GRE Text Completion
A short passage with one, two or three blanks. One blank gives five options; two and three blanks give three options each. There is no partial credit — all blanks must be right — which sounds brutal and is survivable, because the blanks support each other.
Find the signpost before the vocabulary
Every Text Completion contains a word telling you whether the blank continues the idea or reverses it. Finding it is worth more than knowing all fifteen options, because it halves the field instantly.
| Signpost | Examples | The blank is |
|---|---|---|
| Continuation | and, moreover, indeed, in fact, similarly | In line with the rest of the sentence |
| Reversal | although, despite, yet, nevertheless, paradoxically | Opposite to it |
| Cause | because, since, therefore, as a result | The consequence or the reason |
| Definition | a colon, a dash, "that is" | A restatement of what follows |
The method
- Read the whole passage before looking at any options.
- Predict a word of your own for each blank — even a clumsy one, even just "positive" or "negative".
- Start with the blank you are most confident about; on multi-blank questions it constrains the others.
- Match your prediction to the options, then read the completed passage back to check it holds together.
Options are built so that a word fitting the tone but not the logic looks attractive. Predicting first is what protects against it — once you have read five sophisticated options, several will seem plausible.
Text Completion — FAQs
2 questions
No. All blanks in a question must be correct for the mark.
Start with the easiest. Each correct blank narrows what the others can mean.
More verbal question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.