What is Scanning? A Simple Guide To Scan Like A Pro
Scanning is a reading technique designed to locate specific information quickly without reading the entire text. Instead of going through every word, scanning involves visually searching a page or document for keywords, phrases, numbers, or other points of interest.
For example, you could be looking for a particular concept or maybe specific details, like an address, a date, or a number.
Scanning is helpful when looking for key details in books, articles, and more.
How Fast Can You Scan?
While there's no definitive "cap" on how fast you can scan, generally speaking you can scan substantially faster than you can read. The reason being, of course, that you're looking for very specific information, so less understanding is needed and more words can be skipped over.
You may even be able to find certain key points on the page that give you an idea of where the information is. For example, diagrams, headlines, bold text, lists, and so on.
Abby Beale, the author of 10 Days to Faster Reading, in conjunction with The Princeton Language Institute, states that scanning "can be done as quickly as 1,500 words per minute."
Comparing Scanning Speed To Your Reading Speed
Let's say for example that it would normally take you 1 minute to read the page. It would be totally normal to scan and find what you're looking for in 10 to 30 seconds.
Or, if we say you can normally read at 200 words per minute, we could say it's reasonable to scan through 400 to 1,200 words per minute. Note of course, that you're not necessarily "reading" every word or reading things fully.
Does Scanning Speed Increase With Increases In Reading Speed?
While increasing your reading speed can certainly help you increase your scanning speed, scanning speed does not necessarily scale linearly with reading speed. For example, if someone can read at 200 words per minute and scan at 800 words per minute, then increasing their reading speed to 400 words per minute doesn't necessarily mean they'll be able to scan at 1,600 words per minute.
Why Is Scanning Important for Readers?
Scanning helps you find important information. Whether you're studying, doing research, or simply gathering insights from a book, this skill allows you to find information either for the first time or that you've read before.
For example, you may be looking for information on a concept you read about. Or perhaps to help you answer a question. Or maybe to find a detail that you want to reference!
How Does Scanning Work?
When you scan, you're looking for key information in a book or some other content like this page. It starts by knowing what you're looking for, then having some idea of where to look for it.
Once you start, you want to look for key pieces of info. For example, if you know you're looking for a fact about sharks, and the chapter contains info on multiple different ocean creatures, you might start by looking for anything about sharks.
Once you know you're getting closer, you can start looking even more in-depth, slowing your speed a bit, but still looking for key pieces of info.
If you get stuck, you may want to start moving much more quickly again, as you may be in the wrong section, and looking around at more info could help you find it more quickly.
Practical Examples of Scanning
Scenario 1: Searching For The Date of An Event
You might be looking for a specific date of an event in a book, and could be scanning for dates, months, or numbers, all of which could indicate the date of the event. You could also be looking for information related to what the event was about or another related piece of information to that event.
Scenario 2: Finding Statistics
If you're looking for statistics, you're likely looking similarly to a date, as you may be scanning for any types of numbers or other key related concepts like "in one study" or "according to research." Numbers tend to stand out on a page, which usually makes them easier to find. If there are many numbers on a page though, it could be even harder to find with scanning than a text concept.
Scenario 3: Locating Concepts or Topics
You could be looking for a particular concept or topic, and in this instance are likely looking purely for text. As such, you could be looking for anything closely related to the concept or topic, or maybe something you know is related and possibly nearby. For example, if a concept came after a story, you may be on the lookout of details of the story as well, which would indicate you may be or are probably close by.
What Makes Scanning Easy?
Scanning is easier when what you're looking is something that stands out, like looking for the number 1,034 in a page that only contains text besides that one number. The same is true for dates and phone numbers. Certain concepts may also be easier to find based on how much importance they have on the page, including how much they're talked about, if they're referenced in headlines, bolded, and so on.
What Makes Scanning Hard?
Scanning is harder when there is a lot of similar information to what you're looking for. For example, if you're looking for the number 505, but the page contains a lot of other numbers, that will likely make it take more time for you to find the number. The same is of course true for dates and addresses as well.
Common Challenges When Scanning
Although scanning can help you find important information quickly, there are some factors that make it more challenging. Here’s how to overcome obstacles:
- Too Much Similar Text: If you're looking through text with a lot of similar information, try looking for ditinguishing factors that make it easier to find what you're looking for.
- Difficulty Staying Focused: If you're having difficulty staying focused, try using more of a sweeping approach, where you gaze over portions of text faster with less attention to detail about exactly what's there.
- Lack of Practice: Like any skill, practice will make scanning faster and more effective over time.
- Slow Reading Speed: Of course, the more you train your reading speed, the easier scanning can become. Get our free speedreading training here.
Key Takeaways
- Scanning is an essential skill for readers looking to find specific information in books, articles, and text in general quickly.
- The technique generally involves knowing what you're searching for, taking note of visual cues, looking for related information, and skipping irrelevant information.
- Start practicing today by defining your goal, using visual clues, looking for related information, and training your eyes to move efficiently across the page.
Keep these things in mind when you're scanning and you should do quite well. Remember it takes practice.
Want to take your reading skills even further? Reading doesn't have to be a struggle, it can be something you get better and better at with time! Check out our free reading training below: