1. Cover the answer choices
ABSOLUTELY!! The test-makers offer numerous traps among the answer options that divert you from the correct response. Read the sentence FIRST!

2. Read for clues!
Don’t just skim, but read with care to see what information supports the blank.

3. Read with your pencil!
Circle the words, colons, dashes, commas that provide a trail of clues. Words like ‘but’, ‘however’, and ‘although’ (there are others, too) signal a u-turn in the principal idea that the sentence contains. Conjunctions like ‘and’ and ‘so’ indicate no change in the principal idea.

4. Positively or Negatively Charged?
Write a plus or minus sign to show the ‘value’ of the word you’re searching for—does it have negative or positive connotations?

5. With your pencil, connect a key word or phrase to the blank(s)
The definition(s) of the word(s) you’re after are often enough right there in front of your nose, printed in black and white in the “stem sentence” (the stem sentence is another way of saying the question sentence with the blank(s)). Your pencil connection (line or arrow) calls out connections and clarifies your search for the answer.

6. PREDICT using your own word or phrase
If you already have an arrow from a word or words in the sentence, that’s enough of a prediction. If not, then write a simple word that captures the ‘charge’

7. NOW, Compare your word(s) with the answer options
Eliminate what doesn’t match your ‘charged’ attempt. An unknown word among the choices? Mark it with a “?”

8. Go Back to your Roots!
If you’re initially stumped by some words, try eliminating prefixes like im-, il-, dis-, and common English suffixes like –ate, -ious, -ent, in order to get to the heart of the matter. Prefixes will also help in identifying the direction some definitions will go in, for example the word prescient.

9. Plug in the remaining options and test your discriminating “ear”

10. Removed 2 of 5? Choose your answer.
Educated guess means eliminating at least 2 out of 5—except for the last two questions in any section, always the hardest. You may have to eliminate at least 3 or pass over them completely.