Photograph by A.P. Cortizas Jr.
This tip for improving your SAT score was provided by Jake Davidson at Veritas Prep.
The
vocabulary aspect of the SAT is one of the test’s most polarizing
characteristics. Some students love that there is a portion of the SAT
that they can prepare for by simply memorizing words. Other students
dislike memorizing and get overwhelmed by the sheer number of words they
have to learn to excel on the completing-sentences portion.Whatever the case, learning vocabulary is very important to succeed on the SAT. There are 19 vocab-specific questions on the SAT, testing you on a range of 95 to 190 words. With no way to predict which words will be on the test, many students study the most common 600 or 700 to best prepare.
While this is a good strategy, certain words show up more than others on the SAT, and they are very important to know. Here are some of the most common.
Capricious. For some reason, this word is on the SAT a lot. Synonyms for
capricious include whimsical or spontaneous, and the word is generally used to describe someone’s actions or behavior. Not only does it appear often on the SAT; it generally tends to be right. While this doesn’t mean to automatically bubble in capricious every time you see it, it’s a very good word to know.
Ephemeral. This word means fleeting or lasting for a very short time. A majority of the time, this will describe a feeling or sensation.
Venerate. This word means to respect or revere someone. It generally comes in this form, but occasionally someone can be described as venerable. Look for this word when the test is discussing leaders, politicians, or other authority figures.
Hackneyed. This is a personal favorite, and it’s one that is also fun to throw around in casual conversation. Synonyms for hackneyed include trite, commonplace, and even over-used. Since it is a rare word used infrequently in conversation, it trips a lot of people up on the SAT. This is definitely a word to study because it would be pretty difficult to derive the meaning of the word just from its sound.
Ostentatious. This is basically describing a showoff, someone who likes to flaunt wealth through possessions or other material goods. For some reason, the SAT loves to throw this one in, so the best way to remember it is to associate it with the word showoff.
Ambivalent. The SAT is certainly not ambivalent about this word. The test-makers love it. Ambivalent is understood to mean having mixed feelings about something or someone. For instance, you can be ambivalent about political leaders or certain policies, liking one thing they do while hating another.
These are just a few of the many words that appear on the SAT. A spot on this list does not guarantee that the word will appear on the test’s next version. However, there is a high likelihood that at least a few of these words will be there. It can’t hurt to learn them, as well as to take time each day to memorize other words, too. Vocabulary can have a tremendous impact on your score. If you spend time each day, it will pay off in the end.
Plan on taking the SAT soon? Take advantage of Veritas Prep’s free SAT resources, including free SAT video lessons.
No comments:
Post a Comment