RankHighCompetitive Exam Prep

Reading and writing

Vocabulary

Knowing what a word means as used in a given sentence. Usually tested as selecting the closest synonym or definition.

Exams on RankHigh that test this

What follows is our approach, not an official rule. What each question type measures is set by the body that runs the examination. How to work one is RankHigh’s method — it is what a good tutor would tell you, and there is more than one way to be right. Where an examination publishes its own instructions, those govern on the day.

Vocabulary — POST PELLETB

Tested as “Vocabulary” on POST PELLETB.

Choosing the most accurate meaning of a word as it is used in this sentence.

Where people lose it

Choosing a word that is roughly in the right area. Two options are often both close; only one is accurate in the context given.

How to work itRankHigh method

  1. Read the whole sentence first. Context is doing work the word alone cannot.
  2. Say what the word means in your own words before you look at the options.
  3. Rule out the opposite and the merely related — both appear on purpose.
  4. When two remain, put each back into the sentence and keep the one that changes the meaning least.

Define it yourself first, then go looking for your definition.

Vocabulary — LASD Deputy Sheriff Trainee

Tested as “Vocabulary” on LASD Deputy Sheriff Trainee.

Choosing the word nearest in meaning to a capitalized, underlined word as it is used in the sentence — vocabulary that could appear in an ordinary workplace document.

Where people lose it

Choosing a word that is merely associated with the underlined word rather than a genuine synonym. A word related in topic is not the same as a word matching in meaning.

How to work itRankHigh method

  1. Cover the answer choices and say what the underlined word means in your own words first.
  2. Read the sentence for tone and precision — the answer must fit the word's actual sense here, not just any sense it can carry.
  3. Rule out the near-opposite and the merely-related option; both are placed on purpose.
  4. Substitute your remaining candidate back into the sentence and check the meaning barely shifts.

Define the word yourself before you look at the choices, then match your own definition.

Carry this into the room

  • Vocabulary — POST PELLETB: Define it yourself first, then go looking for your definition.
  • Vocabulary — LASD Deputy Sheriff Trainee: Define the word yourself before you look at the choices, then match your own definition.

Practice it on your own exam

Method only sticks against real questions. Every exam in the catalog opens with a free twelve-question diagnostic — in your browser, with a worked explanation for every answer, and no signup.

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