I think you can absolutely use photoreading to help you with this even if mastery isn't 100%. At the very least, you can photoread book every day. This should only take a few minutes, and as you'll be studying frequently, this will count as activation.
When I first began, I would photoread books that I then would read normally. Comprehension was much easier, almost like reading a book I'd already read. Don't put pressure on yourself now to do all steps perfectly, just get the text book in your inner mind by photoreading daily. Also, believe that it works; this is helpful.
This is very good counsel!!
