SRSΒ Reading & Comprehension Test
- to gauge your reading speed and comprehension
Step 1: Get Ready to Take Your Test
Below you'll find a PDF document (1,025 words)Β you can print and use to measure your reading speed today.
I always tell my students to print the text and read it on paper. You'll get a more accurate picture of your speed that way than you will off a screen.
Timing your reading.
Use the stopwatch above. Start it only when you're ready, and keep a pen handy to write down your time the moment you finish.
What comes next.
Once you've read the text, you'll find the comprehension quiz in a pop-up form below β five questions that show you how much you actually retained.
Do these three steps in order and you'll walk away with a clean, honest measure of two things: how fast you read, and how much of it you held on to.
STEP 1: Download your SRS Reading TextStep 2: What Was Your Comprehension?
To see how much of the text you actually took in, open the form below and answer the five comprehension questions. You'll also find a couple of short questions about these free pages β your answers there help me make them better.Β
Step 3: How Fast Did You Read?
Every reading text shows its word count in brackets after its name β for example, Evelyn Wood (1,025) means the passage is 1,025 words long.
Take that number and the reading time you wrote down, in minutes and seconds, and enter both in the form below.Β It works out your words per minute for you.
Your Reading Speed:
β WPMHave you tried this yet?
You now know your WPM speed in your test:Β The 5-Minute SRS Reading Diagnosticβ’Β - tells you what to do with it β and whether speed is even the right thing to focus on first.
Not sure where your reading is right now? Five minutes, twelve questions. The diagnostic tells you exactly where you stand β and what to do next.
Already know your reading profile?Β
Jump straight to the path that fits you.
Free β Start Here
- β All Free SRS Reading Tools, Tests & Exercises β SRSTips.com
- β Free β 60-Second SRS Speed Reading Exercise
Ready to Go Further?
- β Speed Reading Simplified for Beginners β "Best if you want to understand the full methodology before you commit to anything" β $3.97 on Amazon
- β SRS Starter Kit β "Best if you want to start building the habit today, at your own pace" β $47
- β 1:1 Private Coaching β "Best if you've tried before and stalled, or if you need results within a specific timeframe"
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Q:Β What is this stopwatch for β can't I just use my phone timer?
A: You can, but this one is built specifically for this particular reading session. When you pause it, it automatically offers to send your time straight to the Reading Speed WPM CalculatorΒ on this page, so you skip the mental arithmetic entirely. Your phone timer makes you write the number down, convert it yourself, and navigate off somewhere else to work out your WPM. For a serious reading test removing those small friction points gives you a cleaner, more accurate result - all within one page - and one less reason to put it off.
Q: How do I use this stopwatch to time my reading test?
A: Start the timer only when you are genuinely ready to read β not a moment before. Keep a pen or pencil within reach so you can mark where you finish the instant the reading ends. If you need to stop partway, use the Pause button rather than resetting; the stopwatch holds your accumulated time accurately rather than drifting, so your final number stays reliable. When you finish and pause, the "Lock in Reading Time" button appears automatically. One click carries your recorded time directly into the Reading Speed WPM Calculator, with no manual entry.
Q: What is a normal reading speed, and what does my result actually mean?
A: The research-cited average for an adult reading non-fiction silently sits around 200β250 words per minute. Engaged professional readers who have never done structured speed work usually land between 250 and 350. A trained reader holding above 400 WPM with stable comprehension is performing well above average. But what your number really tells you is where your reading is set right now β not where it is capable of going. Most of my students find their baseline is lower than they expected. That is useful information, not a verdict, and certainly not a ceiling. It is simply the starting line you measure everything else against.
Q: How do I calculate my words per minute from my stopwatch time?
A: This is done for you within the page. When you have answered the 5-Question Comprehension Quiz, you will find your words per minute already calculated below the Quiz form. You can always do this by hand by finding the word count printed beside the name of the test you just completed β every SRS test shows this in brackets, here Evelyn Wood (1,025). Note your time in minutes and seconds from the stopwatch. Then either click βLock in Reading Timeβ when you pause β and it pre-fills your time for you β or scroll below and enter both numbers yourself. The calculator does the arithmetic instantly and returns your WPM.Β
Q: What should I do after I get my reading speed result?
A: Your first step on the page is timing your reading. The next step is the comprehension quiz β because a speed number on its own only tells you half of what happened, and the quiz tells you the other half. Once you have both your speed and your comprehension score, only then do you scroll down to see your WPM, and you have a real picture of where you actually stand. Write both of these numbers down: your Test WPM and your Test Comprehension. From there, the 10-Day SRS Starter Kit is the structured first step: one core exercise, four or five short sessions a day, a baseline test at the start and a re-test at the end β so you measure the change yourself rather than take my word for it.
Q: Why does this test measure comprehension and not just speed?
A: Because a fast speed on its own tells you very little. As I put it further up the page, reading quickly without understanding is page-turning, not reading β and I would never want you chasing a number that did not come with understanding attached. The five-question quiz in Step 2 is there to keep you honest: it shows how much of the passage you actually held on to, so your speed result means something rather than nothing.
Q: What do the five comprehension questions actually measure?
A: Retention β plainly, how much of the 1,025-word passage stayed with you once you put it down. They are not a school exam, and there is no grade attached. What I want them to show you is whether you took the meaning in, or whether your eyes moved over the words while your attention was elsewhere. Pair that score with your WPM and you have an honest two-part picture rather than half the story.
Q: Is speed reading legitimate, or does comprehension fall apart once you read faster?
A: It is legitimate when comprehension holds β and that is precisely why this page measures both. The fear people are right to have is trading understanding for a bigger number. A trained reader holding above 400 words a minute with stable comprehension is performing genuinely well; someone hitting the same speed with their comprehension in tatters is just turning pages faster. Test the two together and you will see at once which one you are doing.
Q: What if my comprehension score comes back lower than I expected?
A: Treat it as information, not a verdict β most of my students find their baseline sits lower than they expected, and that is the useful part. A low comprehension score usually means one of two things to me: either the reading speed is too low, so focus, retention and attention are not firing correctly while you read; or, if you are already above 400, the retention- and comprehension-specific steps I teach are not being used correctly yet. If you are unsure where to start, the free 5-Minute SRS Reading Diagnostic is built for exactly this: it tells you where your reading stands and whether speed is even the right focus yet.
Q: Can I improve my reading speed and comprehension at the same time?
A: Yes and no β I know, the two are meant to move together, not at each other's expense. But in the first week of any good speed reading training, you need to work on speed only. You will hamper your results if you chase comprehension in the first 7β10 days. What actually happens is this: because you let your reading speed improve β closing the gap toward 400 words per minute β your focus while reading gradually sharpens, and your retention and comprehension improve within that first week without you ever trying to improve them. I know this because I see it again and again with my students. In the week 1 and week 2 tests, in session with me, the majority keep the same comprehension or improve it; and the ones whose comprehension has dropped β answering maybe 20β40% lower β are now reading two, three, even four times faster. That changes their options entirely: they can now read dense, difficult texts twice, three times, four times over, again and again, and deepen their knowledge of that text each time. That is an option you want for your own reading. The only honest way to prove it to yourself is to measure. The 10-Day SRS Starter Kit builds around one core exercise in four or five short daily sessions, with a baseline test at the start and a re-test at the end, so you watch both your speed and your comprehension shift rather than take my word for it.
Q: Does it matter whether I take the test on paper or on screen?
A: It matters more than most people expect. Paper removes every visual distraction the browser introduces and more closely matches the conditions under which your reading habits were formed β and in my experience, paper usually wins out, every time. But screen reading is a large part of modern professional life, and with the right settings you can get close to your paper number. In the SRS Starter Kit and my Coaching Programmes you get to choose whether to test on screen or on paper; both options are available for every test you have access to within the programme. Keep in mind that if you are testing on screen, use your browser's reading mode β F9 in Edge or Firefox, Reader View in Opera or Vivaldi β to strip away the navigation and formatting clutter. What matters most is consistency: test the same way every time, so your results across sessions are genuinely comparable rather than quietly measuring the difference between your screen and your kitchen table. The exercise I actually recommend is to test both β once on paper, once on screen β so you know your two numbers and which surface you're being measured on.
Q: Is this comprehension test free, and can I retake it to track myself over time?
A: It is free, and yes β re-testing is the point. The one rule that keeps repeat results honest is consistency: read the same way each time, same surface, same conditions, so you are measuring your reading and not the difference between two settings. Note both numbers each time. Watching your WPM and your comprehension score move together across sessions tells you far more than any single result on its own. Keep in mind that when you retake the test, another factor comes into play: how much you remember from the last time you read the text and answered the questions. If you do this in short intervals or very often, that factor can change the results. Within the SRS Starter Kit you get access to new tests, and within my Coaching Programmes you have access to 4β12 weekly tests, so you never have to worry about this factor during your reading and comprehension testing.
Still not sure where to start?Β
$47Β ONLINE COURSE:
The Definitive Guide to Your First 10 Days in Speed Reading
Ten days, one exercise, a novel you already know. I take you through a pencil-paced reading drill in four or five short sessions a day β with a baseline test at the start and a re-test at the end, so you can measure the change yourself rather than take my word for it.
LIVE - 3rd Ed. Revised and Updated:
Speed Reading Simplified for beginners - Amazon.com
How You Can Double Your Reading Speed With an 8 Minute Exercise! - Along with 7 Bad Reading Habits & 7 Common Misconceptions People Have About Reading! Plus, a New Chapter on How AI Can Help You Improve Your Reading Habits, and a 14-day Exercise Plan.
1:1 ONLINE PRIVATE COACHING:
Your #1 Speed Reading Coach!
I have a very simple goal during each session! - To give you simple & easy to replicate steps to improve your reading skills and help you not only enjoy your reading a lot more - but to give you all the tools you need to achieve the result you want in your demanding studies or workplace!