Memorizing word lists gives you definitions, but reading gives you understanding. When you encounter a word like ubiquitous in an article about smartphone adoption, the context creates a richer memory than any flashcard alone.
As Reading Rockets explains, the most effective vocabulary instruction combines wide reading with targeted word study. Read academic articles, quality journalism, or fiction — then look up the words that tripped you up.
Here's a pragmatic approach: read for 20 minutes a day from sources that use the register of your target test. For the GRE, try The Atlantic or The Economist. For TOEFL, academic journals or university lecture transcripts work well. For IELTS, BBC News and The Guardian match the test's British English orientation.
Pay attention to nuance — how a word's meaning shifts depending on context. The word "volatile" means something different in a chemistry paper than in a political editorial. ETS advises that the GRE specifically tests your ability to distinguish these shades of meaning.
This is why building vocabulary through reading matters for test success — standardized tests present words in passages, not in isolation. The more contexts you've seen a word in, the faster you'll recognize its meaning on exam day.