I never tested my son before. My mom just accidentally heard him reading the words I wrote on the flashcards. That is when we knew that he can already recognize some words. That was just a month after I teach him to read.
I did not follow any rules or program before. When he is looking on pictures in a book, I will say what he is looking at and I will write the word and show it to him. Sometimes for ex., I will draw a kite and I will write the word ' kite' beside.
I don't know either how many times I already showed a particular word.
And it's amazing that he learns.
But I think following a program and using some educational materials are more productive too.
Every child is different. They also learn in different ways.
One day your baby will just surprise you that he already knows so many words.