<p>Hi,everyone:
First let me correct the title. what i really mean is people who speak english as a secondary language, like me. I have been to united states for a little bit more than a year. and i am currently a sophomore(will be junior after summer). And i really want to improve my SAT scores over this summer. But obviously, my english level,especially my vocabulary range, isn't as good as other kids. And i don't think i can improve much by reading during a short period of time. Some people on CC suggested me to remember the Barron's 3500 vocab list. So i started last week. And by now, i am on list 3. But after reading the xiggi's thread this afternoon, find out the Barron's list is "useless". So i don't know what to do now. Please help!!!</p>
<p>wow, you speak english like you're fluent!</p>
<p>not sure... just read challenging literature, like Moby Dick or a Harry Potter in English... not really sure.</p>
<p>um I have this list I made using words from kaplan's "raise your score even more" and "Sparknotes 1000 word list" like the ones I didn't know. It has 250...but you should really study those two books cuz they have the best researched wrods that appeared throughout the new sat in may and june. I got all my sen. completions right...so I know what I'm talking about.</p>
<p>good luck.</p>
<p>I meant to say that my list had 250...cuz I knew the rest.</p>
<p>Don't use a Kaplan book to prep for the SAT. There is an abundance of errors in every book they make.</p>
<p>You can never get a good score if you just study vocabs because the sentence completion make up only a very small portion of the total Verbal section. For the critical reading, vocabs don't really help if you can't comprehend the entire section. </p>
<p>Start reading more good quality reading, but it doesn't have to be dry. Ask around for suitable materials. This is the only way to get a higher verbal score. Also don't forget to practice with good quality practice tests!</p>
<p>just read books you're interested in, and get a subscription to a magazine about a topic that appeals to you. some examples: the economist, the new yorker, scientific american, writer's digest... you'll pick up vocabulary as you go.</p>
<p>I am subscribed to TIME and Economist.
It's really the way to learn words</p>
<p>english is my second language and people don't even speak english in my country.
i think the best way is to read read and read. u build ur vocab along the way with all the reading. i didn't study any vocab for the June 4 SAT, but i think i did pretty well.
yea i think you need to practice with good quality practice tests. unfortunately, i could only get to practice from the PR book. but you should take practice tests nevertheless.</p>
<p>So do you guys think i should not momerize the vocab list, but do the practice instead. or do both?</p>
<p>i would suggest u start with the 1000 word sparknotes list and then see how ur doing on verbal</p>
<p>vocab was vital but not essential anymore. read read and read.</p>
<p>sorry to be nosy but where are you from? i came to the states at the start of my freshman year (now finishing my junior) from malaysia.</p>
<p>well how good are you? This might really be a narrow-minded attempt but it certainly does work. Memorize vocab lists. I think Xiggi's advice is for Americans or people who speak english at home. We foreigners frankly have a weak vocabulary. Barrons is a little crazy, and has really weird words. But if you memorize the whole thing you don't have to worry about vocabs. However, i wouldn't really do that. Use something wordsmart or PR or Kaplan lists. Remember don't just memorize them, actually make sentences and try to use them. Read some magazines like Times since it contains many of those words. It will help you learn how to use the words. Good Luck :)</p>
<p>the sentence completions does not really require a big vocab but some skills. you need to know how to eliminate and how to guess. you will be amazed how someone who memo the dictionary does way worse than a guy who has a technique to eliminate anwers and make educated guesses</p>
<p>yea u can go a long way with the POE. it has worked well for me despite my rather weak voacab.</p>
<p>Thank you ALL for the good advices. i took the psat last year(sophomore) and barely got over 140. And i remembered that i only got a single-digit of questions right on the vebal part. So i ll try to read something even though i hate reading.sigh.i wish the reading can be as fun as playing video games.</p>