This study investigated the relationship between rate of information processing and critical reading and the anciallary effect of anxiety on the two variables. A tenth grade sample, consisting of 52 fast readers and 52 slow readers, was identified. All subjects in the sample had intelligence quotients of 120 or higher and vocabulary and comprehension scores above the median on a standardized reading test. A critical thinking appraisal was used to compare the performance of fast and slow readers under timed and untimed conditions. An anxiety scale was also administered in order to determine whether anxiety was more characteristic of fast or of slow readers and to identify subjects with levels of anxiety above or below the average range. The results indicated that fast readers achieved significantly higher critical reading scores than slow readers under timed and untimed conditions and maintained their superiority even when they were timed and slow readers were allowed unlimited time. The anxiety levels of the fast and slow groups were not significantly different, but the critical reading scores of subjects identified as low anxious were significantly higher than those identified as high anxious under both timed and untimed conditions. (Author/WR)