SAT Vocabulary Mastery Guide

The SAT emphasizes vocabulary in context rather than isolated word knowledge. This guide helps you master the words and strategies needed to excel on the Reading and Writing sections.

Understanding SAT Vocabulary

What Changed in the Digital SAT

The new digital SAT (launched 2024) features:

• Shorter passages with focused questions
• More context clues to help determine word meanings
• Words in context rather than sentence completion
• Emphasis on medium-difficulty academic vocabulary

The test no longer includes obscure words like "pusillanimous" or "obsequious." Instead, it focuses on words you'll encounter in college reading.

High-Priority SAT Vocabulary Categories

1. Analysis & Critical Thinking

Words frequently appearing in passages and questions:

• Analyze - Examine methodically and in detail
• Synthesize - Combine elements to form a coherent whole
• Evaluate - Assess the quality, importance, or value of something
• Infer - Deduce or conclude information from evidence
• Imply - Suggest something indirectly
• Substantiate - Provide evidence to support or prove
• Corroborate - Confirm or give support to a statement
• Refute - Prove a statement or theory to be wrong

Practice: SAT questions often ask, "Which choice best supports the author's claim?" Understanding these analytical terms helps you identify the correct answer.

2. Tone & Attitude Words

These describe how authors feel about their subjects:

Positive Tone:

• Optimistic - Hopeful and confident about the future
• Enthusiastic - Showing intense enjoyment or interest
• Appreciative - Feeling or showing gratitude
• Reverent - Showing deep respect and admiration

Negative Tone:

• Skeptical - Having doubts; questioning
• Critical - Expressing adverse judgments
• Cynical - Believing people are motivated by self-interest
• Contemptuous - Showing disdain or scorn

Neutral Tone:

• Objective - Not influenced by personal feelings
• Analytical - Using systematic methods of analysis
• Ambivalent - Having mixed feelings
• Pragmatic - Dealing with things sensibly and realistically

3. Rhetoric & Persuasion

Words describing argumentative techniques:

• Advocate - Publicly recommend or support
• Assert - State a fact or belief confidently
• Concede - Admit something is true after initially resisting
• Denounce - Publicly declare something is wrong or evil
• Undermine - Weaken or damage gradually
• Bolster - Support or strengthen
• Qualify - Make a statement less absolute by adding restrictions
• Reconcile - Make compatible or consistent

4. Scientific & Academic Terms

Common in science and history passages:

• Hypothesis - A proposed explanation based on limited evidence
• Empirical - Based on observation rather than theory
• Anomaly - Something that deviates from what is standard
• Catalyst - A substance or person that precipitates change
• Paradigm - A typical example or pattern
• Negligible - So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering
• Ubiquitous - Present everywhere
• Inherent - Existing as a permanent attribute

5. Transition & Relationship Words

Understanding these helps you follow arguments:

Addition/Support:

• Furthermore, Moreover, Additionally, Likewise

Contrast:

• However, Nevertheless, Conversely, Nonetheless

Cause/Effect:

• Consequently, Therefore, Thus, Hence

Examples:

• Specifically, Notably, Particularly, Namely

SAT Vocabulary Study Strategy

Week 1-4: Foundation Building

Daily routine (20 minutes):

1. Learn 5 new words from high-priority categories
2. Create example sentences for each
3. Practice with SAT-style questions

Weekly review:

• Test yourself on all words learned that week
• Revisit challenging words

Week 5-8: Contextual Practice

Focus on reading passages:

1. Read one SAT passage daily
2. Identify unfamiliar vocabulary
3. Determine meanings from context before looking up definitions
4. Practice questions that test vocabulary in context

Create flashcards for:

• Words you missed in practice
• Words appearing multiple times across passages
• Words with multiple meanings

Week 9-12: Test Simulation

Full practice tests:

• Take official SAT practice tests
• Review all vocabulary-related questions
• Analyze why wrong answers are incorrect
• Build a personal "trouble words" list

SAT Reading Strategies

Using Context Clues

The SAT provides context clues in five ways:

1. Definition/Restatement

"The scientist's hypothesis—her proposed explanation for the phenomenon—was groundbreaking."

2. Example

"Nocturnal animals, such as owls and bats, are active at night."

3. Contrast

"Unlike her gregarious sister, Maria was quite introverted."

4. Cause and Effect

"The drought was so severe that crops withered."

5. Inference from Tone

"The author's scathing critique left no doubt about her contempt for the policy."

Eliminate Answer Choices

When asked about word meaning:

1. Read the entire sentence (sometimes the full paragraph)
2. Predict a meaning before looking at choices
3. Eliminate clearly wrong answers first
4. Test remaining choices by substituting them in the sentence
5. Choose the one that maintains the passage's meaning and tone

Common SAT Traps

Trap 1: The "Sounds Right" Answer

Example: "The scientist's work was seminal in the field."

❌ Trap answer: "Famous" (sounds academic)
✅ Correct: "Influential and original" (actually means groundbreaking)

Trap 2: The Partial Meaning

Example: "Her argument was sound."

❌ Trap: "Loud" (one meaning of sound)
✅ Correct: "Logical and well-reasoned" (meaning in this context)

Trap 3: The Too-Specific Answer

Example: "The policy had a significant impact."

❌ Trap: "Statistical" (too narrow)
✅ Correct: "Meaningful and important" (broader, contextually appropriate)

50 Must-Know SAT Words

Tier 1 (Learn First - Very High Frequency):

1. Analyze, Argue, Assert, Assume, Authority
2. Bias, Cite, Claim, Clarify, Compare
3. Contrast, Credible, Define, Demonstrate, Develop
4. Emphasize, Evidence, Examine, Example, Explain
5. Imply, Infer, Interpret, Justify, Mention
6. Objective, Perspective, Purpose, Quote, Reasoning
7. Refer, Relationship, Relevant, Reveal, Significant
8. Source, Specific, Structure, Suggest, Summary
9. Support, Technique, Tone, Topic, Transition

Tier 2 (Medium Priority - Frequently Tested): 10. Ambiguous, Concede, Convey, Critique, Deliberate 11. Elaborate, Emphasis, Enhance, Explicit, Implicit 12. Nuanced, Objective, Plausible, Profound, Reinforce 13. Scrutinize, Skeptical, Subtle, Synthesize, Undermine

Practice Exercise

Try this SAT-style question:

In the passage, Dr. Martinez describes the new treatment as "promising," while noting that more research is needed. Which word best captures her attitude?

A) Enthusiastic
B) Cautious
C) Dismissive
D) Skeptical

Answer: B) Cautious
Explanation: "Promising" is positive, but "more research needed" shows reservation—this is cautious optimism, not full enthusiasm, dismissal, or skepticism.

Additional Resources

• Official SAT Practice - collegeboard.org (free practice tests)
• Khan Academy SAT Prep - Personalized practice
• WordWell Collections - Academic Vocabulary and Power Verbs
• Read actively - The Atlantic, Scientific American, National Geographic

Final Tips

✅ DO:

• Learn words in context
• Read diverse academic texts
• Practice with official SAT materials
• Focus on medium-difficulty words
• Understand word relationships

❌ DON'T:

• Memorize obscure words
• Study word lists without context
• Ignore transition words
• Skip practice tests
• Forget to review mistakes

Remember: The SAT tests your ability to understand words in context, not your memorization skills. Focus on comprehension strategies, and you'll succeed!