Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown), PTE Academic

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Score Weightage

Overall Score7%

Reading25%

Source: Pearson PTE Academic, Scoring Information for Teachers and Partners. Weightings are averages and may vary per test form.

The Do's and Don'ts

Skim the Full Passage FirstBefore clicking any drop-downs, read the text quickly to identify the topic, tone, and overall flow.

Use Grammar as a CompassIdentify the required part of speech for the blank, noun, past-tense verb, or adjective?

Focus on CollocationsMany blanks test 'word neighbors', we make a decision, not do a decision; we gain access to something.

Read Before and After the BlankThe words immediately surrounding the gap often dictate the answer (e.g., if the word after the blank is 'to,' the answer might be 'refer' or 'access').

Don't Choose Based on Sound AloneAfter predicting, open the dropdown and eliminate options that are grammatically wrong (wrong part of speech, wrong tense) or semantically wrong. Then read the sentence with each remaining option in your head -- choose the one that sounds most natural. Pay attention to homophones and homonyms.

Don't Leave Any Blank EmptyThere is no negative marking. If stuck, make an educated guess based on context.

Don't Spend Too Much TimeIf a blank is confusing you, pick an option and move on. You need time for the rest of the Reading section.

Don't Ignore Text TypeAcademic texts use formal, precise vocabulary. Narrative texts use time-sequence words and descriptive adjectives.

Tips & Tricks

The Context Clue Hunt

Look for transition words like However, Therefore, or In addition. They signal whether the blank should have a positive or negative meaning.

Elimination Strategy

Click the drop-down and immediately rule out options that break grammar rules, e.g., a plural verb for a singular subject.

The Final Read-Through

Once all blanks are filled, read the entire completed passage one last time to catch errors that didn't stand out in isolation.

Standardized Solving Protocol

The Skim

Read the passage in 30 seconds to determine the main topic and tone.

The Grammar Filter

Look at a blank. Is it a Verb? Noun? Adjective? Adverb? What tense does the paragraph use?

The Collocation & Context Match

Open the drop-down. Look for word pairs. Exclude words that don't fit the tone of the text.

The Logic Check

Read the sentence with your chosen word. Does it make logical sense within the paragraph's argument?

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Test-Taking Strategies & Practice

1 Use collocation and grammar knowledge to predict the answer

Before opening any dropdown, look at the words before and after the blank and predict:

What part of speech is needed?
Which words collocate with the surrounding text? (we make a decision; we conduct research/experiments)

Having a prediction before you see the options makes it much easier to identify the correct word and resist distractors.

2 Eliminate inappropriate options

Once you open the dropdown, quickly rule out options that are:

Wrong part of speech
Wrong tense or form
Wrong meaning -- semantically inappropriate for the context

3 Read the sentence aloud with each remaining option

After eliminating, read the complete sentence in your head with each remaining option. Choose the one that sounds most natural and correct. Pay special attention to homophones and homonyms -- words that sound or look similar but have different meanings.

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Official Scoring Criteria

+1 per blank

Each correctly completed blank earns 1 point.

0 (min)

Minimum score is 0. No negative marking.

Partial credit scoring, you earn one point for each blank you fill in correctly. You cannot go below 0, so always attempt every blank.