Vocabulary trends from the last two years of official SATs

With a little help from AI, I've compiled some data trends on the tough vocabulary words that r/SAT moderator "yodatsracist" and roots2words.com have documented for all documented SATs from March 2024 through December 2025.

After analyzing every SAT vocabulary quiz from March 2024 through December 2025, we identified the 26 words that the College Board tests most frequently—and the patterns that can help you study smarter, not harder.

Why This Analysis Matters

Here's a truth about SAT prep that most test-takers don't realize: the College Board recycles vocabulary. Not occasionally—systematically. After compiling data reported by r/SAT forums and roots2words.com from 20 official SAT administrations spanning nearly two years, we discovered that certain words appear on three, four, even five different tests.

This isn't random. These high-frequency words represent the vocabulary the College Board considers essential for college readiness. If you're serious about maximizing your SAT score, these are the words that deserve your attention first.

The Numbers at a Glance

🔥 The 26 Most-Tested SAT Words (2024-2025)

These words appeared on three or more SAT administrations. Master these first—they represent your highest-probability vocabulary investments.

Tier 1: The Elite Two (5 Appearances Each)

Tier 2: The Power Eight (4 Appearances Each)

Tier 3: The Reliable Sixteen (3 Appearances Each)

Pattern Analysis: What the Data Reveals

1. Root Word Families Dominate

The College Board clearly favors words that share Latin and Greek roots. Notice how these word families appear repeatedly:

The EQUI- Family (equal): equivocal, unequivocal

The -GRUOUS Family (fitting): incongruous, incongruence

The -SCRIBE/-SCORE Family (write): underscore, ascribe

The -MINATE/-MINE Family: undermine, enumerate

The -DICATE Family: vindicate, indicate

Strategic Takeaway: Learning root words gives you leverage across multiple vocabulary questions. Master one root, recognize many words.

2. Negative Prefixes Are High-Value Targets

Words with negative prefixes (un-, in-, ir-, im-) appear disproportionately in high-frequency lists:

• INCONGRUOUS (3x)
• ANOMALOUS (3x)
• INEXPLICABLE (2x)
• IRREFUTABLE (2x)
• INSURMOUNTABLE (2x)
• IMPERVIOUS (2x)

Strategic Takeaway: Pay special attention to words that negate or reverse meaning. The SAT loves testing whether students understand how prefixes transform word meaning.

3. The November-May Connection

Our analysis revealed an interesting pattern: November 2024 and May 2025 share an unusually high number of words. This suggests the College Board may reuse word banks across certain testing windows.

Words appearing on both tests: alleviate, ameliorate, anomalous, eschew, equivocal, evince, exacerbate, facetious, idiosyncratic, inexplicable, precede, proponent, rescind, surreptitious, tenuous, ubiquitous, vindicate

College Board clearly has favorites—and now you know what they are.

4. August Tests Feature the Most Vocabulary

August 2025 US contained 38 vocabulary words—the highest concentration of any single administration. Students taking August tests should prepare for vocabulary-heavy passages.

📊 Complete Frequency Distribution

Medium-Frequency Words (2 Appearances)

These 58 words appeared on exactly two tests. They represent strong candidates for future repetition:

Single-Occurrence Words (155 Words)

These words appeared exactly once across all 2024-2025 SAT administrations. While less frequently tested, they represent important vocabulary that could appear on future exams:

🎯 Your Study Strategy: The Priority System

Based on this data, here's how to allocate your vocabulary study time:

Priority 1: Master the 26 High-Frequency Words First

These words have the highest probability of appearing on your test. Ensure you can define them, use them in context, and recognize them in various sentence structures. Time investment: 40% of your vocabulary study.

Priority 2: Study the 58 Medium-Frequency Words

These represent strong candidates for repetition. Focus on understanding their roots and relationships to other words. Time investment: 35% of your vocabulary study.

Priority 3: Familiarize Yourself with Single-Occurrence Words

Review these for general familiarity, but don't invest disproportionate time. Many may never repeat. Time investment: 25% of your vocabulary study.

📅 Tests Included in This Analysis

• March 2024 SAT
• June 2024 SAT (Rounds 1 & 2)
• August 2024 SAT US (Rounds 1 & 2)
• August 2024 SAT International (Rounds 1 & 2)
• October 2024 SAT (Rounds 1 & 2)
• November 2024 SAT (Rounds 1 & 2)
• December 2024 SAT (Rounds 1 & 2)
• March 2025 SAT (Rounds 1 & 2)
• May 2025 SAT (Rounds 1 & 2)
• June 2025 SAT (Rounds 1 & 2)
• August 2025 SAT US (Rounds 1-3)
• August 2025 SAT International (Rounds 1 & 2)
• September 2025 SAT US (Rounds 1-3)
• October 2025 SAT US (Round 1)
• October 2025 SAT International (Round 1)
• October 2025 PSAT (Rounds 1 & 2)
• November 2025 SAT US
• November 2025 SAT International
• December 2025 SAT US
• December 2025 SAT International

Methodology Notes

This analysis compiled vocabulary from official SAT administrations as reported by test-takers on r/SAT. Word variants (e.g., "proponents" and "proponent," "eschewed" and "eschew") were normalized to base forms for accurate frequency counting.

We identified and excluded apparent duplicates where the same quiz data appeared under multiple labels, ensuring each test administration was counted only once.

What This Means for Your Prep

The SAT isn't testing random vocabulary—it's drawing from a defined pool of words the College Board considers essential. By focusing on high-frequency words first, you're aligning your study time with the test's actual patterns.

This data-driven approach means you can study smarter: master the 26 most-tested words, understand their roots, and build outward from there. The probability math is in your favor.

Last updated: January 2026 | Data covers March 2024 - December 2025 SAT administrations