content: I disagree.  For the average person 800wpm is more than reasonable.  Don't underestimate your brain.    Do you know how much effort your brain puts in to understand and I intepret the visual data streaming through your eyes every second? It's absurd.  The biggest thing is how we're taught to read.  When most people read,  we have a "inner voice",  a voice that goes over everything that we say as if were speaking it in our head.  We're taught this way because it's the easiest way to teach it.  We speak before we read.  However it becomes limiting.  Eventually you can only read as fast as your inner voice believes it should be able to "speak".  You can not read faster than you think you should be able to.  Simply understand the content,  practice,  and you can go much,  much faster.    Of course though,  taking it slower will have a higher level of accuracy.  It's particularly noticeable with fiction or linear based books.  You can't fully visualize the scene or particulars if the story is already on the next scene.  Often times I'll "speed read" only when I'm in a hurry.    It took me about a couple years to get to about 900wpm with decent comprehension, but when studying or if I don't have a lot of time to devote to reading,  it's changed my life.  I've been able to study much more efficiently.