<p>Yes I did use Direct hits. (until the 20th word that is). I find that the words are undoubtably frequent hitters but it is a pain to study because the author overdid the examples in my opinion. They are far too long and there is not enough separated lists (e.g. first list is like 50 words long) so this makes it a chore and you probably would end up not studying any further out of lassitude. </p>
<p>Instead, I mainly preped using Hot words by Barrons which is not as high hitting but is nevertheless fun (or more fun at least) to study. Moreover, it also categorizes the words which allows you to learn 10 words of similar definition with ease. However, I do acknowledge that this book is much less hitting. For this reason I tried/intend to try 2 other sources of vocab:</p>
<p>Sparknotes: Its list is surprisingly pretty good based on reviews
The Essential Critical Reading book: Its amazingly accurate and unlike Direct Hits, the lists are shorter. This book is definitely worth buying.</p>