GRE Prep – Secrets to Sentence Completion

Sentence completions may look very familiar because at first glance they look much like your classic fill in the blank question. However, this first glance is misleading!! Unlike the fill in the blank questions you may have been used to in elementary school, these fill in the blanks are much more than simple vocabulary tests. Finding the right word by definition is only part of what sentence completions are testing you on. In addition, they are designed to test your verbal problem-solving skills.

Here is the basic formula for approaching sentence completions on the GRE:

• Start of ignoring the answer choices.
• Fill in the blanks on your own without using the given choices.
• Use process of elimination to get rid of choices that don’t match your word.

When choosing the answer keep in mind that the test is constructed so only one of the answers is logically defendable.

Trucks are a useful vehicle for people that ______________.

A)     Move big loads

B)      Go off roading

C)      Like to ski

D)     Pull trailers

E)      Show off

Clearly this question is not specific enough. All of the answers are logically possible. On the GRE look for questions that are much more specific than this. Here is a way that this question could be modified for use on the GRE.

Trucks with tow hitches are a useful vehicle for people that ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_________________.

Now the answer is clearly D) pull trailers. At best this is a very rudimentary example of a sentence completion question; however the point I’m making is that every sentence will have a clue to lead you to the logically correct answer. Look for the clue in every question in order to help you identify the correct answer choice.