In high school, I remember dreading vocabulary tests. I put so much preparation into each exam, gritting my teeth and chugging coffee as I plowed through flashcards. Memorization felt like even more of an endless grind as standardized tests crept onto the horizon. I remember being miserable at the time, but it truthfully wasn’t necessary. Fortunately, I’ve studied a lot about the art of memorization since high school. Thus, I’m familiar with the types of mistakes we’re ALL making when it comes to studying vocabulary.
- Not practicing- or rather, not integrating
A few words a week is not going to break the bank as far as mental resources go. Actively return to the list of words you’ve already conquered for the week so that you can more easily find situations to integrate them into your speech or writing. Since the redesigned SAT focuses on context more than definition in the language section, this will be crucial to determining the correct word-choices for each situation presented throughout the exam.
- Studying in isolation
Studying is already daunting enough when you imagine shutting yourself away to stain your brain for hours on end. As social creatures, it’s often more energizing to find a friend to practice building your vocabulary with. This way you have someone to debate word usage with, playfully compete with, and overall keep your academic adventure more engaging. My personal favorite involves playing scrabble and debating unfamiliar words on the board. Words are about communication, after all. Trust me when I say that talking to somebody else feels considerably more productive than talking to yourself!
- Not reading enough and passive reading
On the redesigned SAT, word choice is finally given the literary spotlight. The best way to prepare for this is simple: read more! It’s critical to understand what words are chosen for academic settings compared to similar words that are used in casual writing. As you read your favorite book, pay attention to each characters dialogue and description. Simply paying more attention to detail as you read will help you become fluent in word selection in ways that breezing through social media simply cannot.
- Underestimating common words
Many people feel confident in their vocabulary until they put it to the test. It’s surprisingly easy to trip over words that you often say but seldom spell. I myself was 20 when I realized that I had been saying the phrase “h’ors d’oeuvres” since I was a child. It can be easy to slip up on words that are so commonplace that their context is neglected in day-to-day life. One way to overcome this folly is to look into alternative approaches to phrases such as “said”. Additionally, active consideration of literary choices makes it easier to clue you into the implicit themes that accompany a phrase. Another approach is to challenge yourself with games utilizing different levels like freerice to practice words that you otherwise skim over in-context. This will reaffirm the definitions of words that you may have heard before but never formally committed to memory.
For more on this topic, check out some of the blogs on teachthought.
To read more about effective studying habits, check out our previous post about studying on The Victory Step Blog.
photo credit: KeithJustKeith Writing is on the wall 1 of 3 points of view via photopin (license)
Victory Step Education Team
