Immersing yourself in a high-level research project is an exciting and challenging opportunity. It often involves navigating large volumes of complex, detailed material — journal articles, case studies, data sets, and historical records — and determining what’s most relevant to your work. Success depends not only on how much you read, but on your ability to think critically, synthesize ideas, and apply what you’ve learned to make meaningful contributions.
Why Efficient Reading Matters
The exposure and experience of the research you do can shape your future studies and even your career. The reading skills you acquire can positively impact your 'experience' of these as well. Working through scholarly articles and dense background literature requires tremendous focus. Without effective strategies, even the most capable students risk burnout, slower progress, and missed opportunities to fully engage with the work.
To excel, you need more than just “regular” reading. You need strategic reading — the ability to digest information quickly, understand it deeply, apply it effectively, and locate it later for verification or deeper analysis.
Speed-Reading vs. Skimming
Many people mistakenly assume that reading faster means skimming, but speed-reading is fundamentally different.
· Skimming is surface-level, where you glance through material quickly, often missing key details and deeper meaning.
· Speed-reading is structured and intentional, allowing you to move through text rapidly while maintaining comprehension and retention.
True speed-reading employs techniques to expand your field of vision, sharpen focus, and train your brain to process words and ideas more efficiently. It’s about reading with purpose, knowing when to slow down for complex material and when to move more quickly through supporting details. It's a masterful blend of intention and physical activity, and when done right, efficient reading saves time and reduces frustration.
Imagine being able to quickly identify the most relevant information in multiple research papers. A skilled researcher knows exactly where a crucial statistic or quote appears and can return to it with ease. A RISE participant, for instance, might cover ten journal articles in an evening instead of two.
The benefits don’t stop there. Improving your reading skills now will also help you excel in school, on standardized tests, and in your future profession — especially in fields like law, medicine, business, and public policy, where processing large volumes of information is essential.
Why Efficient Reading Belongs in Your Test Prep Plan
At City Test Prep, we’ve seen how essential efficient reading is when preparing for standardized tests. Timed reading sections are challenging and require you to read quickly and accurately under pressure.
If a student reads fewer than 300 words per minute, improving speed becomes a key part of their preparation with us. Even strong readers sometimes struggle to finish on time or make avoidable mistakes without a clear strategy. By learning to read strategically and manage pacing, students are equipped to master both the essay content and the clock — a skill that benefits researchers, students, and test takers alike.
Reading Smarter, Not Harder
Most of us are never taught how to read efficiently. Many believe that faster reading sacrifices comprehension, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. With the right techniques and regular practice, you can read up to five times faster without losing understanding, and achieve an average of 28% improvement on comprehension.
MindFlow Speed Reading, City Test Prep’s innovative online platform, was designed with students, researchers, and test takers in mind. It trains you to read deeply while remembering where key information appears, so you can easily return to it later. This skill is invaluable whether you’re writing a research paper, answering test questions, or analyzing data for a project.
The goal isn’t to rush through pages but to read with strategy and intention, transforming the way you already read. With practice, you’ll find reading becomes more focused, less stressful, and far more effective — empowering you to thrive in high-pressure academic and professional settings.
Discover Your Reading Speed
Do you know how fast you currently read? Most people don’t — and knowing your baseline is the first step to meaningful improvement.
Take a free, quick assessment here: MindFlow Speed Reading Assessment.
Once you know where you stand, you can decide if you want to improve your reading or not. MindFlow will track your progress and help you build skills that will serve you in your research project, in school, on standardized tests, and throughout your career. Use coupon code RISERES25 to save on your MindFlow subscription when you’re ready to level up your reading speed and comprehension
Final Thoughts
For RISE participants and other students balancing demanding academic workloads, efficient reading isn’t just a helpful skill — it’s essential. It enables you to read more in less time, improve comprehension, and reduce stress. These abilities will help you succeed on your RISE assignment, as well as give you a powerful advantage academically and beyond.
Bara Sapir, MA is the Founder and CEO of MindFlow Speed Reading, a mindful EdTech platform that helps students read up to 5x faster with 28% greater comprehension and focus. She also leads City Test Prep, a boutique test prep company that combines strategy, content mastery, and mindset tools to help students excel on high-stakes exams like the SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, and MCAT. She lives with her three rescue dogs, who inspire her daily commitment to compassion and action. bara@citytestprep.com
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