<p>I'm certain that it's the vocab that prevented me from breaking the 700 threshold on CR. My vocabulary is not bad, per se, but I feel it's one of the few skills I can concretely improve. Any suggestions for an inclusive-but-concise (I don't want to study 500+ words, especially if they're unnecessary!...) vocab review? I have around 2 months till I'm taking the next one.</p>
<p>And is there anything I can use to hone CR skills (670 to ~720, though vocab should cover a good chunk) and considerably improve Writing skills (like, 610 to ~700)? I've only found the Blue Book and Barron's 2400 to be useful so far. I hate most SAT Review books as they usually only scrape the surface of the more advanced stuff and their MC doesn't always follow the exact nuances of the SAT...</p>
<p>get a book that contains a hefty list of vocab.
get a electronic pocket dictionary that lets you type in words and quickly display the result.</p>
<p>go down the list, copying the word and definition. at least 3 times.
if you do 10x for the list, you probably won’t forget it. this process isn’t as time consuming as it seems, it takes about 2 weeks.</p>
<p>read some advanced english lit. Dickinson, steinback, wordsworth, be diverse among the classics. if you devote a few weeks it’ll boost your SAT scores AND make you a savvy mother****er. get cracking.</p>
<p>If ur serious about improving ur Critical Reading score, ur gonna have to be wiling to study more than 400 vocab words. get direct hits (which is more than 400 btw, many words come in pairs with their synonims) and maybe a princetion review hit list. Then ull have a solid base of 1,000 hihg-frequency words. THAT will make a diff. on critical readsing. </p>
<p>Also, i thin taking many CR practice passages alot will improve ur concentration and speed in CR. </p>
<p>Gah…Unless you are native, 400 words are not enough even for a 500. I, being non-native, have memorized about 1000 words; however, I can hardly get something above 450…</p>
<p>If you include synonyms and all the capitalized terms then you get around 800 words out of DH. But I think it is definitely worthwhile. Helped me a lot - as a non-native speaker.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. Jcitme, your last sentence made me laugh.</p>
<p>I tried the latin roots thing once. Hated it. Besides, I tend to pick up on these patterns myself. I learn vocab best by actually using it- like, in context- supplemented by the definition.</p>
<p>I’m not native. I’m Middle Eastern and English is my second language; however, I’m good at grasping patterns and the like. 400 words is more or less my max. But like I said (I realize now that I didn’t convey this properly), I got a 670 in CR, so I don’t need basic/easy vocab…I need something to push me over 700.</p>
<p>Direct Hits is no easy vocab:
Or do you know the definitions of antipode, recalcitrant, soporific, clandestine, etc.?
And for each term there is given an example. So you always have a context for new words.
It really is the best source if you want to improve your vocab!</p>
<p>The “I don’t want easy vocab” wasn’t directed specifically at DH. I meant it as a general statement. I have heard great things about DH. To answer your question, I only knew the definitions of the middle two words. Are those from the first book or second? Or both?</p>
<p>If you get the eBooks version of the DH books you can look up words as you go and read other definitions and examples, if you are not a native speaker. DH won’t have every word on the SAT, but it has been proven over and over that it gives you a really solid base for the test in the most efficient way. Good luck.</p>
<p>I’ve heard enough praise about the DH books to know that I should get one, but is the first as important as the second? I’ve looked at the preview of volume 1 on Google Books and I know nearly all the words, so can I just skip it? It seems like the answer would be obvious, but both are often recommended even to high-scorers.</p>