Get the Best out of SCAT with a Better Vocabulary

Vocabulary is an important and focused area to be considered if you are attempting questions from the verbal ability section of SCAT. Often, we feel frustrated for not getting the right word when required. Standardised tests like SCAT assess a student’s ability to employ the right word according to the usage of its context. Let’s look at the right strategies that will help us understand the art & excitement of learning words instead of making it a monotonous task.

How to work out with analogies for the SCAT?

• Root Words

English is one language that has welcomed the maximum number of words from its ancestors generally from Latin and Greek. Root words help us understand the root or origin of a specific word. If we are -aware of the root of a word, we can easily make an educated guess about its meaning. For example, the root word EGO means ‘I’ and can be used in a multitude of words like ‘egoistic’ (caring only about yourself) or ‘egotism’ (exaggerated opinion about yourself).

More information about : Roots, Prefixes and Suffixes.

• Suffix and Prefix

Suffixes and prefixes are words that are put at the end and beginning of the words to form a new word. If you are the aware about the functionality of a suffix or prefix, you can easily guess the meaning of the word. For example, let’s use the prefix ‘mis’ meaning bad and suffix ‘able’ in the given example:

1. Mis (prefix) + aligned (standard word) = misaligned (aligned imperfectly)
2. Reason (standard word) + able (suffix) = reasonable (showing reason or sound judgement)

• Reading

Vocabulary is endless and reading can help you become familiar with new words. It is advised that one should read from a wide variety of sources like newspapers, books, online articles, and other important literary words. Don’t try to find the meaning of a word by referring to the dictionary every-time. Instead, try to make a meaningful guess of the specific word by relating it with the given context. Note down the important words in a separate notebook to keep a track of your progress while you memorize them.

• Collocations

A collocation is a set of two or three words that are always put together when used in any context.  Learning words in group or combinations gets easier for your memory to recall the lump of words than individual words.

For example:

• Living a cat and dog life – a life full of arguments
• Rained cats and dogs – to downpour heavily

• Synonyms

Most of the words in English have a list of words that are similar in meanings called synonyms. You can memorise the synonyms of each words in group so that you can use any of them as a substitute, if required.

• Vocabulary Apps

Make the best use of technology and apps to get ahead to pick up vocabulary used in everyday situations. There are various apps available that can help you with creating your own list of words and would get re-arranged automatically as per your progress.

Maintain a healthy relationship with words and get along with it for not less than 30 minutes of your day. Make a routine and strictly follow it with full enthusiasm and dedication. Be patient and do not torture your brain by cramming words but give it a good work-out for its healthy working.