Over 250 SAT Vocabulary Words Every Student Should Know (2023)

FAQs

How much vocabulary is enough for SAT? ›

I tell my students to learn at least 300 new words, but that is really the bare minimum. Why? It takes at least that many before you have a snowball's chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of seeing enough of them on the test to actually nudge up your score.

You don't need to learn a lot of unusual or difficult vocabulary words to succeed on the SAT. Instead, the words you'll be asked about are words that come up often in college-level reading and professional life. The SAT also doesn't ask you to supply the definition of a word without any context to guide you.

Studying for the SAT in a month is possible, though it's recommended that you spend 10 to 20 hours per week over the course of two or three months prepping for the SAT.

Some find the math portion much harder than the writing or reading portions, and vice versa. The hardest part to improve upon is probably the Critical Reading section, only because it involves more deeply ingrained, long-term bad habits that need to be broken before you can excel.

It can be helpful and save you time and effort to memorize the given formulas, but it is ultimately unnecessary, as they are given on every SAT math section. You are only given geometry formulas, so prioritize memorizing your algebra and trigonometry formulas before test day (we'll cover these in the next section).

A 1500 puts you in nearly the 95th percentile of all 1.7 million test takers. Just 100 points shy of a perfect score, a 1500 makes you eligible to apply to every college and university in the country and be competitive for admission at almost every single one, including elite institutions.

Create a Schedule

With only 10 days to get a 200 point score increase, 30 minutes per day is not going to do it. Here at PrepScholar, we recommend fitting in about 80 hours of preparation if you're hoping for a 200 point score improvement. You need to compress that study schedule into 10 days.

In online forums, students also tend to identify Test #3 as the hardest of the official practice tests, so there truly seems to be a clear consensus. It's important to remember though that a hard practice test can actually be a great resource!

Is Cracking SAT easy? ›

The SAT exam is tough for students appearing for it for the first time or the nth time. It is a tough and long-duration exam that requires determination and focus. Thus, it is better to have a well-planned schedule and strategy spanning over a few months to help you to crack SAT.

You get 400 points just for signing your name

Actually, it's not possible to score lower than 200 in each section, so yes, the minimum is 400, but that's really like a zero, not a bonus 400 points.

Many students consider Critical Reading section the most challenging aspect of the SAT. Others get stressed out by the time constraints. Read on for a few tips from the test prep experts at Magoosh to help you tackle the part that's hardest for you. Typically, general questions have very general answers.

If you're a senior, then you have precious little time left to put in some serious SAT studying, so you'll just have to put all other commitments behind you and focus. An ideal study schedule includes two to three hours of test prep, every day of the week.

Moreover, you will need additional practice if you want to score above the 95th percentile. While high in quality, Khan Academy practice questions are not nearly enough for you to ace the SAT. I would advise that you purchase additional practice material to ensure a high score.

A lot. Practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to the SAT, and spending hours prepping for the test can drastically improve your score. According to the College Board, which is the maker of the SAT, as little as 6-8 hours of personalized SAT prep can lead to an average score increase of 90 points on the test.

Wisconsin takes the cake for highest average SAT score with 1252. This is 192 points higher than the national average! But wait—Wisconsin also has lower test participation than most of the US at 2%. In other words, just 1,361 seniors who graduated in 2022 took the SAT.

Timing the Writing and Language Section

By far the shortest and easiest section of the SAT, the Writing and Language section consists of 44 questions over four reading passages. Students are given 35 minutes to complete the exam.

Is the SAT the hardest test in the world? ›

Why Aren't the SAT and ACT on this list? Fortunately for college-bound students, the SAT and ACT aren't the toughest exams in the world — but that doesn't mean they're not challenging or important. Both tests are around 3 hours long and are used by many schools as an important factor in admissions.

It is recommended you spend around 6–20 hours preparing for your first SAT. Give yourself enough time to take at least one full-length practice test and give yourself time to review the concepts you're struggling with.

Generally, students put in 10 to 20 hours a week while preparing for the SAT, but that amount could be larger or smaller depending on your score goals. There are a couple of factors you should take into consideration when determining how many hours you'll need to put into your prep.

3 days before the test date – Spend more time revising and working on those areas that you are still struggling with and which are causing you to lose marks. 2 days before the test date – It's time to take a step back and slow your pace down. Keep just an hour or two to revise and practice but do not overdo it.

Harvard SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

There's no absolute SAT requirement at Harvard, but they really want to see at least a 1460 to have a chance at being considered.

A 1600 is only achieved by around 300 test takers per year and makes you eligible and highly competitive for admission at every college. Looking at this from another angle, a 1600 SAT score is in the 99nth percentile, which means you scored higher than 99% of all other 2 million+ test takers.

Will Smith SAT score was a perfect 1600. A rare score few people have earned. Despite this incredible score, Will chose not to attend college, did not even enroll, and decided to pursue his career in music.

To get 1500 SAT, you need to get at least 48 right out of 52 in the Reading section. 41 right out of 44 in the Language section and 55 right out of 58 in the Maths section.

If you feel sick the day of your test, please stay home. Contact customer service for your options. You won't be charged a change or cancellation fee if you stay home due to illness. Check your test center's website for any additional or specific entry requirements it may have.

Even if you're already on a high score, improving your SAT scores by 200 points requires two months or even longer period of consistent studying and self-assessment.

What was Mark Zuckerberg SAT score? ›

Mark Zuckerberg.

The founder of Facebook scored the perfect 1600 on the SAT and attended Harvard University. There's no surprise there on the score or prestigious university!

For time and one-half (+50%), the SAT is 4 hours and 30 minutes of testing time, plus breaks: 98 minutes for the Reading Test. 53 minutes for the Writing and Language Test. 38 minutes for the Math Test – No Calculator.

It's generally best to take the SAT in the fall or spring of your junior year and then again in the fall of your senior year. The specific month you choose depends on your outside commitments and how much time you want to prepare for the exam.

Is the SAT Reading or Math section harder? It generally depends on a person and their subject skills, but most people find the SAT Math — No Calculator section more challenging.

In many ways, the new SAT is much easier than the older version. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't study and be prepared! While the format may be better for some students, the questions are still designed to test your ability and skills in each particular subject.

Believe it or not, after two months of honing my memory and imagination, 60 minutes a day was enough for learning 200 new words.

But you can certainly learn 100 words in a day. Sure, you can't learn everything you could ever need to know about these 100 words, and memorise all that information, but you can certainly get a basic understanding of 100 words in a day.

Three months is a great amount of time to prep for the SAT. You can spread out your studying and you'll have ample time to master the concepts tested on the SAT. It can be difficult to know where to start your SAT prep. The key is finding the right resources, staying organized, and sticking to your plan.

In a way, SAT Math isn't hard because it basically tests the math skills students typically learn in high school. SAT Math is somewhat hard because SAT Math questions ask things high school math doesn't ask, use convoluted wording, and involve many math topics, some of which are obscure.

Difficulty Depends on the Student

While there are similar mathematical concepts on both tests, students might find one or the other more difficult based on their own math skills. This is true of the tests themselves as well. The ACT isn't harder than the SAT or vice versa, despite what the myths say.

What is the minimum SAT score for Harvard? ›

Reading and Writing 730-780, Math 750-800 (2020–21)

Harvard University / Typical SAT scores

While many high achievers strive to reach a 1600, in reality any score above a 1500 typically falls within the 99th or 98th percentile. This means that if you've scored a 1500 on the SAT, it may not be in your best interest to retake the test when you could work on other parts of your application.

You can find official SAT practice tests and their scoring tables at the College Board. As you can see with the above SAT scoring chart, it's possible to get some questions wrong and still earn the max SAT score. Generally speaking, you can miss 1-2 questions on each section and still get a perfect 1600.

You need to create a strict study schedule and stick to it. With only 10 days to get a 200 point score increase, 30 minutes per day is not going to do it. Here at PrepScholar, we recommend fitting in about 80 hours of preparation if you're hoping for a 200 point score improvement.

With a 500 SAT score, you're already strongly competitive for these schools. You're very likely to get admitted if you apply. If you improve your SAT score, your Safety Schools will get better and better.

Ans. Three months is a great amount of time to prep for the SAT. You can spread out your studying and you'll have ample time to master the concepts tested on the SAT. With a good SAT study plan 3 months is good enough for you to crack SAT.

A good SAT score will not only open doors to college acceptance, but also to merit aid at a vast majority of colleges and universities. A good score is in the range of 1300 to 1500 (Math: 650 to 750, Reading/Writing: 650 to 750).

Located in North Dakota's capital city, Bismarck State College tops the list of colleges with the highest acceptance rates. The third-largest institution in the state's public university system, BSC serves approximately 4,000 students each year. The school accepts 100% of applicants.

To get 1500 SAT, you need to get at least 48 right out of 52 in the Reading section. 41 right out of 44 in the Language section and 55 right out of 58 in the Maths section.

Myth: The March SAT is the easiest SAT test date. Fact: There's no such thing as “the easiest SAT test date.” While it's true that some versions of the SAT are easier than others, it's false that some test dates are predictably easier than others.

What is the best age to take SAT? ›

Generally, candidates who are in the 10th and the 11th standard attempt the SAT. In other words, an appropriate age to take the SAT is in between 17 to 19 years. Also, the College Board has defined a certain set of rules for students who are less than 13 years old or are studying in a grade lower than the eighth grade.

While you might have heard that taking the SAT during certain months can yield better results curve-wise, the truth is that this exam is equally difficult at all times of the year.

Ideal ACT/SAT Scores for Ivy League School Applications

The minimum SAT score to get into an Ivy League school ranges from 690 to 730 for the reading section and from 700 to 730 for the math section. Getting 700 or 710 (or higher) on both of these sections will give you an advantage at most Ivy League universities.

Based on this data, you know to aim for around 770 on EBRW and 780 on Math — both incredibly high scores. The exact SAT score you should aim for will vary depending on the colleges you apply to.