I've done the 5-day test...over the course of a couple of months. I use photoreading for every new book I pick up, and have used it expecting it to work. As far as I can tell, though, it hasn't.

I recently tried the "system" without the photoreading step, which is pretty much the same as any multiple-pass system taught in standard speed reading literature, and have not noticed any difference whatsoever between doing the multiple passes, and including the photoreading step.

I have been pretty meticulous in following the directions, too. (I have the book, not the course, by the way.) If I have only one book to photoread, I include a postviewing after photoreading, then let it all incubate over night. If I have more than one book to photoread, though, I generally just do a preview of the books, then photoread each one, and let them all incubate overnight.

I have no problem relaxing, or acquiring the blip page.

I activate between one and three books a week.

Comments/suggestions welcome.

J.

[This message has been edited by jl3goat (edited August 04, 2005).]

Talk about your purpose. Mind Probing questions. How many activation passes. How long it took for the book to gel.

As such there isn't much to comment on.

Alex

Jl3goat;
I have to disagree with you. You say you have been meticulous about following the directions. The reason i disagree with you about being meticulous about following the directions is because you post says nothing about your purpose. Nada not one word about what your purpose was and nothing about what you wanted to get from the book. Also you mentioned nothing about mind-probing questions and searching for answers to mind-probing questions. You really can't blame Photoreading if you are not even using the techniques & you definitely were not using the techniques when you don't even include one of the most critical, important techniques of all your purpose.
Photoread4me

<<You really can't blame Photoreading if you are not even using the techniques & you definitely were not using the techniques when you don't even include one of the most critical, important techniques of all your purpose.>>

I realize this is important, and in fact I do not neglect this step. My purpose, of course, varies with the material. If I'm reading something for school, for instance, the purpose I articulate will be to read and understand the text well enough to teach it and if necessary generate class discussion. If, on the other hand, I am reading, say, a self-improvement book, my purpose will be to understand the ideas well enough to use them and apply them in my own life. And so on.

I ask (or jot down) mind-probing questions, usually at the same time I note (or jot down) keywords, sometimes during the preview if I am doing a longer preview (and no postview). Stating a purpose and asking questions and looking for keywords are not particularly mysterious to me, as I do this when I preview a text prior to reading (or speedreading) normally.

I didn't mean to imply that the technique wasn't working at all. After quite a bit of practice, though, I honestly cannot say it is any more effective than standard, multiple-pass speedreading techniques I have used.

One other detail that may or may not be significant--about half the time use the X technique instead of the blip page. And I chant as per the directions in the book while I flip the pages.

You haven't mentioned How much time you've spent with the book, How many activation passes or how long each activation pass is.

Also how many books do you PhotoRead in a week and how many books have you PhotoRead all up?

Alex

I never timed myself, but I would say that I am spending 3-4 hours with the books I actually activate, and I make one or two passes, depending on whether I've gotten what I want out of them the first time around. I superread and dip; I don't skitter.

Currently I am only photoreading a couple of books a week, but in the previous two months I was photoreading between 3 and 5 books a day, and activating a book or two a week, sometimes 3 (but usually not).

[This message has been edited by jl3goat (edited August 08, 2005).]

"If I'm reading something for school, for instance, the purpose I articulate will be to read and understand the text well enough to teach it and if necessary generate class discussion." I can see why you are having problems. To me that is not a purpose. It is too general. You need to be very specific as to what you want. Speaking of specific; be specific with us give us a book you used for school the name of the book and what your purpose was for the book. If you used the above mentioned so called purpose i can see why you are having problems your mind needs to know what you want to accomplish.
Photoread4me

You're not applying the 5 day test.

Each pass is no longer than 30 minutes. There is a reason for that. And you should be doing abbout 4 passes for 2 hours worth of activation if you are following the five day test.

The reason you do activation in 30 minute blocks.

• To recheck your purpose. Has it changed?
• To incubate some more (five minutes makes a world fo difference
• To avoid the trap of traditional passive reading.

If you're only doing one maybe 2 passes and spending 3 to 4 hours you're not applying the 5 day test. You are not taking enough breaks and and that will slow you down. You are spending more time passive reading than activating.

I suggest you set a timer at the start and start learning to use the system as outlined in the 5 day test.

Alex

<<Each pass is no longer than 30 minutes.>>

I don't spend more than 30 minutes at a sitting with the book. Are you saying, though, that I should go through the WHOLE book in 30 minutes? And then again? And again? And again? If so, I'll give this a try.

Incidentally, I failed to mention that I do go through the material an additional time, after the superreading stage, to mind map the material if there is stuff that I really need to remember.

<<There is a reason for that. And you should be doing abbout 4 passes for 2 hours worth of activation if you are following the five day test.>>

I see. But if the total time is the same, and my final comprehension of the material is good, then really what difference does it make? I'll try the 4-pass method per your directions (which, by the way, I don't see in the book), but from what I've read, Photoreading doesn't promise better results than what I've been getting. Remember, I'm not saying it doesn't work at all, just that it isn't giving superior results to standard speedreading.

John

Page 77 of the book has the procedure for the 5 day test. Specific instructions for each day. The break of a day is intentional. It allows the mind to incubate and process. It's actually the ideal approach to a difficult subject. Each day you spend no more than 30 minutes with the book.

Now it's not always feasable to have a days break and it is permissible to do all the days in a day or two. However if you are following the steps correctly if you're following the steps you need do the breaks.

You might want to see my test/experiement report where I went through a book that would normally have taken me in excess of 20 hours.
That is based on the 5 day test approach.

heres the link http://www.learningstrategies.com/forum/ubb/Forum8/HTML/002346.html

Like it or not after 30 minutes your reading rate will slow down whether superreading and dipping or tradional readning and even speed reading. That isn't a PhotoReading phenomena it's a function of the brain. Thats why ewhen studing one should try to keep it down to blocks of 30 minutes and less. Take at least a 5 minute stretch break. Brain Gym exercises at that point make the world of difference as well as having a drink of water.

The instructions only requires you to go through the book in 30 minutes the first time. The other activation passes are, go where the answers are as needed.

Alex

Gotcha. I'll give it a shot. I WILL get it!
Thanks for the feedback.

J.