Timing at a glance
| Real test | No clock per question: the Reading items share one section timer |
|---|---|
| Our practice pace | About 2 minutes per text |
Timings are approximate and can vary slightly from question to question.
How it's scored
Scored on1 mark per correct blank
Each gap filled with the right word earns one mark. A wrong or empty gap earns nothing and costs nothing, so fill every gap.
Worked example
A practice text we wrote
Volunteers in the town planted more than a thousand trees last spring. The project was ____ (1) by local businesses, and schools ____ (2) pupils to help with watering. The trees are expected to ____ (3) shade within a few years. Word bank: funded / encouraged / provide / provided / fund / shady
A strong approach
(1) funded: passive "was funded by". (2) encouraged: past simple, matching "last spring". (3) provide: "expected to" + base verb. "Fund", "provided" and "shady" are the distractors: right topic, wrong form.
Common mistakes
- Using a word in the right topic but the wrong form (fund vs funded).
- Filling gaps strictly in order and getting stuck on the first hard one.
- Forgetting that each word can be used only once.
Tips
- Fill the easiest gaps first; fewer words left makes the hard gaps easier.
- Check the form each gap needs: tense, singular or plural, noun or verb.
- Read the full sentence with your word in it before moving on.
- Expect distractors that look right but have the wrong grammar.
Reading: Fill in the Blanks FAQ
In Reading & Writing Fill in the Blanks each gap has its own dropdown list. In Reading Fill in the Blanks you drag words from one shared word bank, which includes extra words you don't need.
Related guides
PTE Practice is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Pearson. Our scores are a calibrated emulation, not official PTE scores.