Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat this.
When I first started helping students with DU, JU, CU, and RU admission prep back in 2015, vocabulary was their biggest nightmare. Still is, honestly. But here’s the thing—it doesn’t have to be.
After spending over a decade working with thousands of students preparing for Bangladesh public university admissions, I’ve seen what actually works. And what’s just a waste of time.
Last month, one of my students scored 28 out of 30 in the English section of DU’s GHA unit exam. Her secret? She stopped memorizing random word lists and started practicing smart. That’s exactly what I’m gonna show you today.
Why Vocabulary Matters More Than You Think
Here’s something most coaching centers won’t tell you straight up.
Vocabulary questions make up roughly 35-40% of the English section across most public university admission tests in Bangladesh. That’s huge. We’re talking about DU’s A, B, C, D units, Jahangirnagar University, Chittagong University, Rajshahi University—all of them love testing vocabulary.
But it’s not just about synonyms and antonyms anymore. The 2024-2025 admission cycles have shown a clear shift. Universities are now testing contextual vocabulary usage, analogies, and word relationships way more than before.
I noticed this pattern emerging around 2023, and it’s only gotten stronger.
The Real Problem With Traditional Vocabulary Prep
Most students do this wrong from day one.
They grab some massive vocabulary book—maybe one with 5,000 words—and try to memorize everything. Three days later? They remember maybe 50 words. A week later? Back to square one.
I’ve been there. I’ve watched it happen hundreds of times.
The problem isn’t your memory. It’s the approach. Your brain doesn’t naturally retain isolated word lists. It needs context, patterns, and repeated exposure through actual usage.
What surprised me most over the years was how much time students waste on words that rarely appear in admission tests. Some words show up every single year—words like “querulous,” “opaque,” “laconic,” “prodigal.” Others? Maybe once in a decade.
The High-Frequency Words You Actually Need
Let me share something practical.
After analyzing past question papers from 2015 to 2025, I’ve identified about 800-1000 words that appear repeatedly in Bangladesh public university admission tests. These aren’t random words—they’re the ones examiners love.
Words describing human behavior and attitudes pop up constantly. Think “adamant,” “querulous,” “laconic,” “prodigal,” “treacherous,” “culpable.” Universities test these because they’re useful in academic contexts.
Then there’s the technical vocabulary cluster. Words like “opaque,” “viscous,” “nonporous,” “inaudible”—basically anything describing physical properties or scientific concepts.
And don’t even get me started on medical and psychological terms. “Megalomania,” “malignancy,” “masculinity”—DU especially loves these for their A and D units.
Here’s my honest take: focus on these high-frequency words first. Master them completely. Only then move to broader vocabulary building.
Practice Strategies That Actually Work
Okay, so here’s what I tell every single student who asks me for help.
Start with analogy questions. They’re everywhere in admission tests, and they force you to understand word relationships, not just definitions. When you see “FEARLESS : DAUNT,” you’re not just learning two words—you’re learning how they interact.
DU’s GHA unit particularly loves these. The 2024-2025 admission cycle saw at least 8-10 analogy questions per test.
Use the context method religiously. Don’t just memorize that “noxious” means harmful. Write sentences. “The noxious fumes from the factory affected nearby residents.” Your brain remembers stories and situations way better than definitions.
Practice with real past papers. This cannot be emphasized enough. I’ve uploaded collections of vocabulary questions from the last decade on various platforms, and students who work through these perform significantly better. Why? Because you start recognizing patterns in how questions are framed.
Group words by themes. When I’m teaching, I group words into categories—emotions, physical descriptions, negative traits, positive traits, scientific terms. It’s easier to remember “irascible,” “querulous,” and “cantankerous” together because they’re all about being grumpy or difficult.
Common Mistakes I Keep Seeing
Students keep making the same errors year after year, and it drives me a bit crazy honestly.
Mistake number one? Confusing similar-sounding words. “Altercation” doesn’t mean alteration. “Ascent” isn’t the same as assent. These mix-ups cost valuable marks.
Second big mistake—ignoring antonyms. Most students focus heavily on synonyms but neglect antonyms. Yet nearly 30% of vocabulary questions ask for opposite meanings. Universities particularly love testing abstract versus concrete, masculinity versus femininity, opaque versus transparent.
Third—and this one hurts to watch—students answer too quickly without reading carefully. A question might ask for “NOT synonymous” but they pick the synonym anyway because they’re rushing.
Slow down. Read twice. Answer once.
Building a Study Schedule That Works
Let me tell you what worked for my top performers in 2024-2025.
Don’t try to learn 50 words a day. That’s nonsense. You’ll forget 45 of them.
Instead, learn 15-20 words daily with proper context and usage. Spend 30-40 minutes on them. Write sentences. Create flashcards if that helps you. Review previous days’ words before learning new ones.
Here’s a realistic six-month timeline: First two months, focus on the top 500 high-frequency words. Months three and four, expand to 800-1000 words while continuously reviewing earlier ones. Final two months before admission tests, do practice questions exclusively while maintaining review.
I know this sounds like a lot, but breaking it down makes it manageable. Trust me on this.
Resources That Don’t Waste Your Time
I’m not gonna recommend some expensive course here.
Past question papers are your goldmine. Every major public university uploads their previous years’ questions. Download them. Print them. Work through them systematically.
For DU specifically, focus on questions from their A, B, C, D, and GHA units from 2018 onwards. The pattern stabilized around then.
YouTube channels run by experienced educators often provide excellent vocabulary tricks and memory techniques. I’ve seen some channels offer word explanations with Bengali translations and example sentences—super helpful for understanding nuanced differences.
Create your own vocabulary notebook. Old school? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely. Write the word, its meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and at least two example sentences. This physical act of writing reinforces memory.
What the 2025 Admission Cycle Tells Us
Things are changing, and you need to know this.
The October 2024 to April 2025 admission season showed increased emphasis on contextual vocabulary usage. Universities aren’t just asking “what’s the synonym of X” anymore. They’re giving you sentences with blanks or asking you to identify word relationships through complex analogies.
Medical admission tests particularly ramped up vocabulary difficulty. Terms related to psychology, medicine, and scientific phenomena appeared more frequently than previous years.
This shift means rote memorization helps less than before. You actually need to understand how words work in context.
Quick Tips for Test Day
When you’re sitting in that exam hall, remember these things.
Process of elimination is your friend. If you don’t know the answer immediately, eliminate obviously wrong options first. Often you can narrow it down to two choices, giving you a 50-50 shot instead of 25%.
Don’t spend more than 30-40 seconds per vocabulary question. If you’re stuck, mark it and move on. Come back if time permits.
Read the question twice before answering. I can’t stress this enough. “Synonym” versus “antonym” mistakes happen under pressure.
Trust your first instinct if you’ve prepared well. Second-guessing usually leads to changing correct answers to wrong ones.
Final Thoughts from Ten Years of Teaching
Here’s what I genuinely believe after working with thousands of admission candidates.
Vocabulary preparation isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about being systematic, consistent, and strategic with your practice.
The students who succeed aren’t necessarily the ones with the best memory. They’re the ones who practice regularly, review consistently, and focus on understanding rather than just memorizing.
Start today. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Pick 15 words right now and learn them properly. That’s your foundation.
You’ve got this. I’ve seen students with weaker English backgrounds outscore supposedly “brilliant” students simply because they prepared smarter, not harder.
Good luck with your preparation. Make these vocabulary questions your strength, not your weakness.