Six Months of SAT Grind — And What This Student Got Right About Vocabulary
Hello MJTP families!
More great news is coming in on scores and college acceptances!
Congratulations to Devansh!
Devansh sent me a note recently that made my day:
"Hey, Mr. John, I hope you've been doing well! I just wanted to let you know that I recently got into Vanderbilt University!! Thank you so much for your help on the SAT again."
Congratulations, Devansh — that's wonderful news! Vanderbilt is a fantastic school, and you earned it. Enjoy every moment.
The Power of Consistency and the Importance of Vocab!
A student posted on Reddit's r/SAT forum this week with an ostensible dilemma.
He's a junior. He just scored a 1530 on the March 2026 SAT — a perfect 800 in Math and a 730 in Reading and Writing, up 50 points from his previous attempt. By any reasonable measure, that's an excellent score.
But he wanted more. Here's how he described getting there:
"I grinded for 6 months to get this score, probably the most stressful months of my life."
When commenters asked how he improved his Reading and Writing section, his answer was straightforward:
"Memorize lots of vocab, master all SAT grammar, practice lots of transitions and bullet points questions."
Another commenter offered a tip that sounds almost old-fashioned — but it works:
"Read Victorian literature. It helped me a lot."
That's not as strange as it sounds. The SAT's Reading and Writing passages lean formal and literary, and students who are comfortable with that kind of prose tend to do better in that section. Victorian literature puts you right in that world.
And when someone asked for a general study plan, he added:
"Spend a month or 2 every day memorizing many past vocab SAT words."
Every day. That's the part worth holding onto.
This Is Exactly What My Vocab Quizzes Are For
What this student figured out on his own is something I've been trying to make a little easier: the vocabulary on the Digital SAT is not random. The College Board draws from a consistent pool of words that repeat across administrations. Learn them, and you're not guessing anymore.
My Official SAT Vocab quiz page is built around that idea. Every quiz is sourced from actual reported SAT words — US and International versions, going back through 2024 and 2025 and up through the March 2026 administration. There are also two high-frequency rounds pulling together words that have appeared three or more times: eschew, substantiate, promulgate, quintessential, underscore, and others.
This student spent months building his own word list from scratch. These quizzes do that work for you. Five to ten minutes a day, organized by exam, ready to go. That's the daily habit he's talking about.
On the Concert Violinist
I know how much these kids are juggling — AP classes, extracurriculars, college visits, and somewhere in there, sleep. The last thing anyone wants is one more thing added to the pile.
But here's what I've seen over the years: at the 700-plus level, it's not about marathon study sessions. It's about frequency. A serious musician doesn't become a concert violinist practicing twice a week — not because they're not talented, but because the material needs daily contact to really stick. SAT prep works the same way. A little each day, consistently, does more than a long session on the weekend.
It doesn't have to be much. It just has to be regular.
Where to Start?
If your student is in the middle of SAT prep and could use some guidance,
I'd love to help. You can reach me at mrjohnstestprep.com/work-with-mr-john.
The vocab quizzes are free and a good place to start:
mrjohnstestprep.com/tag/official-sat-vocab.
Until next week,
Mr. John
mrjohnstestprep.com
