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150 multiple-choice questions and 60 flashcards, written to the College Board SAT publicly published topic categories + AP English Language reading vocabulary + standard academic word lists blueprint. Every question carries a full rationale.
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College Board SAT publicly published topic categories + AP English Language reading vocabulary + standard academic word lists (general vocabulary; word selection original)
CoStudy's SAT Vocabulary (College-Level) bank holds 210 items. Every multiple-choice question carries a written rationale explaining why the correct answer is correct and why each distractor is tempting but wrong.
A sample of 12 multiple-choice questions from the bank, with the full rationale shown.
After years of cultivated public charm, the politician's _______ side was glimpsed only by a few close staff members.
Answer: C — acerbic
B) Acerbic = sharp, biting; contrasts with 'cultivated public charm.' A/C/D) All mean pleasant — wouldn't be hidden.
Which word best completes: 'Her ___ was easy to recognize: she would change positions on the same question within a single conversation.'
Answer: C — inconstancy
B) Inconstancy = lack of steadiness; matches changing positions. A/C/D) Imply consistency or honesty.
The journalist's reporting was _______ — every figure double-checked, every quote verified against the original recording.
Answer: B — painstaking
B) Painstaking = exhaustively careful. A) Means superficial — opposite. C) Speculative contradicts 'verified.' D) Glib = smooth but shallow.
The lab's results contained an ___ no one could explain — a single sample with values 10x the expected.
Answer: B — anomaly
A) Agreement. B) Correct — anomaly = deviation from expected. C) Earlier example. D) Proposed explanation.
Which word carries the MOST NEGATIVE connotation when describing a determined person?
Answer: D — obstinate
B) Obstinate = stubbornly resistant (negative). A/C/D) Praise steady determination.
The film's plot is _______ — the same emotional beats, the same tidy resolution that has marked the genre for decades.
Answer: D — formulaic
D) Formulaic = following an established pattern. A/B/C) Mean original or unexpected — opposite.
The professor was both ___ and approachable — deeply learned, but eager to explain.
Answer: B — erudite
A) Hard to understand. B) Correct — erudite = scholarly. C) Flippant. D) Reserved.
The lecturer's tone was so _______ — exact, formal, faintly condescending — that several students stopped attending.
Answer: D — pedantic
B) Pedantic = overly focused on minor details, often condescending. A) Means cheerful. C) Frank. D) Passionate — none match the dryness implied.
Which word is MOST nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to 'transient'?
Answer: C — permanent
B) Permanent; opposite of transient. A/C/D) Synonyms.
Smartphones have become ___ in modern life.
Answer: B — ubiquitous
A) Hard to understand. B) Correct — ubiquitous = everywhere. C) Short-lived. D) Ranked.
The crowd's mood _______ — at first festive, then anxious, then briefly furious — making the security team's job nearly impossible.
Answer: D — shifted
B) Shifted captures movement across multiple emotions. A) Intensified suggests one direction. C/D) Contradict the energy described.
Without further data, scientists are reluctant to ___ from the limited sample to the whole population.
Answer: B — extrapolate
A) Confirm. B) Correct — extrapolate = extend conclusion. C) Distinguish. D) Make clear.
6 sample cards from the 60 in the bank.
ambivalent (adj)
Holding mixed or contradictory feelings about something. 'She felt ambivalent about the move — excited + sad.' Common SAT register: feelings + decisions.
abstruse (adj)
Difficult to understand; obscure. Often used of dense intellectual writing.
extrapolate (v)
Extend the application of (a method or conclusion) to an unknown situation by assuming existing trends will continue.
indifferent (adj)
Having no particular interest or sympathy. NOT the same as impartial (indifferent = uncaring; impartial = fair).
consensus (n)
General agreement among a group. 'Scientific consensus on climate change.'
corroborate (v)
Confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding). 'The witness's account was corroborated by the video.'
These samples are a small slice. The full bank runs flashcards, multiple choice and timed mock exams with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
Open SAT Vocabulary (College-Level) →
The SAT Vocabulary (College-Level) bank holds 210 items: 150 multiple-choice questions, 60 flashcards. 18 of them are on this page to read free, with no signup.
Yes. Every multiple-choice item carries a written rationale that states the controlling principle behind the correct answer and then addresses each wrong option in turn — why it tempts and precisely where it fails. Knowing why the plausible answer was wrong is worth more than knowing which letter was right.
College Board SAT publicly published topic categories + AP English Language reading vocabulary + standard academic word lists (general vocabulary; word selection original)
The samples on this page are free to read in full, rationales included, with no account. The complete 210-item bank, the timed mock exams and per-chapter progress tracking are part of CoStudy on the web and in the iOS app.
Last reviewed 2026-08-22. Banks are written against the certifying body's published exam outline and re-checked when that outline changes — exams get renumbered, retired and reweighted, and a bank written to a superseded outline teaches the wrong proportions. Figures that are re-indexed annually are deliberately not asserted as rules; the questions test the governing principle instead.
This bank is written against the College Board's published exam material. Check the SAT test specifications for the current outline, fees and eligibility rules — those change, and the certifying body is the only authority on them. CoStudy is not affiliated with the College Board.