The bridge collapsed because the original engineer was incompetent in calculating the load-bearing capacity of the steel supports.
这座桥之所以坍塌，是因为最初负责的工程师在计算钢支撑的承重能力时无能。
Which choice best defines “incompetent”?
B — Not skilled. “incompetent” means not skilled.
Which word means “not skilled”?
A — incompetent. “incompetent” means not skilled.
incompetent — not skilled. In Chinese: 无能的，不称职的.
incompetent is pronounced /ɪnˈkɑːmpɪtənt/.
The bridge collapsed because the original engineer was incompetent in calculating the load-bearing capacity of the steel supports. (这座桥之所以坍塌，是因为最初负责的工程师在计算钢支撑的承重能力时无能。)
unskilled, inept, incapable — all close in meaning to incompetent (not skilled).
competent, skilled — each the opposite of incompetent (not skilled).
Yes. incompetent is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.
in(not)+competent(capable)