How does vocab practice work?
Updated
Vocab practice is a quick word quiz: you see an SAT word in a sentence and pick the definition that fits it there. Open it with the Vocab button on Home, on any plan.
It builds the vocabulary that Words in Context questions test, and it doesn't use your weekly question allowance.
Where to find it
On Home, click Vocab under Study plan priorities, next to Study Session, Practice Test and Review Lab. It opens on the next word for you.
How an exercise works
- You see a word with an example sentence. A tag above it says New word, or Review for a word you've answered before.
- Read the 3 definitions under "Which definition best fits the word in context?" and pick one.
- Click Submit, or press Enter.
- You see whether you were right, the word's definition and example, often a memory tip after "Think of it like…", and Why not the others?
- Click Next for the next word.
Words you've answered come back later, marked Review, so you can check you still know them.
Submit vs Show answer
Only Submit saves your progress. Show answer reveals the correct definition without recording anything, so the word doesn't count as answered.
Use Show answer when you want to learn a word you've never seen. Use Submit when you want it to count.
The word list
The header shows how many words are in the list: more than 1,200 in all, the kind of words the SAT tests in context.
On a computer, the panel on the left lists every word from A to Z, with filters above it:
- Difficulty: choose All, Easy, Medium or Hard.
- Hide answered: skip words you've already got right.
- Bookmarks: show only words you've bookmarked. To bookmark a word, click the bookmark icon at the top.
Click a word in the list to practice it. On a phone, the list and the last 2 filters are hidden: use the difficulty dropdown at the top, and tap More options (the 3 dots), then Add Bookmark, to bookmark a word.
The counter at the top shows how many words in the list you've got right. If you later miss one of them, it drops off the count until you get it right again.
What it counts toward
Vocab is separate from your SAT question practice:
- It doesn't use your weekly question allowance, on any plan.
- It doesn't change your score estimate or mastery. Those come from SAT questions in study sessions and practice tests.
- It isn't part of your study plan, so it doesn't count toward plan completion or the Lock-In Challenge. See How is study plan completion counted?
Do it alongside your plan, for example a few words before or after a study session.
Frequently asked questions
You've probably used Show answer, which doesn't save anything. Pick a definition and click Submit: a word counts once you get it right.
On a computer, tick Hide answered to skip the words you've got right. You can't delete words from the list.
No. Vocab bookmarks only show in the Bookmarks filter in Vocab. Question bookmarks are in your Collections. See Use the Error Log, bookmarks and collections.
No. Vocab isn't a study plan task, and the AI tutor can't add it as one. Open it from Home whenever you have a few minutes.
Yes. The exercise works the same. The word list and the Hide answered and Bookmarks filters are on a computer only, so on a phone use the difficulty dropdown and Next to move through words.
Read for meaning in context, not definitions alone. Our guide How to Master SAT Vocabulary Without Flashcards shows how.
Was this helpful?