SAT Exam -Develop your vocabulary
How to build your Vocabulary for the SAT Exam.
The SAT exam is an extremely important exam as the Universities use it as a gauge to evaluate students. it is very likely that your university will make it’s final decision based on your SAT score. Therefore, it is extremely important to ace this test.
Among the common problems students face while studying for the SAT is difficulty in building a good vocabulary. They try to cram their brains with a series of difficult words right before the exam, which only worsens their potential mark in the verbal part by confusing their minds.
In this article, we shall explore how to build a useful, and lasting vocabulary for the SAT exam. This article strives to point out that the art of building a vocabulary does not lie in last-minute cramming, but is indeed a pervasive process of continuous learning.
Most of the SAT preparation books will have a basic word list, which consists of those words that are most likely to appear on the exam – Good, consider the list your best friend. The basic word lists are quite comprehensive, and more than generously cover the vocabulary needed for the SAT. Stick to your word lists; they will form an integral part in your vocal-building process. However, it is pertinent to mention here that although exhaustive, the basic word list isn’t your foolproof guide to the SAT. Obviously, you need to catch up on the words you hear everyday, and learn them too. Or read in books and novels for that matter.
However, sticking to the basic word lists, now that we have something concrete in our hands, all we need to do is make the most of it. First, what you need to know is that building a good vocabulary isn’t an over-night process; it is a tedious process that requires you to return to your words lists for a small amount of time everyday. The key to building a good vocabulary is learning a few words everyday. You should start studying for your SAT at least six months in advance, and each day till the day of the exam, you should try to learn five to six words a day. It really helps to use them in your writing. That, way you will get a feel of the word in a sentence, and you will also be able to improve your writing skills.
Second, having learnt and written the words, you need to revisit them the next day, and the day after it. That way you will be able to commit these words to your long-term memory, and will be able to summon them whenever you want. It will help if you test yourself on the same words after a week. You will find that you have forgotten half of them if you tried to cram them early on.
Finally, it is very important to read. Novels, newspapers and magazines are filled with weighty words that are highly relevant to the SAT exams. While we read novels, our mind unconsciously processes the words, understanding the context behind them, and when we see the words again, our minds have a faint recollection for it that proves enough to solve the question. If you are not an avid reader, start reading now. It is never too late to start reading, and it is always beneficial.
So, if you employ these techniques in learning for your SAT, you will find that you can solve the majority of the questions that spring up on the SAT. Make these three rules your mantra: basic word list, frequent revisitation of words, and reading.
