How to Approach GRE Text Completion Questions

I. What Are GRE Text Completion Questions?

GRE text completion questions are a question type found in the GRE verbal reasoning section of the exam. These questions measure GRE students' ability to comprehend the logic, purpose, and structure of a text, as well as their vocabulary knowledge - all skills important when completing graduate-level work. The passages that act as GRE text completion questions vary from one to five sentences in length and have one to three blanks in the beginning, middle, and/or end of the text. Single-blank questions have 5 answer choices and you pick one. Double and triple-blank questions have 3 answer choices per blank, and you will pick one answer choice for each blank. To learn more about the GRE, click here: What is the GRE and Why It Matters for Grad School.

II. Why Text Completion Is Important for Your GRE Score

GRE text completion is an important part of the verbal reasoning section of the GRE because it measures your vocabulary knowledge, your ability to understand the logical connections made in texts, and your grasp of context. Mastering GRE text completion is essential because GRE text completion questions contribute to your total GRE verbal score. A strong performance in GRE text completion increases your GRE verbal score significantly, while a weaker performance brings it down quickly. Graduate schools often emphasize the importance of strong verbal reasoning scores because these test scores speak to test takers' abilities to communicate effectively and think critically. 

Single-Blank Questions

Single-blank GRE text completion questions appear as a sentence with one blank. There will be three answer choices, and you must select the single correct answer that best fits the context of the sentence. These questions test your vocabulary knowledge and ability to interpret sentences logically. 

Double-Blank Questions

Double-blank  GRE text completion questions appear as a text with two blanks, spread across one or two sentences. You will have three answer choices for each of the blanks and will need to choose the correct answer choice for each blank. These questions test your ability to identify logical relationships. As the first and second blanks usually relate to one another (and also to understand their context) you will need to grasp the entirety of the text you are presented with to arrive at the correct answer.

Triple-Blank Questions

Triple-blank GRE text completion questions appear as a text with three blanks, spread across one or two sentences. You will have three answer choices for each blank. These questions test your ability to understand the logic and structure of a sentence, since all the answer choices you select will need to be cohesive with one another. To find out when to schedule your GRE, click here: GRE Test Dates 2025.

V. Proven Tips and GRE Text Completion Practice Strategies

To expand your vocabulary during text completion GRE practice, avoid memorizing lists of words. Instead, study vocabulary in context by reading high-frequency GRE words in sentences to better understand how these words are used. High-frequency GRE words can be studied using flashcards, as these are a specific set of words often encountered on the exam.

When studying GRE text completion, be sure to use the official GRE guide from the ETS, as well as the ETS’ official practice questions. These questions are reflective of the difficulty and style of the GRE text completion questions you will encounter on test day. When working on practice questions, ensure you always review why the correct answer choices fit into the blanks and why the incorrect answers do not. 

Practice GRE verbal text completion questions using timed conditions. Each text completion question should take a maximum of two minutes, so work toward being able to answer questions in this amount of time. If you are having trouble with a question, flag it and return to it later. This will be an important tactic on test day. 

VI. Common Mistakes to Avoid in Text Completion

There are several common mistakes to avoid when dealing with text completion questions. To find out when you will receive your GRE scores, click here: How Long Does It Take to Get GRE Scores.

• Don’t overthink - avoid looking for meaning in sentence(s) that is not there. Use context clues present in the text, such as the author’s tone and any transition words used, to guide you in the right direction. 
• Do not select answer choices because they sound complex or because you have memorized the word found in an answer choice - simple answer choices are often correct. 
• Do not fill in the blanks on their own - make sure that answer choices fit within the context and logical flow of the sentence(s) as a whole. 
• Do not forget to reread sentences - always review sentences after you have plugged in your answers to determine if they still sound logical and natural.

VII. GRE Text Completion Practice Questions

The following are examples of text completion questions as they might appear on the GRE, with explanations. 

After several days at sea, many of the passengers appeared ______, their pallors off-color. 

1. Overwrought
2. Qualmish 
3. Browbeat
4. Vexed
5. Antsy 

To answer this question, refer to the context of the sentence within which the blank is situated. The sentence reads “after several days at sea” and states “their pallors were off-color.” This tells us the passengers in question were unwell because of being at sea. If we apply the process of elimination to the option choices we have available, we can discount “overwrought” since it means overly anxious or excited. “Vexed” and “antsy” apply to specific emotions and not to a feeling of physical illness, since “antsy" means agitated and “vexed” means annoyed. This leaves only “qualmish,” which means sick or queasy and fits into the sentence in question. 

Although once _______ establishments, with the shifts in consumer habits following World War II, automats became _______.

Blank (i)

1. Burgeoning 
2. Proprietary
3. Vogue 

Blank (ii)

1. Outmoded
2. Uneconomic
3. Storied 

To answer this question, note the contrast word “although” at the beginning of the sentence. This tells us that the text is comparing automats with how they once were to how they became after WWII. Thus, the first blank’s answer will be a word describing automats in their earlier state and must contrast the answer choice selected for the second blank. Noting the option choices for blank ii, we can see that our choices are “outmoded,” meaning “outdated,” “uneconomic” meaning “unprofitable,” and “storied” meaning “legendary.” In blank i, “proprietary,” meaning “privately owned,” doesn’t contradict the option choices for blank ii. “Burgeoning” in the first blank’s options means “developing” and “vogue” means “popular.” Since we are looking for two words that would describe the contrasting states of automats before and after World War II, we can guess that the correct answers must be “vogue” and “outmoded,” since these terms describe a decline in the popularity of automats.

VIII. Additional GRE Text Completion Resources

IX. FAQ

Q: How many GRE text completion questions are on the test?

A: On the GRE exam, there are 12 text completion questions, with 6 in each of the two GRE verbal reasoning sections of the exam.

Q: What is the best way to practice GRE text completion?

A: An effective method of practice for GRE text completion centers around incorporating study strategies wherein you not only use flashcards to facilitate memorizing high-frequency GRE vocabulary words but also read these words in sentences for context. It is important to study using official or high-quality GRE prep materials. Ensure you practice GRE text completion questions under timed conditions to mimic test day. When practicing GRE text completion questions, read the sentence to understand its logic. Next, predict the missing word, and only then look at the answer choices. Always remember to review wrong answers to determine why they are incorrect. 

Q: Are text completion questions harder than sentence equivalence?

A: Test takers often perceive text completion questions as more difficult than sentence equivalence questions, but the difficulty of each question type is dependent upon test takers’ strengths. Text completion questions are challenging because the passages that accompany these questions are often complex, and filling in multiple blanks means making logical connections across an entire body of text. Sentence equivalence questions can be tricky because they require deep understanding of vocabulary and synonyms to arrive at the correct answer.

Q: Do I need to memorize word lists for GRE text completion?

A: It is not necessary to memorize long lists of words for GRE text completion, but it is important to have a strong active vocabulary. The Educational Testing Service often incorporates questions into text completion that require GRE students to spot nuances and subtleties to arrive at the correct answer, so memorizing long lists of vocabulary without context is not usually helpful. It is more useful to study text completion through the use of practice questions and by reading specific materials, such as literary essays, to build your vocabulary. When you encounter words you are unfamiliar with, study their root, meaning, and usage. Resources like flashcards can help with remembering high-frequency GRE vocabulary, but these should be paired with exercises wherein you study vocabulary in context.

Q: Can I improve quickly in GRE text completion practice?

A: Yes, you can improve your skills in text completion relatively rapidly, provided you use the correct approach. Text completion questions measure your knowledge of vocabulary and your logical reasoning abilities, so if you want to make quick strides with these questions, you need to focus on learning how to use context clues to arrive at the correct answer and how to eliminate wrong answers. To make more rapid progress with text completion, practice answering text completion questions under timed conditions and memorize high-frequency GRE vocabulary words using flash cards. Finally, you will make swifter progress if you continually review why any correct answer was right and why your incorrect answers were wrong.