Tips for GRE Text Completion

When preparing for the GRE Verbal section, you might wonder about how to master the Text Completion question type. one-third of the questions in the verbal section are Text Completion type.

It thus becomes crucial to prepare and improve your verbal or vocabulary skills to achieve a high score in GRE Text Completion. Therefore, this article will provide you with several invaluable tips for GRE Text Completion.

Come, let’s have a look. 

How to Prepare for GRE Text Completion

The Text Completion question part is designed to test your vocabulary strength and ability to interpret the meaning of different words in different contexts. There are three types of Text Completion questions in the GRE Verbal questions section, and they are:

• One-blank
• Two-blank
• Three-blank

You will be given answer choices for every type of question. You must select the suitable one(s) and fill in the blank(s) to complete the sentences logically. So, let us check out the most useful GRE Text Completion tips that will strengthen your vocabulary and improve GRE Verbal scores. 

Focus on Completed Part of Sentence

Even though it is natural to focus on filling in the blanks, it is more helpful to try comprehending the completed part of the sentence. This part may contain a key point to help you choose the right answer. 

Reading every word in the completed part of the sentence and understanding their meaning will help you fill in the blank correctly. You won't be able to narrow down your choices if you keep yourself stuck around the blank part. You can narrow your selection and choose the right word by evaluating the rest of the sentence.

Focus on Transitory Words

In the Text Completion section, each sentence incorporates transitory words, which serve to connect two distinct sentences. These transitory words, such as despite, however, although, therefore, and but, play a crucial role in linking ideas or expressing contrast. 

When navigating through a sentence in this section, pay attention to these pivotal words that provide clues about the upcoming information. Whether indicating opposite meanings or ideas that complement each other, recognizing these clues simplifies the process of logically and effectively selecting the correct answer.

Focus on One-Blank Questions First

It is one of the most effective GRE Text Completion tips. Be it one-blank, two-blanks, or three-blanks questions, they carry the same point; so the number of blanks does not make any difference. If you can easily answer the one-blank questions, attempting those before the two or three-blank ones will be a good idea. 

Moreover, the GRE has no strict rule that you must fill in the blanks in order of their appearance. So, it is best to answer the questions that seem the easiest to you rather than wasting time on the ones that require more attention and time. 

We suggest you complete the one-blank first, then move on to the two-blank, and lastly, the three-blank. This strategy also helps you answer more questions on your test day.

Focus on Reading Completed Paragraph

Consider this as the final step in your GRE Text Completion part. Once you fill in all the blanks, remember to read the complete passage before submitting. 

This will help you detect if there is any error. Reading the passage will help you understand the tone and rectify logical discrepancies. You might overlook them while reading the blanks, but the entire paragraph will omit that chance.

Additional GRE Text Completion Tips

Apart from the tips mentioned above, here are some additional tips that will help you with your GRE preparations.

• Observe the sentence's tone and comprehend whether it is positive or negative. This will help you to narrow down your options and make the right choice.
• In most cases, the big or complex words that you have no idea might draw your attention. However, that will not always be the right answer. So think wisely and then select the answer.
• To narrow down the options, you can try to rule out obvious wrong ones. This will help you to easily select from lesser and probable options.