If you’re a medical student, you know what it’s like to be faced with stacks of texts to get through – by tomorrow morning, please. (And if you have a friend who’s a medical student, you still know what it’s like, because they’re probably always complaining about how much reading they have to do.) Gigantic 800-page volumes of obscure and jargon-laden text is a med school student’s most common nightmare.
Reading faster is really the only way you can conquer your daily reading assignments and efficiently study for your upcoming quizzes and exams.
Less frustration, more results
Reading is essential. Time is valuable. Being a medical student you already know that you sometimes have the choice between taking the time to read and learn, and having free time but running the risk of failing a test or class. But it doesn’t have to be that way, you know.
By increasing your reading speed rate with strategies that eliminate subvocalization, for instance, you can read more texts in less time that before, and still get all the main points of what you read.
The average person reads about 200 to 300 words per minute. A speed reader can as much as triple that rate without sacrificing comprehension and information retention. Now, imagine reading a whole book in 2 hours instead of 6 hours. It’s a lot more efficient, and in the long run it will help you learn more, achieve more, and enjoy more!
Succeeding as a medical student means effectively handling your stress levels, and with speed reading you can keep them under control. You’ll be able to relax, knowing you can efficiently read text of any length, even if it has been assigned at the last minute.
More knowledge in less time
That’s ultimately our goal in this information-centred society, isn’t it? To keep abreast of all the developments. In the medical field, this is even more important, as technology and new discoveries change treatment options and techniques on an almost daily basis.
That’s one reason why FOMO, or the fear of missing out, doesn’t solely pertain to social events and cultural practices. You know that there’s always someone else in your class who spends all day studying, and studying, and studying, while you’re taking a 1-hour break for some yoga. Even if your body appreciates the break, you might not be getting the full satisfaction out of your yoga session, if all you can do is worry that you shouldn’t be on your mat, but in the library studying your 956-page book on embryology.
By improving your reading speed through simple hacks (such as using your index finger to navigate your eyes to read faster) and learning how to mute that voice in your head that sounds out what you’re reading, you will instantly become more efficient, and that will give you the extra time you need.
As a result of even a few hours of speed reading study, you’ll know how to acquire more knowledge in less time. What this means for your social life … is that you actually get to have one.
Effective strategic learning
No matter how fascinating you find the topic, molecular cell biology is only so much fun. There will be classes and books you will struggle with. They will be uninteresting, written in a very dry, jargon-y way, and will probably make you hate yourself for even thinking about going to med school in the first place.
Speed reading can be a lifesaver. If you always assumed that the only thing it would give you is speed, think again. When you know the tricks, you’ll also be improving your comprehension of what you read. Here’s why: one aspect of speed reading is learning to be selective about what you speed read, and what you don’t.
For instance, going over a chapter on arthritic joints that contains information you’ve read in another book gives you the opportunity to speed read it, and only slow down where new information or new perspectives are presented.
Ultimately, speed reading is about optimizing your reading rate. You need to adapt your reading speed to the demands of, and your familiarity with, what you read.
Be on top of new developments – and your own curriculum
An extra bonus that most people forget about when it comes to speed reading is the ability it gives you to succeed. When you’ve got the extra time and the reading skills to get through all of the latest journal articles in your chosen field, you’ll already be miles ahead of the competition, and a better practitioner in the end. While you’re in school, your success comes in part from your ability to manage your study load in a way that doesn’t overwhelm you – and speed reading does that, too.
Programs like 7 Speed Reading™ help you eliminate bad reading habits and learn strategies to read faster while respecting the time it takes to process and understand new information. Becoming a speed reader isn’t about indiscriminately speed reading everything that comes your way. It’s simply a strategy to learn more in less time, and still have the time to enjoy student life.
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