June 2026 Vocabulary: 19 Must-Know Words for the International and US Digital SAT

Word #1: Mentorship

What it means: The guidance an experienced professional gives a newcomer.

Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ [Medium]

How the SAT uses it: Passages about historical trades, apprenticeships, or education will describe a master teaching a beginner not just what to do, but why. The blank asks you to name that relationship.

The trap: Many reach for "Innovation" or "Certification" because they sound professional and positive. But innovation means creating something new. When an old electrician shows a young electrician standard practice, nothing new is invented. Knowledge passes down. That is mentorship.

Word #2: Haphazard

What it means: Lacking any principle of organization; random and messy.

Difficulty: ★★★★☆ [Expert]

How the SAT uses it: Science passages describe animals dispersing seeds or wind carrying particles at varying distances, varying times, along idiosyncratic paths. The blank asks for the nature of this distribution.

The trap: Students expect science to imply order, so they grab "symmetrical," "systematic," or "iterative." Yet the passage explicitly says the movement is random. The result cannot be orderly; it is haphazard.

Word #3: Synthesize

What it means: To combine separate elements into one coherent whole.

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ [Hard]

How the SAT uses it: Literature and art passages present a modern creator with two distinct influences—say, classical European music and contemporary Brazilian street culture. The blank asks what the artist does with those sources.

The trap: Many choose "defy" or "reject," assuming modern artists always rebel against tradition. But if both influences appear in the final work, the artist is blending them, not discarding them. A music synthesizer merges piano, drums, and bass into one instrument; the artist synthesizes.

Word #4: Proxies

What it means: Figures, measures, or objects that stand in for something else; substitutes.

Difficulty: ★★★★☆ [Expert]

How the SAT uses it: Hard science passages describe researchers who cannot measure a hidden variable directly—the bottom of a deep river, Earth’s temperature 10,000 years ago. They measure something accessible (surface bugs, ice cores) and use that as a stand-in. Those observations act as proxies.

The trap: Test-takers pick "simulations" or "parameters." Simulations are computer models, not physical substitutes. Parameters are boundaries. Only proxies means using Thing A to infer hidden Thing B.

Word #5: Mitigation

What it means: Reducing the severity or harm of something bad.

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ [Hard]

How the SAT uses it: Passages about cybersecurity breaches, climate events, or economic shocks contrast prevention with response. Once the attack has occurred, you cannot prevent it; you can only lessen its impact. That is mitigation.

The trap: "Deterrence" appears whenever prevention is in the air. Deterrence stops something from starting at all (a burglar alarm deters a break-in). If the passage says the damage is already done, deterrence is off the table. The only remaining action is mitigation.

Word #6: Consequential

What it means: Important; having significant consequences.

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ [Hard]

How the SAT uses it: History or social science texts argue that a subject—like public understanding of history—shapes modern politics. The impact is too large to ignore, so the topic is highly consequential.

The trap: Students see "history" and choose "complex" or "accessible." The clue is not about difficulty; it is about the topic’s effect on politics. If it influences politics, it is consequential.

Word #7: Straightforward

What it means: Uncomplicated; easy to do or understand.

Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ [Medium]

How the SAT uses it: A contrast pattern. The sentence says, “The task appears to be [BLANK], but professionals know it hides considerable complexity.” The blank must be the exact opposite of complex.

The trap: Answers like “infrequent” or “hazardous” relate to technician work and feel plausible. But neither opposes “complexity.” Only “straightforward” completes the contrast.

Word #8: Specify

What it means: To state clearly and definitely.

Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ [Medium]

How the SAT uses it: In troubleshooting passages, an expert needs exact details from a resident to diagnose a system failure. The expert does not want guesses; they need the resident to specify what happened.

The trap: Words like “refurbish” or “activate” sound natural because appliances are involved. But the electrician is asking for information, not action on the appliances. The resident must specify.

Word #9: Proliferation

What it means: Rapid increase in numbers; a large, sudden output.

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ [Hard]

How the SAT uses it: Historical and literary passages describe a “flourishing” era or a “flood” of new books after a revolution or cultural shift. You need a noun that captures massive, sudden production.

The trap: “Overturning” or “erasure” fits the revolutionary theme, so many grab them. But the clue is “flood of interesting writing.” A flood is a proliferation, not an erasure.

Word #10: Favorably

What it means: With high approval or praise.

Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ [Easy]

How the SAT uses it: Tone questions hand you glowing adjectives. If modern critics call a movie “electrifying” and “picture-perfect,” the tone is undeniably positive. The answer is favorably.

The trap: Students conditioned to expect an objective, dry SAT pick “neutrally” or “skeptically.” But “picture-perfect” forces a positive word. Trust the direct clue.

Word #11: Excessive

What it means: More than necessary; too high.

Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ [Medium]

How the SAT uses it: Economics or civics passages show a government justifying a higher toll or tax, while citizens refuse to accept it. Citizens reject the cost because they believe it is excessive.

The trap: “Warranted” (justified) looks correct because the government offers a justification. But the blank captures the citizens’ viewpoint, which opposes justification. The only fitting option is excessive.

Word #12: Rejected

What it means: Dismissed as inadequate or inappropriate.

Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ [Medium]

How the SAT uses it: The “time-shift” pattern. “Initially they [BLANK] the food. HOWEVER, over time they were attracted to it and it became a fixture.” The first blank must be the opposite of “attracted.”

The trap: “Discovered” or “prepared” ignore the pivot word “however,” which signals a complete reversal. If later they loved it, initially they must have rejected it.

Word #13: Indispensable (to)

What it means: Absolutely necessary; cannot be replaced.

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ [Hard]

How the SAT uses it: Describing a tool, strategy, or theory proven over time. The passage states its utility has been “impossible to match” by modern alternatives.