Should You Study Vocabulary for the Digital SAT?

It depends. And that’s not a cop-out: it’s the honest answer. Whether or not vocab prep makes sense for you depends heavily on your score goals and where you are in your prep journey.

Vocab is Low-Impact for Most Test-Takers

If you’re aiming for a 1500+ score (which usually means a Reading score above 750), vocabulary questions can help squeeze out those final few points. At that level, every question matters, and oftentimes, vocab is the difference between a 750 and a 780.

But here’s the reality: for most students, vocab questions are low-value and never a primary target. There’s a variety of vocab questions, but the ones that require actual definitions often appear as single, high-difficulty questions. Because the SAT uses a weighted scoring system, these questions may only move your score a couple of points (if at all). Worse, some are “pretest” questions, which means:

“The inclusion of these questions allows College Board to collect performance data on them and evaluate their suitability for possible use in future tests. Student responses to these pretest questions don’t affect their scores.” — College Board Scoring Guidelines

In other words: a tough vocab question may not count toward your score at all. 

Instead, most students benefit more from focusing on high-impact question types like:

• Standard English Conventions

• Transitions

• Rhetorical synthesis

These appear frequently and carry significantly more weight.

If You’re Going to Study Vocab… Do It Right

If you are targeting a top score, or just love vocab and want to be extra prepared, it’s important to choose the right resources. Most vocab books and random quizlets are inefficient at best, and misleading at worst.

Here’s what actually works:

Use vocab pulled directly from real DSAT exams. Words like “repudiation”, “tenuous”, and “buttress” have appeared on multiple exams in recent years, and there’s real data behind that claim.

We’ve compiled vocab lists based on the last several released digital SATs and cross-referenced them with feedback from students and educators around the world. You’ll find these lists here:

1. Official June 2025 Set: https://quizlet.com/1060054446/official-june-7-2025-us-sat-vocabulary-list-flash-cards/?i=6nyjoj&x=1jqt

2. Official May 2025 Set: https://quizlet.com/1060070254/official-may-3-2025-us-sat-vocabulary-list-flash-cards/?i=6nyjoj&x=1jqt

3. Official March 2025 Set: https://quizlet.com/1060073838/official-march-8-2025-us-sat-vocabulary-list-flash-cards/?i=6nyjoj&x=1jqt

When using these resources, use your judgment. Just because a word appeared doesn’t mean it’s worth your time. Many are still pretest items or extremely low point value, so make sure your time is going to words that actually move your score.

Lastly, Learn for Retention, Not Recognition

If you do decide to prep vocab, treat it like real studying, not just scrolling through flashcards. That means:

• Prioritizing high-frequency, high-value words

• Using spaced repetition to lock them in

• Actively testing yourself in context

We’ve built a system that does exactly this, targeting retention and relevance. If you want help identifying what’s holding your Reading score back, or just want to build a study plan that actually leads to results, we’re here to help.

If we don’t get your score, you don’t pay. Book a free, 60-minute consultation, today.