One of the most common mistakes that GRE students make when trying to fill the blank in an SE sentence is that they hover around the parts of the sentence closest to the blank. Essentially, they put on blinders and focus all their attention on the words immediately before and after the blank.

This tendency is unsurprising. After all, the blank is the part of the sentence we need to “solve.” So, we’re naturally going to want to focus on that part.

The thing is, when we evaluate the part of the sentence that contains the blank, we’re working with incomplete information. So, if we focus all our attention on that part of the sentence and don’t pay much attention to the part that is already “filled in” for us, we’re working at a disadvantage.

Sure, there may be words near the blank that provide further insight or clues that help us fill the blank. However, by and large, the most telling evidence in an SE sentence will be the statement that is complete, not the statement that is missing information.

So, don’t make the mistake of focusing all your attention on the words immediately surrounding the blank. Instead, make sure that you pay close attention to any parts of the sentence where information is complete.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep