The SAT Exam is divided into sections that test the student's verbal and mathematical skills. In the verbal section, about 20 questions test the student's knowledge of vocabulary. While many approach the SAT by memorizing and drilling lists of words, memorization of lists devoid of context, minimizes the likelihood of retention and maximizes the likelihood of confusion.

Furthermore, the Exam doesn't test vocabulary questions in a vacuum. Rather, it poses sentence completion questions, thus supplying a context. So, it makes sense to learn words in their context - their normal usage.

Furthermore, within the sentence completion questions, a number of questions are based on pairs of words. These questions generally follow one of several patterns i.e. the missing words that complete the sentence can be contrasting terms or they can be complementary ones. The student who is able to determine from the flow of the sentence whether it implies a contrast or harmony, is on his way to choosing the correct answer. Fortunately, this skill - inferring the sentiment and intent of the sentence can be taught. Key phrases such as "in order to" imply that the missing terms in the sentence are in agreement. By contrast, the words, despite and although, imply the sentence is setting up an opposition or divergence.

Other word pair questions test the student's knowledge of idioms, either of the language or of a professional jargon. In such questions, there may be more than one choice that correctly fits the requirements of the sentence. But, the Exam expects the student to know that some one at the peak of their career or reputation is at its 'zenith.' Similarly, although a general might 'urge' his troops to leave an 'exposed' position, only he can 'order' them to do so. And that gives the Exam the opportunity to test whether the student recognizes that the more sophisticated term: 'untenable' can be substituted for 'exposed.'

For more tips on how to boost your SAT performance, contact Joel Goldman, President of Summit Tutoring. Summit Tutoring guides students in the NYC area to mastery of the Verbal portion of the SAT. Joel can be reached at jshiker@gmail.com or 917 528-0424.
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