Speed 1

So what do you need for indexing speed? I've compiled a list below. These factors are not based on some scientific study. They are merely my observations of being an indexer for several years.

Incredibly, there are a number of indexers that do NOT make the total cut in all areas below. The more you are lacking, the longer it will take to produce the same quality index.

This does not mean some indexers are lacking in brain power. It might simply mean they don't have the family situation that allows them to index as much as they would like to. Or the health. And so on.

So, what follows is INDEXLADY'S SPEED LIST.

1. Comprehension skills. If you don't immediately grasp what's being discussed, what terms need to be indexed, and how to phrase the entry, you will be slower than someone who instantaneously "gets" it. This doesn't mean you produce a lower quality of index. It simply means you do not work as fast as someone else.

You can find out your comprehension speed by taking aptitude tests, often given free of charge at the state employment agencies. If you have a medium range comprehension level, realize you can still index, but it will take you longer than someone who has "over-the-top" comprehension skills.

You can also get a handle on your comprehension skills when reading new material by analyzing how you learned index. If you didn't "get" it by reading books, this might be a weak area. The same skill that would enable you to read, comprehend completely, and learn about indexing is the same skill that will enable you to read and comprehend the books you index. It's the same identical skill!

This is why I worry about some new indexers who have to be "shown" how to index. They can't "get" it by reading. These ones will actually be indexing slower, since they don't have over-the- top comprehension skills. If they did have comprehension skills in excess, they would be able to just read about indexing, and completely understand it.

They will need to read books they aren't familiar with, and "get" the material in order to index it. There won't be someone to "show" them what that book is about.

I don't know if comprehension skill is innate, or if it can be improved. The agencies who administer tests can tell you.

2. Pattern recognition. By recognizing patterns in the

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