Calculating Reading Rate Which step should be second in calculating and applying your reading rate? Find a page from a book or magazine that is mostly text and a page from a book or a magazine that has less text. Set aside the full amount of time you will need to complete all your week's readings. Depending on whether your assigned readings for the week are mostly high-text or low-text, calculate your estimated time by multiplying your one-page time by the number of pages you must read. Time yourself reading both a high-text and a low-text page, writing down the time it took you for each. Count how many total pages you will have to read for your classes for the entire week.