<p>So I have Direct Hits Vocab vol.1 (does anybody recommend me also getting vol. 2?), and I went through the first 50 words and proceeded to a Critical Reading practice section in the Blue Book, however not long after I studied the words (which was about 25 minutes or so), I had already forgotten the definition of them.</p>
<p>I notice these patterns usually take place when I take tests, but after I am not test-taking and just look at the word, I can already tell what the definition is.</p>
<p>Is there any solution to this? I don’t know why this happens when I take little diagnostic tests</p>
<p>I recommend vol. 2. </p>
<p>What do you mean you forgot them? As you were doing the CR section, you came across a DH (1-50) vocab word and couldn’t remember it? </p>
<p>Exactly, that’s how it goes… ^</p>
<p>I heard sometimes that vol. 2 has the same words but I’m not sure… I’m kinda low on money right now from all the previous books I’ve purchased, so I’d like to know if volume 2 will really be a detrimental factor to my critical reading section guidance, in addition to the vol. 1 that I already have.</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Whether or not it’s worth it would depend on your score/where you are missing your CR points. I think there are maybe 2/3 repeated words. For me, the second volume helped the most. Well, most likely you won’t be able to recite definitions after viewing them once. You should go through the definitions repeatedly. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.merriam-webster.com/wdictionary/word”>http://www.merriam-webster.com/wdictionary/word</a></p>
<p>use that to check derivations and more in-depth definitions. </p>
<p>Try to find CONNECTIONS! That will help you the most. Mnemonics are the key. As you read a SC you should begin thinking about what word(s) can fit the blank(s). Categorize words - good, bad, neutral, etc. Even if you don’t remember the full definition, you can often find the answer through vague categorization. Associate words with other words. I know this seems obvious, but associating tricky words with simple, everyday words can help a lot.</p>
<p>affable - good
altruism - good
ambiguous - neutral
antithesis - neutral
upbraid - bad
trite - bad
prototype - first
antecedent - first (before)</p>
<p>Those are a few DH 1-50 words. That’s how I started learning the words before going more in-depth. </p>
<p>those are exactly the words in the first few 50 of my direct hits^ thanks for the in-sight btw</p>
<p>I believe I just get nervous by the time and try to rush through things. However on non-timed practice tests, I tend to hit just barely 600, because I fail to understand what the passage is trying to say</p>
<p>Flashcards are a great help in this situation as you will constantly be reviewing the words, getting them engrained into your head. I usually hate flashcards as they get wordy, but for the SAT, I made them work by making flashcards on Quizlet with the vocab word on one side and one easy-to-understand synonym as the definition, making them easy to make/flip through. If you have a smartphone, you can also easily review your flashcards on your phone as well. I personally found that studying on the app ended up saving me a lot of time as flipping through the cards with my finger was faster than constantly clicking.</p>
<p>Although I agree with the fact that flashcards are wordy… which I why I don’t use them, however with so much input about the flashcards, I guess I’ll take a shot at it with both Direct Hit volumes.</p>
<p>thanks</p>