KET · Everyday Vocabulary · New York, USA
Everyday Vocabulary for the KET Exam — New York candidates
10% of the KET test plan. Core A2 vocabulary for daily life: food, transport, home, health, shopping, and directions. Calibrated for New Yorker candidates.
For candidates aiming to clear this exam on the first attempt, the difference between Band 6 and Band 7+ — or "passing" and "comfortable margin" — usually comes down to fluency on a small number of high-leverage topics. Everyday Vocabulary sits at roughly 10% of the Cambridge Key English Test (A2) content distribution — Everyday vocabulary is the foundation of all A2 Key skills. The Cambridge A2 vocabulary list includes approximately 1,200 words in topic groups. Gaps in core vocabulary directly cause incorrect reading, listening, writing, and speaking answers. Pass rates for the KET are published annually by the awarding body and vary by cohort and locale. For New York candidates preparing for KET, the calibration of study to local context matters: New York is a top-3 state for NCLEX-RN, MCAT, and GRE candidates. NY State Education Department (NYSED) handles RN licensure differently from compact states.
Common failure modes
These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.
- !Confusing similar-looking words: receipt/recipe, kitchen/chicken, cost/coast
- !Not knowing prepositions for location: next to, opposite, between, behind, in front of
- !Limited food vocabulary — food topics appear in nearly every A2 Key paper
Study tips
- 1Learn vocabulary in topic groups, not in isolation: practice all food words together, all transport words together.
- 2Use the Cambridge A2 Key Wordlist (downloadable free from Cambridge Assessment website) as your master list.
- 3Practice prepositions of place with real objects in your home — point and say where things are.
- 4For NCLEX-RN: NYSED is not part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a NY licence does not transfer to other states without endorsement. Consider this if you plan to work in NJ/CT after graduating.
- 5For MCAT: most NY medical schools (Columbia, Cornell, Mount Sinai, NYU) cap MCAT scores accepted at 3 years old — verify your target schools' exact policy.
- 6For CDL: NY DMV requires a 14-day permit-holding period before scheduling the CDL skills test; budget this gap into your training schedule.
Sample KET Everyday Vocabulary questions
These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real KET questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.
- 1
The post office is _____ the bank and the café.
- Anext to
- Bopposite
- CbetweenCorrect
- Dbehind
Why this answer?
"Between" is used for a location in the middle of two specific things. "Next to" means adjacent (one side only); "opposite" means facing across; "behind" means at the back of.
Frequently asked questions
How can I find the official Cambridge A2 Key vocabulary list?
What is the KET pass rate for New Yorker candidates?
How long should New Yorker candidates study Everyday Vocabulary for the KET?
Practice Cambridge KET (A2) free with Koydo.
Reading & Writing, Listening, and Speaking practice tasks.
Related study guides
- Reading & Vocabulary for KET (New York, USA)Another KET topic for New Yorker candidates
- Grammar Basics for KET (New York, USA)Another KET topic for New Yorker candidates
- Listening — Short Recordings for KET (New York, USA)Another KET topic for New Yorker candidates
- Speaking — Interaction & Personal Information for KET (New York, USA)Another KET topic for New Yorker candidates
- Writing — Notes & Short Messages for KET (New York, USA)Another KET topic for New Yorker candidates
- Everyday Vocabulary for KET — U.S. candidatesSame Everyday Vocabulary topic, different locale framing
- Everyday Vocabulary for KET — U.K. candidatesSame Everyday Vocabulary topic, different locale framing
- Everyday Vocabulary for KET — Indian candidatesSame Everyday Vocabulary topic, different locale framing