5-day PhotoReading Test

by Pete Bissonette

For years I was the lead coach for people calling in with questions on PhotoReading activation. The biggest breakthroughs came when the student would do the 5-Day PhotoReading Test. It was so effective that we wrote it into the PhotoReading book and into the PhotoReading Results Supercharger DVD set. The general idea is to activate books in short bursts over several days instead of all at once. This releases pressure and allows the material to incubate in your mind.

Day 1

Select a nonfiction book in an area of interest that you do not have expertise. For easiest activation, the book should have 200 to 300 pages sprinkled with subheads and with chapters of about ten pages. Prepare and PhotoRead the book.

Day 2

Prepare and Preview for one to two minutes, and then PhotoRead the book again. Then super read and dip so that you get through the entire book in the 30 minutes. Do not worry about comprehension.

Day 3

Prepare and PhotoRead again. Then super read and dip through the book again so that you get through the entire book in 30 minutes. You should notice your comprehension increasing a bit.

Day 4

Prepare and PhotoRead again. Super read and dip (or skitter) the entire book at a pace to get you through the book in 30 minutes.

Day 5

Prepare and PhotoRead for the fifth time. Look at the Table of Contents and go to the sections from which you feel you need more information. Super read and dip or skitter to answer specific questions. Rapid read if you do not have specific questions but want more information. Save ten minutes at the end to mind map the book. Keep it simple, limiting the amount of detail. The goal is not to mind map the entire contents of the book, but to mind map the book as it relates to your purpose for choosing the book in the first place.

At this point you have spent two hours plus a bit and you should know everything you want to know. With some books you may choose to spend one or two more “Day 4s.” You should finish the book in one-third the time it would take to read the book in the traditional manner. Follow this process for a couple of books and you’ll find yourself finishing the book in two or three sessions. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Play with it. Try it for yourself.