answer orally for a test like TOEFL, speed reading is a skill that can come in handy because you are required to read a short passage and then you will be asked questions based on what you have read. Increase Speed reading enables you to save time by reading faster while maintaining the same level of comprehension. The benefits of speed reading are immense, especially when you have to response immediately after reading a passage. Here are two things you can follow before doing TOEFL exercises:
Determine your baseline speed
Before working on TOEFL techniques, you need to determine how fast you can read. And also how fast you can absorb on what you had read. This will help your reading by making it easy to keep track of your progress. The passages in TOEFL oral part are only composed of 75 to 100 words but you will not have much time to think before you speak. Grab an ordinary book and calculate the number of words in the page by counting the number of words in the first five lines. With a stopwatch, set the time for exactly one minute and read at your regular pace. When the time is up, count the number of lines you've read per minute then you will know how fast you can read and know how good your reading ability is. .
Learn to adjust your speed accordingly
While practicing your reading skills, the most common mistake students make is to trade reading comprehension for speed. Sure, you've been able to increase speed reading, but speed reading techniques are useless if you do not understand what you read. The trick to maintaining your level of comprehension is to adjust your speed according to the text you are reading. Determine what kind of text you are reading and decide how fast you want to go. For example, in TOEFL oral passage could take various forms. For example it could be a bulletin from the administration of the university or a letter to the editor of the campus newspaper responding to a new university policy. In this kind of passages you need to take your time to understand the concepts. In general, speed up when you encounter familiar ideas, unnecessary explanations and examples, and restated ideas. Slow down when you come across unfamiliar terms, abstract concepts, or difficult sentences.