Purchase a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or SAT study guide. Both the SAT and the GRE are vocabulary-intensive tests for which you can purchase study materials, usually found in the reference section of your local book retailer. Several companies such as Kaplan and Barron also regularly publish books with updated lists of the most commonly used vocabulary lists for these exams.
Create flashcards for new vocabulary words in your study guides. Flashcards can be an effective way to study in your spare time. They are portable and easy to carry in a pocket, purse or backpack. Take flashcards with you everywhere that you go. Grab a small stack of them before you leave the house and take them to the grocery store or restaurant. Pull out your cards and study when you are waiting for dinner or standing in line to pay for your groceries.
Create a schedule and stick to it. Determine exactly how many vocabulary words you want to learn each week and study the necessary amount each day to meet your goal. Resolving to learn ten vocabulary words per day will allow you to learn 70 per week and 280 per month. In just a few months, your vocabulary will expand by over 1,000 words. Keep the number of new words you learn at a reasonable workload, no more than ten to 20 words each day.
Read widely. People who have strong vocabularies tend to be avid readers who immerse themselves in the English language on a daily basis. Read increasingly complex works whenever possible in order to learn new vocabulary words in context. Reading regularly will help your mind adapt to encountering new vocabulary and figuring out the meaning of words based on the context of a passage.