The traditional approach requires that you slowly read the text the first time. For most that is 8 to 16 hours depending on reading speed and number of pages. If you're studying, who's got that time? Okay,

Then you are supposed to read it again. This time faster but still reading, that would take you half the time 4 to 8 hours ... right so now you're up to 12 to 24 hours with the book.

Then you're supposed to speed read it. That would take you about half the time again... (yeah, that's the time recommended,)

So now with the traditional approach to spend 14 to 28 hours with a novel. Who does that? Essentially only one or two masters of the subject.

With PhotoReading you spend
4 to 10 minute with the book (including the purpose and preview step).

Then you activate in layers not just one sitting layers with breaks in between. I recommend twenty minute activations. (reason is another topic)

So when you do 6 20 minute activation layers you total 2 hours with the book. You might need 9 or 12 so that's 3 or 4 hours with the book plus let's say 10 minutes 4 hours and 10 minutes for a book that would at this point have taken you 24 hours to read.

Okay so you're a PhotoReader and have honed your superreading, skittering and rhythmic perusal skills and now rapid read the book and instead of 2 or 4 hours like with traditional reading you zip through it in 40 to 90 minutes.

For simplicity sake it compares like this.

First pass.
Traditionally correct approach v PhotoReading
16 hours .......... V............. 10 minutes

Second pass

8 hours ........... V 4 hours (assuming 12 activation layers)

3rd pass
4 hours ............. V 2 hours (why make it difficult?)
------------------------------------------------
Total time
28 hours ...........v 6 hours 10 minutes.

As you can see you can easily add more activation layers and still spend significantly less time with the book.

And let's just compare that to the first single read that most apply.

16 hours ............. V 6 hours 10 minutes.

Yes it is worth the effort of asking mind probing questions and activating a novel in layers if you need to critique the book.

Of course you may just want to read a book for enjoyment.

Well PhotoRead the book and use rapid reading. It's likely to take longer than the last rapid read of a book that has been activated in layers. 1/3rd the time seems to be the average time so just reading the book you will probably spend 5.5 hours with it instead of 16.

The thing is to develop your superreading, dipping, skittering and rhythmic perusal skills with activation layers. That's were you focus on reading with a purpose. It then becomes naturally easy to use when your purpose is "just to enjoy this book."

PhotoReading has helped me dump some really badly written novels right at the start.

Alex