Celebrity English | Test-Taking Tips

The SAT and PSAT contain sentence completion questions that test your vocabulary knowledge and your logic skills. Keep these tips in mind as you approach these questions:

1. Anticipate the answer. As you read the sentence for the first time, try to get a general sense of the missing word or words. Before you read the answers, fill in the blanks with your own words. As you review the choices, look for synonyms of your words.
2. Look for indicator words. Words like "therefore," "so," "because," and "since" indicate that one part of the sentence supports another part of the sentence. Questions containing these types of words are generally structured so that the answer will be a synonym of or convey the same meaning as a word or words in the sentence. Words like "yet," "however," "nonetheless," "although," "not," and "but" indicate that one part of the sentence contrasts with another part of the sentence. Questions containing these types of words are generally structured so that the answer will be an antonym of or convey the opposite meaning of a word or words in the sentence. The most challenging questions are not straightforward in their use of these indicator words. Pay attention to the effect that indicator words have on the structure of the sentence.
   
3. Do not let unfamiliar words intimidate you. Even if you have never seen a particular word before, you may be able to determine its meaning by considering its parts. Look at the root of the word: does it remind you of a more familiar word? Look at the prefix and the suffix: how do these affect the meaning of the root? If it is not possible to break down a word, move on to the next choice. If you eliminate all the choices except the one with an unfamiliar word, do not worry about choosing this answer. The writers of the test often include difficult, and sometimes obscure, words; therefore, one that is unfamiliar to you may be the correct answer.
4. Separate word pairs. Some questions will require you to fill in two blanks. After you read the sentence, look at the first word in each pair and plug it into the sentence. If it does not make sense, cross out that answer. When you have considered each of the first words, look at the remaining second words and plug them into the sentence.
5. Find the best answer. This may sound obvious; however, many questions will have a second-best answer that may make sense in the context of the sentence. You must find the best answer - the one that most completely and effectively supports the meaning of the rest of the sentence. Cross off the answers that are clearly wrong. Examine the remaining choices; if more than one answer makes sense, rethink the definitions of the words and consider possible subtleties in their meanings.
6. Make educated guesses. If you are able to eliminate two or more choices with confidence, consider guessing. Remember how the test is scored: a correct answer earns you one point; an incorrect answer costs you 1/4 of a point; and no answer does not affect your score. If you are choosing among three answers, you have about a 33% chance of gaining one point and about a 66% chance of losing 1/4 of a point. These are relatively good odds, so take a chance.
7. Be confident. Some questions are easy. If a choice makes sense to you but it seems too obvious, do not second-guess yourself. Fill in your answer and move onto the next question.