How to Study for Fill in the Blank Tests

Of all the test question types, fill-in questions may be the most feared. But this type of question doesn't have to give you an immediate brain drain. There is an effective strategy for preparing for this type of test question.

In most cases, the best tool for test preparation is great class notes. When you take good notes from your teacher's lecture, you usually have about 85% of the material you'll need to prepare for any type of test, right on hand. Most teachers create tests straight from their lecture notes.

When preparing for a fill-in test, your class notes are even more important than ever. If you have been able to record your teacher's notes word for word, you may have some fill-in phrases for the test right in front of you already. If you're preparing for a fill-in-the-blank test right now, pull out those class notes and try one of these two study strategies.

Strategy 1: Leave Out a Word

The great thing about this method is that it actually prepares you for all types of questions. You'll find that this method makes it easy to answer most any essay question, as well as the fill-ins.

1. Read over your class notes and underline new terms, important dates, noteworthy phrases, and the names of key people.
2. Put parentheses around the sentence that contains your key word or phrase.
3. Copy each sentence onto a clean sheet of paper, leaving out the key word or phrase.
4. Leave a blank space where they key word or phrase should go.
5. At the bottom of the paper containing your sentence (or on a separate page), make a list of the key words and phrases. This will serve as your key.
6. Read over your sentences and attempt to fill in the blanks with correct answers in very light pencil. Consult your notes when necessary.
7. Erase your work and continue this process until you can answer all your fill-in questions with ease.
8. For insurance, read through the relevant chapters in your text to find any words or phrases you didn't find in your notes.
9. Go through the same process of copying sentences and filling in the answers until they all come easily.

Strategy 2: Dry Erase Practice Test

You can create your own reusable practice test by using the following steps.

1. Make a photocopy of your class notes or textbook pages.
2. White out key words, dates, and definitions.
3. Slip the new page with blank spaces into a plastic sheet protector.
4. Use a dry erase pen to fill in answers. You can easily wipe away your answers to practice again and again.