The SAT is required part of most college applications. How well you score may determine whether or not you get into a college and how much scholarship money you can get. The vocabulary portion of the test intimidates many students, but with some strategic study sessions, it shouldn't be too difficult to score well.
Building Vocabulary
You should start building your vocabulary long before you start studying for the SATs. When reading or studying, it's a good idea to keep a notebook close by to write down words you're unfamiliar with. Later, look these words up in the dictionary. You should also make note of words you see over and over in textbooks or hear during teachers' lectures.
Learning in Parts
You don't have to study every word in the English language to prepare for the SAT vocabulary test. Most words consist of a combination of a root, prefix or suffix, so if you study the meanings of common root words, prefixes and suffixes, you may be able to deduce meanings of words you don't know.
For example, a root word like "act" can have a number of prefixes and suffixes. If you know that the prefix "re-" means over again and that the suffix "-ion" is used to turn verbs into nouns, you will probably be able to guess what the words "react" and "action" mean, even if you didn't study those words specifically.
Practice
The most valuable resource you can have while you prepare for the SATs is a study booklet. You can get tips about what taking the test will be like and take practice tests in a book or online. These practice resources will also provide you with a list of high-frequency words, which are words that show up year after year on the SAT vocabulary test. If you study these high-frequency words, you can be ensured of being familiar with at least some of the vocabulary words on the test. Don't worry about memorizing the definitions word for word. The meanings of the words will stick with you much easier if you put the definitions in your own words so that they are easy for you to understand.
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