One advantage of using a program like Ultimate Vocabulary is that it helps you keep track of what you’ve already learned, what you need to review, what would be the best thing to focus on next, and what you’ve accomplished. Of course, you can track all of these details yourself in your own study program, but it’s handy to have the tools right there – especially if they do the work on their own.

For example, one feature of the Ultimate Vocabulary software system is that as you thoroughly master words, those words are taken off your to-do lists (unless you’ve flagged them for later review). If you’ve made your own flash cards, you can do the same thing. When you’re confident that you know a word, take it out of your working file of cards, and put in a new one to learn. However, don’t throw away the old cards right away. Instead, store them in a “review” box and wait a few months, then pull them out again and test yourself to make sure you truly have the word memorized and stored in your mental database.

Another great feature is the Learning Curve™ which plots your success in chart form so you can track your improvement. If you’re a spreadsheet guru, you can set up something like that for yourself, or just keep count of the number of words you learn. In vocabulary building, quantity is just as important as quality!

If the vocabulary words you’re learning are grouped by level from easy/common to difficult/uncommon, make sure you’re selecting words to learn from all categories. As we’ve mentioned before, vocabulary building is a cumulative process, and it’s important to raise the overall quality of your vocabulary, not just throw in a handful of “ten-dollar” words.

Above all, remember to celebrate your achievement! You’ll be reaping the rewards of a large and flexible vocabulary in your professional successes and personal improvement, but when you achieve a milestone – your five thousandth word, perhaps, or when you get a high score on the SAT or GRE test – then take some time to congratulate yourself. Your accomplishments deserve an immediate reward, as well as the long-term benefit you’ll gain from your improved and expanded vocabulary.