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Cover of The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker

Book · Non-fiction, memoir and self-help

The Blank Slate

by Steven Pinker

Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start The Blank Slate, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.

Pages
856
Reading time
≈ 15 h 30 min
Checkpoints
24
Genre
Non-fiction
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Free on iPhone and Android.

How long does it take to read The Blank Slate?

At 856 pages, The Blank Slate is a doorstopper. Expect about 15 hours 30 minutes of reading to finish it, based on 250 words per page and an average reading speed of 230 words per minute. A fast reader will go quicker; a careful read (or reading in a second language) will take longer.

At 30 minutes a day, that is about 31 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 12 reading days. For a book of this length (600 pages or more), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 6.4 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).

Reading days to finish it
30 minutes a day31 days
Vread median pace (72 pp./day)12 days

Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.

Prove you read it

The Vread challenge: 24 checkpoints

  1. Checkpoint 1, page 36
  2. Checkpoint 2, page 71
  3. Checkpoint 3, page 107
  4. Checkpoint 4, page 143
  5. Checkpoint 5, page 178
  6. Checkpoint 6, page 214
  7. Checkpoint 7, page 250
  8. Checkpoint 8, page 285
  9. Checkpoint 9, page 321
  10. Checkpoint 10, page 357
  11. Checkpoint 11, page 392
  12. Checkpoint 12, page 428
  13. Checkpoint 13, page 464
  14. Checkpoint 14, page 499
  15. Checkpoint 15, page 535
  16. Checkpoint 16, page 571
  17. Checkpoint 17, page 606
  18. Checkpoint 18, page 642
  19. Checkpoint 19, page 678
  20. Checkpoint 20, page 713
  21. Checkpoint 21, page 749
  22. Checkpoint 22, page 785
  23. Checkpoint 23, page 820
  24. Checkpoint 24, page 856

In Vread, The Blank Slate is split into 24 checkpoints, one every 36 pages or so. At each checkpoint, a question covers the passage you have just read: a correct answer validates the step, and your progress moves forward like a training plan.

The challenge: validate all 24 checkpoints through to the last page. No giant quiz at the end, no summary to copy out: short questions along the way that prove the book was actually read. It also works as a reading quiz to check your understanding before a test.

Also available in French on Vread.

Illustrative example

Checkpoint 1/24pp. 1–36

What a checkpoint looks like

A short, precise question about the pages you have just read: a character, a place, a choice.

The answer is in the text: reply in the app.

This is not a question from The Blank Slate: to avoid spoilers, the real questions stay in the app.

Answer in the app, one checkpoint at a time.

Summary, quiz, reviews: frequently asked questions

How many pages is The Blank Slate?
The edition listed on Vread has 856 pages. The exact count varies by edition (paperback, hardback, ebook).
How long does it take to read The Blank Slate?
About 15 hours 30 minutes of reading, or 31 days at 30 minutes a day.
Is there a quiz on The Blank Slate?
Yes: the Vread app has 24 reading questions on The Blank Slate, one per checkpoint, unlocked as you read.
Where can I find a summary of The Blank Slate?
Vread does not publish summaries: the app supports reading the book itself, part by part. Checkpoint questions cover what you have just read, which makes them a good way to check you did not miss anything.

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Read The Blank Slate with Vread

Add the book to your library, read at your own pace in whatever format you use, and validate each checkpoint. Vread is free on iPhone and Android.

Take the challenge

Written by Vread from its catalogue data (page count of the listed edition, checkpoints, ratings aggregated from 10 ratings). No summary or publisher text is reproduced. Reading times are estimates; see the method in the Vread Reading Barometer (in French).