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PTE Reading Fill in the Blanks strategies
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Top PTE Reading Fill in the Blanks Strategies to Boost Your Score

Want to ace the PTE Reading Fill In The Blanks-FIB section? Well, you are at the right place! This section can be quite challenging but rewarding with the proper strategies. Let’s dive into some effective tips and techniques to help you better understand the FIB section and boost your PTE overall score.

Understanding PTE Reading Fill In The Blanks Task

The Reading Fill In The Blanks task is all about context and vocabulary. You have a text in front of you where many gaps need to be filled. You’ll need to drag the right word from the list provided to fill each gap. Easy as that may sound, but here’s the catch—these words all tend to look alike because they have similar meanings, and you have to pick which one fits best in the context of the sentence.

Goal

You have to place the correct word in the appropriate blank by understanding the sentence’s overall meaning and grammatical structure.

Strategy 1: Build a Strong Vocabulary

A strong vocabulary is your best friend here! It is good to know the meanings, but it is more important to know how those words are used in various contexts.

Improvement Tips

  • Read daily: Newspapers, books, online articles—whatever works for you. The more you read, the more exposure you get to different words in context.
  • Apps: Practice new words and see them in an array of sentences through vocabulary programs like Quizlet.

Pro Tip: Practice the meaning, but also focus on synonyms, antonyms, and word forms. If you see a word such as “ambiguous” in the FIB, you should know related words such as “unclear” and “vague” and how they might fit into a sentence.

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Strategy 2: Pay Attention to Grammar Cues

Most often, one can get all the grammar clues about what words would fit into each blank. Many words seem like they could fit in, based on context alone, but they don’t work grammatically.

  • Evaluate the article (a, an, the): These are good starting places for some clues. For instance, if there is “an” before the blank, you know that the word should begin with a vowel sound.
  • Verb forms: Check the sentence to see if it’s an existing subject; choose the correct verb form. Example: “is walking” vs. “walk.”
  • Prepositions: Some words work only with prepositions. An example is “interested in” vs. “interested at.”

Pro Tip: In PTE Reading fill in the blanks before placing a word, and re-read the sentence to ensure the word fits the meaning and grammar.

Strategy 3: Exploit Collocations

Some words in English just go together. These are collocations, and knowing them can help you fill in the blanks much faster.

  • Learn common word pairs: Phrases like “make a decision,” “take a break,” and “heavy traffic” happen all the time. Giving you an option that features one of these automatically brings you closer to choosing the right answer faster.
  • Practice: PTE mock tests often include collocation exercises, giving you a real taste of how they appear in the exam.

Pro Tip: If two or three of the words from the list go together, try filling in those first. This reduces head-scratching over the remaining gaps.

Strategy 4: Reading the Whole Passage First

You can also do is to read the whole passage first before trying to fill in the blank. In so doing, you get a better sense of what the context is and how the passage flows.

What this means is that you want to get a general sense of the passage as opposed to reading the passage in depth.

Theme check: Is it about technology, travel, or education? If you know the theme, then irrelevant word choices can be eliminated.

Pro Tip: Once you’ve filled in all the blanks, re-read the passage again to make sure everything flows naturally and fits both in meaning and structure.

Strategy 5: Manage Your Time Wisely

Time management is one of the most essential skills in the PTE Reading section. You have limited time to do several reading tasks; hence:

  • Not to stay with just one word: If you don’t know something, take a guess and move on. Go back if there is still some time left.
  • Press for accuracy: Though speed is necessary, accuracy counts in order to get a good score. Make sure you are not in the habit of just ripping through in a hurry.

Bonus: Practice with Mock Tests

The most successful way of improvement is to practice, practice, and practice. Full-length mock tests of Gurully allow you to practice and hone your skills in a real exam environment. After every test, go back to your mistakes and understand where you went wrong and how.

You can use Gurully’s online practice platform to enhance your PTE preparation level. You will get a full-length mock test for preparation and real-time exam simulation. These mock tests are curated by experts and are updated according to the latest guidelines. AI scoring will help you in getting instant feedback. On 79score.com, you will find helpful guides and useful tips to boost your exam preparation and score high.

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Mastering PTE Reading Fill In The Blanks requires balance: building your vocabulary, knowing grammar rules, learning collocations, and practicing under timed conditions. Equipped with these strategies, you will go a long way in achieving a high score and acing this section!

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