<p>I am taking the SAT for the second time in October and need to sharpen up my vocabulary for it. I have both volumes of the DH books and am wondering how I should approach using them so the words are fresh in my mind on the day of the test. I am eager to start now, but I'm also worried that I won't remember them as well as if I start in September. Could anyone recommend a vocabulary study plan that they have used that works/one they think would work best for me? Thanks.</p>
<p>In AP English this past year, our teacher had us learn about 20 words at a time (often with flashcards) and then we were tested on them. The next test contained 40 words, etc. By the end of the year, we knew something like 200 words inside out and I honestly do not think I will forget them any time soon. Learning words cumulatively and with repetition will help you not forget them over time.</p>
<p>If you have trouble remembering words in the first place, a teacher taught me that humans create memories through association. If you train your brain to automatically think of an association when you see a word, you will remember its meaning better. For example, during one section we had about 10 words beginning with ‘in-’. I struggled to differentiate so I found things that would set each word apart in my mind. For “incongruous” I thought of a song I love by Charlie McDonnell with the lyrics “such incongruous cuisine” - voila! I know that incongruous means ‘not harmonious’.</p>
<p>Oh, and I got a 790 on the reading section, so these methods definitely worked for me!
Good luck and happy studying!</p>
<p>The best process is different for everyone but I will lay out two ways.</p>
<p>1) Study 10-50 words a day depending on how much time you have. I know 50 seems like a lot, but it’s not. Most of the core vocab you should have at least seen before, and they are really easy to remember. So after you have memorized/learned all the words you will want to test yourself on all of them at once every 3-4 days. This method helps you retain the words for a longer amount of time, at lest it did for me.</p>
<p>2) Same as above method except for this one, instead of testing all of the words at once every three days break it down to testing 50 every day. So over the length of a week you would go over every word in the two volumes.</p>
<p>My son read the first 50 his first week of study. Now he periodically adds 10 at a time, so that round 2 he was reading 1-60; now he’s on round 3, which is 1 - 70. The point of this exercise is repetition, which I think is how you remember the words.</p>
<p>Also, I partner with him by throwing out 1 or 2 DH words at random times and asking him to give me at least an idea of what the word means. (For SAT purposes, all you really need is an idea, I believe.) When I throw out a word and he cannot give me an idea of its meaning, I simply tell him the meaning and move on. Then I repeat the word at another time, as many times as it takes for him to remember. </p>
<p>Also, I recently started having him read Time magazine, as many DH words appear in articles there. The other day he read one article and came back and told me that there were four DH words in it. This helps him tremendously in remembering the words.</p>
<p>One Saturday morning I told my son I’d give him $1 for every DH word he used that day. (The ones that I knew he was already very comfortable with didn’t count.) I think I ended up owing him 5 bucks. I would have gladly paid him 100!</p>
<p>Finally, whenever I run across a DH word in anything, I bring it to his attention. For example, the other day I received an email advertising something and it had a DH word in it. I forwarded the email and highlighted the word in yellow so he could see it in a real life context.</p>
<p>All of this is a slower/longer term approach, but it has been very effective so far. My son has begun to frequently use the DH words in conversation, and he has already drastically improved on his practice tests even though we haven’t gotten past word number 70.</p>
<p>Of course, most of what I’ve said from the second paragraph forward requires a person committed to partnering with you in this endeavor. If you can find that person, and together you do some of these things, I think you’ll be pleased with your progress. Maybe that person can be a friend also preparing for the SAT.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>