These words appear repeatedly in placement exams.

Word	Synonym
Abandon	Leave
Ability	Skill
Accurate	Correct
Acquire	Obtain
Adequate	Sufficient
Admire	Respect
Aid	Help
Ambition	Goal
Ancient	Old
Answer	Reply
Apparent	Obvious
Assist	Help
Attempt	Try
Authentic	Genuine
Brave	Courageous
Calm	Peaceful
Capable	Competent
Clever	Intelligent
Combine	Merge
Complete	Finish
Confirm	Verify
Dangerous	Risky
Defend	Protect
Difficult	Hard
Efficient	Productive
Essential	Necessary
Famous	Renowned
Fast	Quick
Flexible	Adaptable
Generous	Kind
Honest	Truthful
Important	Significant
Improve	Enhance
Intelligent	Smart
Maintain	Preserve
Necessary	Essential
Obtain	Acquire
Rapid	Fast
Reduce	Decrease
Reliable	Dependable
Secure	Safe
Simple	Easy
Sincere	Genuine
Strong	Powerful
Valuable	Precious

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2. MOST COMMON ANTONYMS

Word	Opposite
Accept	Reject
Ancient	Modern
Arrive	Depart
Artificial	Natural
Brave	Cowardly
Broad	Narrow
Capable	Incapable
Complex	Simple
Create	Destroy
Dangerous	Safe
Deep	Shallow
Expand	Contract
Flexible	Rigid
Generous	Selfish
Honest	Dishonest
Increase	Decrease
Intelligent	Foolish
Major	Minor
Maximum	Minimum
Optimistic	Pessimistic
Permanent	Temporary
Positive	Negative
Powerful	Weak
Private	Public
Rapid	Slow
Success	Failure
Superior	Inferior
Victory	Defeat
Visible	Invisible
Wealthy	Poor

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3. HIGH-FREQUENCY PLACEMENT WORDS

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Abundant

Meaning:

Plenty
Large Quantity

Synonym:

Ample

Antonym:

Scarce

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Benevolent

Meaning:

Kind
Helpful

Synonym:

Generous

Antonym:

Cruel

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Candid

Meaning:

Honest
Frank

Synonym:

Truthful

Antonym:

Deceptive

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Diligent

Meaning:

Hardworking

Synonym:

Industrious

Antonym:

Lazy

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Eloquent

Meaning:

Fluent Speaker

Synonym:

Articulate

Antonym:

Inarticulate

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Fragile

Meaning:

Delicate

Synonym:

Weak

Antonym:

Strong

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Genuine

Meaning:

Real
Authentic

Synonym:

True

Antonym:

Fake

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Hostile

Meaning:

Unfriendly

Synonym:

Aggressive

Antonym:

Friendly

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Innovative

Meaning:

Creative

Synonym:

Inventive

Antonym:

Conventional

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Versatile

Meaning:

Multi-skilled

Synonym:

Flexible

Antonym:

Limited

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4. CONTEXTUAL VOCABULARY

Most modern placement exams ask contextual meaning rather than direct synonym questions.

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Example:

The manager appreciated
his diligent efforts.

Meaning of diligent:

Hardworking

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Example:

The company adopted an
innovative approach.

Meaning:

Creative

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Context Clue Types

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Positive Context

Words nearby are positive.

Example:

Outstanding

Excellent

Successful

Effective

Answer usually positive.

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Negative Context

Words nearby are negative.

Example:

Failure

Weak

Poor

Inefficient

Answer usually negative.

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Contrast Context

Indicators:

But

However

Yet

Although

Meaning usually changes.

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Example:

Although he was timid,
he performed confidently.

Timid means:

Shy

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5. IDIOMS & PHRASES

Extremely important for TCS-style exams.

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A Blessing in Disguise

Meaning:

Something good that initially seemed bad.

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Once in a Blue Moon

Meaning:

Very Rarely

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Break the Ice

Meaning:

Start Conversation

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Hit the Nail on the Head

Meaning:

Exactly Correct

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Under the Weather

Meaning:

Sick

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Cost an Arm and a Leg

Meaning:

Very Expensive

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Piece of Cake

Meaning:

Very Easy

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Burn the Midnight Oil

Meaning:

Study/Work Late Night

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Call It a Day

Meaning:

Stop Working

---

Spill the Beans

Meaning:

Reveal Secret

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Beat Around the Bush

Meaning:

Avoid Main Topic

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Pull Someone’s Leg

Meaning:

Make Fun Of

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In Hot Water

Meaning:

In Trouble

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Through Thick and Thin

Meaning:

In Good and Bad Times

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The Ball Is in Your Court

Meaning:

Decision Is Yours

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Take with a Grain of Salt

Meaning:

Do Not Fully Believe

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Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Meaning:

Wrong Person/Idea

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Kill Two Birds with One Stone

Meaning:

One Action, Two Benefits

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Let the Cat Out of the Bag

Meaning:

Reveal Secret

---

On Cloud Nine

Meaning:

Very Happy

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6. ONE-WORD SUBSTITUTIONS

Frequently asked.

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One who loves books

Bibliophile

---

One who loves mankind

Philanthropist

---

One who knows many languages

Linguist

---

One who cannot read or write

Illiterate

---

One who studies stars

Astronomer

---

One who studies society

Sociologist

---

One who studies life

Biologist

---

Government by the people

Democracy

---

Fear of heights

Acrophobia

---

Fear of water

Hydrophobia

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7. CONFUSING WORDS

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Affect vs Effect

Affect = Verb

Effect = Noun

Example:

The rain affected traffic.

The effect was severe.

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Advice vs Advise

Advice = Noun

Advise = Verb

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Accept vs Except

Accept = Receive

Except = Excluding

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Principal vs Principle

Principal = Head

Principle = Rule

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Complement vs Compliment

Complement = Complete

Compliment = Praise

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Stationary vs Stationery

Stationary = Not Moving

Stationery = Writing Materials

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Farther vs Further

Farther = Physical Distance

Further = Additional

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8. ROOT WORDS SHORTCUT

Useful for unknown vocabulary.

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Bio

Life

Examples:

Biology

Biography

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Tele

Distance

Examples:

Telephone

Television

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Auto

Self

Examples:

Automatic

Autobiography

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Geo

Earth

Examples:

Geography

Geology

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Chron

Time

Examples:

Chronology

Chronicle

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9. WORDS FREQUENTLY ASKED IN PLACEMENTS

Memorize.

Abundant

Adequate

Authentic

Benevolent

Candid

Diligent

Efficient

Fragile

Hostile

Innovative

Meticulous

Optimistic

Prudent

Reliable

Versatile

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VOCABULARY SHORTCUTS

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Positive Words

Efficient

Innovative

Reliable

Capable

Diligent

Productive

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Negative Words

Fragile

Hostile

Lazy

Weak

Inefficient

Risky

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MOST IMPORTANT IDIOMS

Memorize before exam.

Break the Ice

Piece of Cake

Burn the Midnight Oil

Spill the Beans

Hit the Nail on the Head

Once in a Blue Moon

Call It a Day

Under the Weather

On Cloud Nine

Cost an Arm and a Leg

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5-MINUTE LAST REVISION

Memorize:

Abandon = Leave

Acquire = Obtain

Efficient = Productive

Reliable = Dependable

Rapid = Fast

Accept ↔ Reject

Success ↔ Failure

Positive ↔ Negative

Brave ↔ Cowardly

Innovative = Creative

Diligent = Hardworking

Versatile = Multi-skilled

Break the Ice

Piece of Cake

Spill the Beans

Hit the Nail on the Head