Has anyone ever tried speed-reading?...

...and does it really work on something like University level textbooks?

Yes, but almost nothing goes in. Reading (text) has never been the easiest for me.

I'm pretty good at speed-reading, but it requires focus. It's much easier to do with a book you're interested in than a book you're not.

I speed-read as part of my job, but it's hard to stop once you start.

If you read for pleasure I don't recommend it.

When I was in jr high, the push was on to teach speed reading, but I resisted because I enjoy my reading. I'll read a particular paragraph twice before continuing, if I find it entertaining or enlightening.

I am, however, good at skimming for a particular passage, but I attribute that to my own training, and not to the Purdue University method which - like a lot of education in the 70s - was flawed and counter-productive.

Harmsway wrote:

I'm pretty good at speed-reading, but it requires focus. It's much easier to do with a book you're interested in than a book you're not.

Yep, that's it, the disinterest, whether intentional or not acts as an impediment...

I took speed reading in college.

I can take a Tom Clancy's Book (average 786-900 pages, hardcover) and finish it in about 3 hrs and still tell you what it was about, in detail.

my eyes are so quick now I can take any thread in this forum, scroll up and down the page through the posts and read them without stopping the scrolling.

I'm a law student who attempts to have a life outside of casebooks. It's a job requirement.

Did I mention I'm a law student?