Studying Vocab for the SAT/ACT
Vocabulary for the SAT & ACT
As tutors and educators, vocabulary is tricky to tutor because we don’t know what specific vocabulary will be tested, which is unlike other topics. We know, for instance, that there will be 4 trig problems on the ACT. We know the SAT will use a colon in a situation that isn’t “before a list.” We just don’t know what vocabulary words our students will see.
Sometimes they are actually easy words. I remember the word “out” was on an ACT test several years ago. The question, however, can be JUST AS HARD, or sometimes even HARDER, for words you’ve known since you were 4 years old because of context. Is it “out of gas,” “out of stock,” or perhaps “out into the field?”
Sometimes there will be a double negative. When studying for the test, notice how often there is a “not” or a “no” or an “un” somewhere in the context that flips the meaning. Students often miss questions, not because they didn’t know the word, but because they answered the opposite definition!
Sometimes they are words that even us tutors have to look up because we have never heard them or even used them. Frustratingly, sometimes the difference between a 1550 and a 1600 on the SAT is a vocab word!
For students, this can be very stressful because they memorized big lists of vocab words and feel like they wasted their time, since none of them showed up on the test. Some just don’t worry about vocabulary, choosing instead to focus their study time on more concrete concepts. Memorizing the properties of the discriminant, for instance, is definitely going to be useful, while memorizing the definition of “pulchritude” (means “beauty”) will most likely not be useful.
I know, though, that if you are reading this blog, you have probably decided that it is worth your time. Ok. I respect that. If you want to put in the time, there are things you can do to improve your chances on vocab questions.
So, first and foremost, I want you to think about learning vocabulary as a lifelong endeavor. Now, I am not going to tell you that if you don't have a good vocabulary now that it’s too late. Tutors who tell you that you should have done something different in the past are just admitting they’re not very good tutors. Still, developing this mindset right now will not only set you up for the SAT but also for life. When you are old and are surrounded by your descendants, cats, or piles of money, I want you to STILL be developing your vocabulary.
Ok, so the first thing you want to understand about language is that it is not decided by a committee of fancy professors. Dictionaries record words; they don’t create them. I am not saying that dictionaries are useless, but I am saying to use judgment when using a dictionary as an authority. The dictionary has the crown when I am playing Scrabble, of course, but writers will often coin their own terms because the dictionary didn’t have the word they needed. The point of language is to communicate, not to oppress.
However, as you will be taking the SAT or ACT in a given year, we will assume that words you will be tested on will have a definition that is agreed upon by consensus for that year. If there is not a consensus, you won’t be tested on it.
For instance, College Board has said you won't be tested on the singular “they/them.” While College Board does use the singular “they/them” to mean the unknown, androgynous, or ambiguous person (Shakesphere used the singular they and College Board isn’t about to tell Shakesphere he was wrong), it won’t be the part that is underlined. The problem with not having a consensus is that people may answer a question a certain way based on an opinion.
Before we start… I want to talk about the word “ambivalence.” It’s my opinion that this is the most commonly tested word on the ACT and SAT. Let’s try to think about why that is.
I believe the reason it’s common is the same reason PH levels are often tested on the ACT Science test. It’s not because that word is really important to colleges or that understanding PH is really important to colleges.
It’s because it’s counterintuitive.
Most people think that “ambivalence” means “I don’t care.” It actually means “I am of two minds.” There is an incredible clip from the movie "Girl Interrupted" that demonstrates this.
PH levels are counterintuitive because as PH goes up, acidity goes down. It has an inverse relationship. Anytime the SAT or the ACT can get smart, high GPA students to get questions wrong for a reason OTHER than poor academics, (like a common misconception or an inverse relationship) they increase in relevancy.
The SAT and ACT are relevant BECAUSE their scores don’t correlate to GPAs.
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Ok, I want you to go ahead and download this “Word Wardrobe” (I’ll sometimes call it a WW from now on). I want you to think of your vocabulary like a wardrobe where you keep things you own. Once you know a word, it’s yours to use like a scarf, hat, or shirt. The WW is a process that, once you finish, you can consider the word OWNED by you.
So, to start you need to find words you don’t know. I have started with words that many of my students don’t know. Go ahead and delete all the words you do know. I have included links to often-tested ACT and SAT words and a Quizlet that was recommended to me by a tutor who used to actually write questions for the College Board. Go through those links to find words you don’t know to add to the “Word Wardrobe.” As you take practice tests, keep adding words, even if they are not words from a “vocabulary in context” question. Often we will use math terms even if we don’t know what they mean. Make an effort to add words you hear in your day to day life even if it didn’t come from your test prep study.
I want you to try to get excited about words to add to your WW. Books, podcasts, articles, movies, conversations, research, etc. are all great places to find words you don’t yet know. When you find a word you don’t know, great! Add that to your WW! Remember, neither your tutor nor you know what words will be on the upcoming test, but you CAN find words you don’t know and learn them!
First thing you want to do is not to look up the definition, but the etymology. Use the etymology dictionary to do this. Pay close attention to the pre-fix, suffix, and root word. This is an excellent place to find new words to add so long as the word is English and currently used.
After you have worked out the etymology, then look up the word. I like to just put the word into Google and then read several different definitions. I find that Webster’s, Google, Dictionary.com, etc will often have subtly different definitions that sometimes help me understand nuance. For instance, when you look at just the first definition of “dogmatic” in Google, you just get the belief that something is true. If you take just a few more moments to scroll down, you realize it’s tied to religion. So a dogmatic belief is something someone believes is absolutely true, like a religious belief. This is useful context. Now, put the definition in your own words in the “Word Wardrobe.” Make an effort to make the definition match the type of word. For instance, “dogma” is a noun, so the definition would be “a belief that the believer holds to be absolutely true, like a religious belief,” while “dogmatic” is usually an adjective.
Add in some related words you already know. This will help with deeper understanding, especially if the word is from an earlier word in your WW. Don’t add words you don’t yet know in this column. Those should be put on a new line.
Now try to work out the connotation. You won’t always be able to do this, but if you can, take note. Connotation does come into play, especially on multiple choice tests. If you can work out that the tone of the context is generally complimentary, then something that would be an insult is most likely going to be wrong. There is a difference between “unique, “strange,” and “deviant” even if technically they all mean “not normal.”
Now, you will want to try to use the word in a sentence. Write a sentence in the word wardrobe. Look for an opportunity to use it in life.
Ok, now for the final step. This step is optional, but it’s one that I have my students aiming for top scores take. I have them look up the word on Wikipedia. Now, I get that you may have been told not to use Wikipedia as a source. I get that, but the problem with using Wikipedia as a source is the reason why it’s so great to use to increase your understanding: it’s democratic. Wikipedia is going to represent what the zeitgeist (add that to your word wardrobe if you don’t know it) understands the word to mean. It’s going to deepen your contextual understanding and give you even more words to add to your WW.
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Take a few minutes to read the Wikipedia articles on Ambivalence and Dogma.
I included a tab for transition words. It’s probably not necessary for you to go through the entire WW process for a transition word unless you simply just don’t know it. I’ve had a few students not know what “nevertheless” meant, which is fine. They should put that word in the WW. If you know what the word means, then just quickly placing it in the right column on the transition word page should be enough to help you keep them organized in your mind. Don’t consider the column set. Make a new one if it helps you understand.
If you are going to use a flashcard system, go for it! However, make sure your flashcards help you with your WW and that you aren’t using flashcards in place of developing your WW.
I understand that this may seem tedious. It can be. However, it will likely be far less tedious to spend a few more minutes going through these extra steps once than having to relearn a word over and over again because it just never quite made it into your “Word Wardrobe.” I’ve been doing this a long time. If you don’t think you have time to do this because the test is 2 days away, then you are probably too late to study vocabulary anyway and you should focus on more concrete things. For most students, developing the mindset of a vocabulary wardrobe will be very beneficial. If you have several weeks, months, or even years, you probably have enough time to do this so long as you do some everyday. Have the WW open next to you as you study, as you review your missed questions, as you practice questions, and as you read through reddit and Facebook, etc.
I wish you all the best of luck!
