I've memorized the 3500 barrons words cards, what next for improving vocab?

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
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<p>Okay, I took the SAT, got a 2150, my weak points being writing and reading, and quite a few questions that I missed involved me not knowing a term. I bought barrons and memorized all of the words in their SAT dictionary. Is that enough? Obviously words that aren't on the barrons list can come up? Where do I go now for bigger word lists to memorize? Like the next 1000 most popular SAT words... </p>

<p>Or is the memorization of barrons 3500 words (in the 2008 SAT review) enough?</p>

<p>Oh, I know someone will have to say 'go read books'. Well, I would like it if you then specified the best vocab building books. I'm never going to be a superb writer, but I am very good at memorization, so my strategy is to just eat a ton of words. </p>

<p>I am working on grammar and that hideous essay, but in this thread, I want to focus on vocab.</p>

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<p>oh my god...I could never have done that! Honestly the main thing for you IS reading, because it's far more effective than rote memorization. You can learn words in context that way :)</p>

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<p>i would review that barrons words
unless ur 100% sure you remember every words on that list</p>

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<p>I've noticed that both Barron's and Gruber's have 3500 word lists. Do you think they're the same or similiar?</p>

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<p>congrats although its not too hard as i am also almost done</p>

<p>most of the words you should know from your years in H.S.</p>

<p>what i would do next is take some prax tests</p>

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<p>I would suggest the grubers words- if there not the same.</p>

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<p>Try Sparknotes 1000 most common and the Sparknotes 250 hardest SAT words.</p>

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<p>i would think that you are done
i havn't learned any vocab words and i generally get all of the vocab questions right</p>

<p>for you the thing probably will be you will know all of them and if not you'll probably know all the others ones surrounding it</p>

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<p>silly silly silly</p>

<p>you should read more memorize less.</p>

<p>What are you being tested on? comprehension skills. context clues. inference? </p>

<p>What does rote memorization have to do with comprehesnion, contexts, and inferences.</p>

<p>Nothing, nothing, nothing.</p>

<p>What does reading the classics, literary magazines, novels have to with comprehension, contexts, and inferences?</p>

<p>Everything, everything, everything.</p>

<p>Trust me, I've done both. And I've learned more from my New Yorkers than any stupid SAT dictionary. And the cartoons make me laugh.</p>

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<p>I think the suggestion of reading the New Yorker is a good one. You might also read the Atlantic, Harper's, even Reader's Digest.</p>

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<p>Memorize latin roots. that will help you a lot.</p>

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<p>Try reading [books].</p>

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<p>hey NIck!! I took the SAT in jan... and here's my take on it: the barron's list is more than just enough! I made a mnemonic during the exam to remember the words that came up...I looked them up in the barron's list, and to my amazement i found them all in there!! So if ur pretty sure of those words...then nick my boy u aced the vocab part of CR!!</p>

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<p>oh i din't see this earlier'vocab building books': try 'Word power made easy' by norman lewis. Its not SAT oreinted... but it has the words and the context in which u can learn them effectively.
And now i have somethin to ask of u: after u have learnt these 3500 words...umm...are u able to use them? well i wasn't. Its not worth the time IMO. prolly gonna forget it. The only way u can use ur knowledge of words memorized from a list ... is when u come across the word somewhere in reading ... then u'll feel happy u memorised it.</p>

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<p>SAT hit lists</p>

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<p>I am really sorry but I feel obliged to say this, studying random vocabulary word lists are pointless and will get you absolutely no where.</p>

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<p>i agree =)</p>

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<p>thoses 3500 words are enough. I have looked at that list, i tried memorizing, i ended up going over 200 words lol. That list is comphrensive. If you know , really know those 3500 words, you are fine.</p>