Text completion questions on the GRE Verbal section can be deceptively tricky. They test not only your vocabulary knowledge but also your ability to understand sentence structure, tone, and logic. These questions often involve one, two, or three blanks that you must fill in with the most appropriate words from a list of answer choices. With the right strategies, you can improve your accuracy and speed—and boost your Verbal Reasoning score.
Understand the Structure of Text Completion Questions
Each text completion question consists of a sentence or short paragraph with one to three blanks. You’ll choose the correct word or set of words from multiple options—typically three for single-blank questions and five for multi-blank questions. The key to success is recognizing the relationship between parts of the sentence: contrast, cause-and-effect, or continuation.
Read the Entire Sentence Carefully
A common mistake is to focus only on the blank itself. Instead, read the full sentence and grasp the author’s intent. Ask yourself: Is the sentence shifting direction? Reinforcing an idea? Setting up a comparison? Understanding the structure will help you identify which word logically completes the sentence.
Use Context Clues to Find the Right Word
Even if you don’t recognize every word in the answer choices, context can guide you. Look for signal words like “although,” “because,” “despite,” or “thus” to uncover the sentence’s logic. Also pay attention to tone—positive, negative, or neutral—as it can quickly eliminate options that don’t match.
Practice with Realistic GRE-Style Questions
The best way to improve is by practicing questions that mirror the real exam. Use trusted resources like the official ETS GRE materials, Magoosh, or Kaplan. Time yourself, review your mistakes, and track your improvement over time. The more familiar you are with the format, the more confident you’ll feel on test day.
Use Process of Elimination
Don’t try to find the perfect answer right away—instead, eliminate the obvious wrong ones. Words that don’t fit the sentence’s tone or structure can be quickly dismissed. Narrowing your choices increases your odds, even if you’re unsure of the final selection.
Watch for Grammar and Sentence Flow
Sometimes an answer might seem to make sense contextually but introduces a grammatical issue. Always double-check that your selected word results in a grammatically correct and natural-sounding sentence. Subject-verb agreement, logical phrasing, and parallel structure all matter.
Final Tips
- Read the entire sentence before choosing an answer.
- Identify clue words that signal contrast, causation, or emphasis.
- Eliminate choices that don’t match the sentence tone or grammar.
- Practice daily with GRE-style text completion drills.
With consistent practice and a strategic approach, GRE text completion questions can shift from confusing to conquerable. Focus on logic first, vocabulary second—and trust the clues in the sentence to guide you toward the right answer.
Want more support? Check out GRE Insider for curated vocabulary lists, daily drills, and free practice questions designed to help you master every part of the GRE Verbal section.