A better vocabulary is an asset that everyone can benefit from, and learning new vocabulary words and how to use them with confidence is a life-long process. You’ll learn new words every day, almost unconsciously, as you read books and magazines, or listen to the radio, or talk with other experts in your field. However, there are some times when you’re required to quickly gain mastery over a number of words, and that might put some pressure on you. If you’re studying for an exam like the GRE or SAT, or if you’re working towards a promotion or a new job, you probably have a limited time to devote to your study. Here are some tips for using that time as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Get Comfortable

It’s important first identify the environment that’s most conducive to your studying (conducive: favorable, helping to bring about, encouraging). Some people need to have absolute quiet in order to concentrate; others work better if music is playing in the background. If you find your home environment to be too distracting, find a spot to study at your local library or university. You might find that being in a room where there are many other people studying will inspire you and help you focus.

Get Creative

While most people have a primary learning style – that is, they learn best by seeing and reading information (visual learning), or by hearing it (auditory learning), or by performing some task or action (kinesthetic learning) – the most effective way to learn and retain information is by using more than one learning method. The Ultimate Vocabulary program provides many different ways of looking at the vocabulary words and studying them: there are exercises in using the words, examples of antonyms and synonyms, audio files to give examples of the pronunciation, and word-mapping that allows you to relate one word to several others, creating stronger ties in your memory and understanding of how that word is used. If you’re studying on your own, practice saying the word out loud, write it down as well as reading it on the page, and make opportunities to use it in conversation. The more ways you approach learning a word, more likely it is that you’ll remember it.

Get Cracking!

Even if you only have a few minutes a day to study, it’s important to keep moving forward in your study program. Try scheduling a specific time each day to sit down and practice, whether you’re using the Ultimate Vocabulary system or using paper and pencil to test yourself on your words and definitions. Do you have a friend who’s also interested in improving their vocabulary? You might find it useful to work with someone else – you’ll motivate each other, and give each other the chance to practice using your words in conversation.

Do you have any study tips to share? Leave a comment on this post!