The Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is a standardized test used for graduate school admissions. The MAT is composed entirely of analogies, so vocabulary is crucial to success on the test. A great vocabulary is important for other reasons as well.

If someone you were attracted to called you mesmeric, would you run or ask for his number? Having a big vocabulary is a powerful thing. It can help you understand what’s going on around you, and it can help you more precisely — and impressively — convey meaning.

The bigger your vocabulary, the better you’ll probably do on the MAT. The trouble is, thousands upon thousands of words might show up on the MAT, so learning them all isn’t a realistic option. But learning some words every day can at least make a dent.

When you select words to memorize, it’s a good idea to use a source like a GRE vocabulary book; after all, you want to know graduate level vocabulary.

These kinds of books usually have selected the most commonly tested words and don’t have too many obscure or easy words in them. You may even find Internet sources that provide graduate-level vocabulary lists for you to study.

On this website, you’ll find several articles that help you expand your MAT vocabulary by studying word roots, suffixes, and prefixes. You’ll also find articles that help you understand the use of mnemonics in vocabulary building, how to identify words by their type, and ways to distinguish commonly confused words. Be sure to learn common foreign words and phrases as well, as these often appear on the MAT.

About This Article

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About the book authors:

Vince Kotchian is a full-time standardized test tutor specializing in the MAT, SSAT, ISEE, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. He teaches a GRE prep course at the University of California, San Diego, and has an extensive understanding of analogies and the MAT.

Edwin Kotchian is a MAT tutor and freelance writer who has contributed to a variety of test-prep material.

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