Part 2: Reading
PTE Reading: Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) practice
Practise PTE Reading Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown): choose the word that fits each gap in a text of up to 200 words. See below how it differs from Drag and Drop and Listening Type In, with a worked example.
RW-FIB480 questions in our bank425 listed below
Start practising Reading: Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)Open the practice list
480 Reading: Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) questions in the RealPTE bank; 425 of them are listed on these pages. Practising is free; see Pricing for AI scoring.
Official format (Pearson)
Formerly called Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks.
| Prompt | Text up to 200 words |
|---|---|
| Time to answer | Not set per question (Part 2 lasts 23–30 minutes) |
| Skills assessed | Reading |
How it is scored
- Partial credit applies: a partly correct response still scores.
Source: Pearson, PTE Academic & UKVI test format, Part 2: Reading, checked 9 October 2026.
Three fill-in-the-blanks tasks compared
PTE has three kinds of fill in the blanks. They look alike but test different things.
| Task | What you do | Scoring |
|---|---|---|
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)Part 2 · Reading | Choose a word from a drop-down list for each gapChoices: Yes, a list per gap | Partial credit applies: a partly correct response still scores. |
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop)Part 2 · Reading | Drag words from one box into the gapsChoices: Yes, one box with extra words | The box has more words than there are gaps. Partial credit applies: a partly correct response still scores. |
| Listening: Fill in the Blanks (Type In)Part 3 · Listening | Type the missing words while you hear the recordingChoices: No, you type them | Each correct word, spelled correctly, scores 1 point. The recording plays only once. |
Source: Pearson, PTE Academic test format, checked 9 October 2026.
Worked example: choosing a dropdown word
Read the whole sentence before choosing. The word has to fit the grammar and the meaning.
Sentence
Many cities have [ … ] cycling lanes to reduce traffic.
Options
introduce · introduced · introducing · introduction
Answer and reason
introduced: after “have” the verb needs its past participle (present perfect). “Introduction” is a noun and “introducing” would need “been”.
Written by RealPTE as a teaching example; it is not an exam question and has no score.
Questions students ask
What is the difference between the PTE fill in the blanks tasks?
Dropdown gives a list for each gap, Drag and Drop gives one box of words with extras, and Listening Type In asks you to type words you hear.
How is Reading Fill in the Blanks scored?
Partial credit applies: a partly correct response still scores. Each correctly filled gap counts.
Can I practise fill in the blanks for free?
Yes. Reading and listening answers are marked against the key with a free account and do not use AI scores.
How do I practise PTE Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks?
Read the whole sentence, choose the word that fits both grammar and meaning, and check collocations. RealPTE's Dropdown page has a worked example and marks every gap against the key with a free account.
Most marked "I sat this"
#120001Pinker1,985 students marked "I sat this"#120002Video-Conferencing Technology917 students marked "I sat this"#120010Seatbelt550 students marked "I sat this"#120004Social Isolation544 students marked "I sat this"#120006Impressionism518 students marked "I sat this"#120007Trigger Points492 students marked "I sat this"#120022Jean Piaget456 students marked "I sat this"#120019Visual art364 students marked "I sat this"#120003Australia Higher Education Funding361 students marked "I sat this"#120041Egg-Eating Snakes359 students marked "I sat this"#120016Edible insects351 students marked "I sat this"#120029The horned desert viper337 students marked "I sat this"#120005Edison318 students marked "I sat this"#120013"Black" Diamonds303 students marked "I sat this"#120087Legal Deposit294 students marked "I sat this"#120008Poverty293 students marked "I sat this"#120055Genetically Modified Food292 students marked "I sat this"#120063Father’s Books276 students marked "I sat this"#120208Kiwi271 students marked "I sat this"#120095Opportunity Cost270 students marked "I sat this"
Reading: Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) questions: 425 listed here of 480 in the bank
Page 1 of 5: #120001 to #120110, by question number.
#120001Pinker1,985 students marked "I sat this"#120002Video-Conferencing Technology917 students marked "I sat this"#120003Australia Higher Education Funding361 students marked "I sat this"#120004Social Isolation544 students marked "I sat this"#120005Edison318 students marked "I sat this"#120006Impressionism518 students marked "I sat this"#120007Trigger Points492 students marked "I sat this"#120008Poverty293 students marked "I sat this"#120009Indian Onion249 students marked "I sat this"#120010Seatbelt550 students marked "I sat this"#120011Spanish language214 students marked "I sat this"#120012Ocean floor267 students marked "I sat this"#120013"Black" Diamonds303 students marked "I sat this"#120014Computer simulation204 students marked "I sat this"#120015Richard Morris162 students marked "I sat this"#120016Edible insects351 students marked "I sat this"#120017Foreign students' English standards146 students marked "I sat this"#120018Burger King236 students marked "I sat this"#120019Visual art364 students marked "I sat this"#120020Kimbell89 students marked "I sat this"#120021English class at Beijing Language Institute192 students marked "I sat this"#120022Jean Piaget456 students marked "I sat this"#120023Definition of Country266 students marked "I sat this"#120024United Nations103 students marked "I sat this"#120025Market for Vegetarian foods111 students marked "I sat this"#120026Wine and ale92 students marked "I sat this"#120027Oxford medical school80 students marked "I sat this"#120028Job-hunting111 students marked "I sat this"#120029The horned desert viper337 students marked "I sat this"#120030Emerald137 students marked "I sat this"#120031Space work for an astronaut15 students marked "I sat this"#120032Roman arena117 students marked "I sat this"#120033A Dog135 students marked "I sat this"#120034Mass-communications71 students marked "I sat this"#120035Archaeology58 students marked "I sat this"#120036Peter Garrett105 students marked "I sat this"#120037Katakana72 students marked "I sat this"#120038Vice-chancellor101 students marked "I sat this"#120039Mike’s Research93 students marked "I sat this"#120040Meet Customer Demand88 students marked "I sat this"#120041Egg-Eating Snakes359 students marked "I sat this"#120042Flower Attract Insects81 students marked "I sat this"#120043Two farms105 students marked "I sat this"#120044French lords44 students marked "I sat this"#120045Andersen89 students marked "I sat this"#120046Olympic medalists111 students marked "I sat this"#120047David Lynch57 students marked "I sat this"#120048Carbon Detox87 students marked "I sat this"#120049Darkness in the Northern Hemisphere75 students marked "I sat this"#120050Essays112 students marked "I sat this"#120051Estée Lauder116 students marked "I sat this"#120052Fluid Mechanics40 students marked "I sat this"#120053Taylor’s Restaurant77 students marked "I sat this"#120054Movement in painting78 students marked "I sat this"#120055Genetically Modified Food292 students marked "I sat this"#120056School-to-work Transitions57 students marked "I sat this"#120057Farming125 students marked "I sat this"#120058National Sustainable Development Strategies67 students marked "I sat this"#120059Australian Overseas Departures224 students marked "I sat this"#120060Population change99 students marked "I sat this"#120061Would you credit it?73 students marked "I sat this"#120063Father’s Books276 students marked "I sat this"#120064Mount Everest68 students marked "I sat this"#120066The Eiffel Tower37 students marked "I sat this"#120067How does outer space affect the human body?128 students marked "I sat this"#120068C.S. Lewis c.s.50 students marked "I sat this"#120070History of Vaccination68 students marked "I sat this"#120071What makes you happy?57 students marked "I sat this"#120072UBC expeditions to the Canadian Arctic219 students marked "I sat this"#120073Anesthesia56 students marked "I sat this"#120074EE & AVG230 students marked "I sat this"#120075Charity46 students marked "I sat this"#120076Disclose Business Emission69 students marked "I sat this"#120078Trip to Germany39 students marked "I sat this"#120079Sales Representatives76 students marked "I sat this"#120080Dark Energy252 students marked "I sat this"#120081Crime62 students marked "I sat this"#120082Behavior of Liquids62 students marked "I sat this"#120083Move to a new region84 students marked "I sat this"#120084What’s a herbal?94 students marked "I sat this"#120085Tomb of Tutankhamen66 students marked "I sat this"#120087Legal Deposit294 students marked "I sat this"#120088Serving on a Jury251 students marked "I sat this"#120090Water security269 students marked "I sat this"#120091Fingerprints can prove that a suspe74 students marked "I sat this"#120092Maya descendants221 students marked "I sat this"#120093Primates79 students marked "I sat this"#120094Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum39 students marked "I sat this"#120095Opportunity Cost270 students marked "I sat this"#120096Gender Equality Campaign45 students marked "I sat this"#120098Private Schools in UK57 students marked "I sat this"#120100Diversity of the Amazon Basin93 students marked "I sat this"#120101Genetic Test for PD74 students marked "I sat this"#120102The Bridge to Pop88 students marked "I sat this"#120103Allergies62 students marked "I sat this"#120104Treat students89 students marked "I sat this"#120105Rudman38 students marked "I sat this"#120107Good customer service188 students marked "I sat this"#120108UNEP206 students marked "I sat this"#120110MBA Programs47 students marked "I sat this"
See what other students get wrong on this task · RealPTE practice data