diff --git a/lib/linnaeus/classifier.rb b/lib/linnaeus/classifier.rb
index 89750cd..e32cd73 100644
--- a/lib/linnaeus/classifier.rb
+++ b/lib/linnaeus/classifier.rb
@@ -38,10 +38,10 @@ def classification_scores(text)
     scores = {}
 
     @db.get_categories.each do |category|
-      words_with_count_for_category = @db.get_words_with_count_for_category category
-      total_word_count_sum_for_category = words_with_count_for_category.values.reduce(0){|sum, count| sum += count.to_i}
+      total_word_count_sum_for_category = @db.get_total_word_count_for_category category
 
       scores[category] = 0
+      words_with_count_for_category = @db.fetch_scores_for_words(category, text.encode(@encoding).downcase.split)
       count_word_occurrences(text).each do |word, count|
         tmp_score = (words_with_count_for_category[word].nil?) ? 0.1 : words_with_count_for_category[word].to_i
         scores[category] += Math.log(tmp_score / total_word_count_sum_for_category.to_f)
diff --git a/lib/linnaeus/persistence.rb b/lib/linnaeus/persistence.rb
index fdd8f82..39520a6 100644
--- a/lib/linnaeus/persistence.rb
+++ b/lib/linnaeus/persistence.rb
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ def get_categories
     @redis.smembers category_collection_key
   end
 
-  # Get a list of words with their number of occurrences.
+  # Get a list of all words with their number of occurrences.
   # 
   # == Parameters
   # category::
@@ -76,6 +76,64 @@ def get_words_with_count_for_category(category)
     @redis.hgetall base_category_key + category
   end
 
+  # Get a list of words with their number of occurrences.
+  # 
+  # == Parameters
+  # category::
+  #   A string representing a category.
+  # 
+  # wordlist::
+  #   A list of words for which to fetch scores.
+  #
+  # == Returns
+  # A hash with the word counts for the requested words
+  def fetch_scores_for_words(category, wordlist)
+    Hash[wordlist.zip(@redis.pipelined do
+      wordlist.each do |word|
+        @redis.hget base_category_key + category, word
+      end
+    end)]
+  end
+
+  # Create or return the sum of all the word counts in
+  # this category
+  #
+  # == Parameters
+  # category::
+  #   A string representing a category.
+  #
+  # == Returns
+  # The sum of all word counts in this category
+  def get_total_word_count_for_category(category)
+    ret = @redis.get sum_key(category)
+    # create :total key for this category if it doesn't already exist
+    if !ret
+      words_with_count_for_category = get_words_with_count_for_category category
+      total_word_count_sum_for_category = words_with_count_for_category.values.reduce(0){|sum, count| sum += count.to_i}
+      @redis.set sum_key(category), total_word_count_sum_for_category
+    end
+    ret
+  end
+
+  # Get a list of words and their scores
+  #
+  # == Parameters
+  # category::
+  #   A string representing a category.
+  #
+  # wordlist::
+  #   A list of words to look up.
+  #
+  # == Returns
+  # A hash with the counts each word.
+  def fetch_scores_for_words(category, wordlist)
+    Hash[wordlist.zip(@redis.pipelined do
+      wordlist.each do |word|
+        @redis.hget base_category_key + category, word
+      end
+    end)]
+  end
+
   # Clear all training data from the backend.
   def clear_all_training_data
     @redis.flushdb
@@ -99,7 +157,10 @@ def clear_training_data
   #   A hash containing a count of the number of word occurences in a document
   def increment_word_counts_for_category(category, word_occurrences)
     word_occurrences.each do|word,count|
-      @redis.hincrby base_category_key + category, word, count
+      @redis.pipelined do
+        @redis.hincrby base_category_key + category, word, count
+        @redis.incrby sum_key(category), count
+      end   
     end
   end
 
@@ -112,7 +173,10 @@ def increment_word_counts_for_category(category, word_occurrences)
   #   A hash containing a count of the number of word occurences in a document
   def decrement_word_counts_for_category(category, word_occurrences)
     word_occurrences.each do|word,count|
-      @redis.hincrby base_category_key + category, word, - count
+      @redis.pipelined do
+        @redis.hincrby base_category_key + category, word, - count
+        @redis.incrby sum_key(category), - count
+      end
     end
   end
 
@@ -146,6 +210,12 @@ def base_category_key
     [ base_key, 'cat:' ].flatten.join(':')
   end
 
+  # The name for the key that holds the sum for all the words in
+  # a category.
+  def sum_key(category)
+    base_category_key + category + ':total'
+  end
+
   def base_key
     [ 'Linnaeus', @scope ].compact
   end
diff --git a/spec/linnaeus_classifier_spec.rb b/spec/linnaeus_classifier_spec.rb
index 63ccc6e..b75e69c 100644
--- a/spec/linnaeus_classifier_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/linnaeus_classifier_spec.rb
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
         { "movie"=>-6.272877006546167, "bird"=>-4.2626798770413155 }
       )
       subject.classification_scores('a directorial bird').should eq(
-        { "movie"=>-10.24316892009829, "bird"=>-10.827944847076676 }
+        { "movie"=>-12.545754013092335, "bird"=>-10.827944847076676 }
       )
     end
   end
diff --git a/spec/linnaeus_persistence_spec.rb b/spec/linnaeus_persistence_spec.rb
index b62bded..13c626a 100644
--- a/spec/linnaeus_persistence_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/linnaeus_persistence_spec.rb
@@ -14,9 +14,15 @@
   it 'sets keys properly with defaults' do
     lp2 = get_linnaeus_persistence
     train_a_document_in('foobar')
-    lp2.redis.keys('*').should match_array ['Linnaeus:category', 'Linnaeus:cat:foobar']
+    lp2.redis.keys('*').should match_array ['Linnaeus:category', 'Linnaeus:cat:foobar', 'Linnaeus:cat:foobar:total']
   end
 
+  it 'has the right totals' do
+    lp2 = get_linnaeus_persistence
+    train_a_document_in('foobar')
+    lp2.redis.get('Linnaeus:cat:foobar:total').should eq '5'
+  end 
+
   context "custom scopes" do
     it 'sets keys properly' do
       lp2 = get_linnaeus_persistence(scope: 'new-scope')
@@ -25,7 +31,7 @@
       train_a_document_in('foobar', scope: 'new-scope')
 
       lp2.redis.keys('*').should match_array [
-        'Linnaeus:new-scope:cat:foobar', 'Linnaeus:new-scope:category'
+        'Linnaeus:new-scope:cat:foobar', 'Linnaeus:new-scope:category', 'Linnaeus:new-scope:cat:foobar:total'
       ]
     end
 
@@ -40,13 +46,14 @@
 
       lp.redis.keys.should match_array [
         "Linnaeus:cat:foobar", "Linnaeus:category",
-        "Linnaeus:new-scope:cat:foobar", "Linnaeus:new-scope:category"
+        "Linnaeus:new-scope:cat:foobar", "Linnaeus:new-scope:category",
+        "Linnaeus:cat:foobar:total", "Linnaeus:new-scope:cat:foobar:total"
       ]
 
       lp2.clear_training_data
 
       lp.redis.keys.should match_array [
-        "Linnaeus:cat:foobar", "Linnaeus:category"
+        "Linnaeus:cat:foobar", "Linnaeus:category", "Linnaeus:cat:foobar:total"
       ]
     end