Completion of Word Test is a fundamental topic in IQ and Verbal Reasoning that evaluates your vocabulary, pattern recognition, and ability to identify the correct letters to complete a word. These questions test your knowledge of common words, spelling patterns, and logical deduction.
For Officer Cadet Entrance Exam preparation, completion of word questions assess your vocabulary strength, attention to detail, and ability to recognize word patterns — all essential for clear written and verbal communication as an officer.
In this lesson, you will learn the types of completion of word questions, methods for solving them, useful tricks, common word patterns, important tips, and practice questions.
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1. What is a Completion of Word Test?
A Completion of Word Test presents you with a word that has one or more missing letters, shown as blanks. Your task is to identify the correct letter or letters to complete the word and form a meaningful, correctly spelled word — where every blank corresponds to exactly one missing letter.
Basic Pattern
You are given a word like: C_T
Your task is to fill in the missing letter to form a meaningful word:
CAT, COT, or CUT
What Does a Completion of Word Test Measure?
Completion of word questions test your ability in:
- Vocabulary knowledge
- Spelling and word recognition
- Pattern recognition
- Logical deduction
- Speed and accuracy
2. Completion of Word Test for Officer Cadet Entrance Preparation
Completion of Word is a valuable part of Verbal Reasoning preparation because it reflects a candidate’s vocabulary strength and ability to recognize word patterns.
For Officer Cadet Entrance Exam preparation, completion of word questions can generally be divided into five major forms:
Missing Single Letter
Finding the one correct letter to complete a short word.
Missing Multiple Letters
Finding the correct sequence of two or more letters to complete a word.
Completion with Options
Choosing the correct letter or set of letters from given multiple-choice options.
Completion with Clues
Completing a word based on a given clue or context, rather than options alone.
Jumbled Completion
Completing a word where the visible letters are scattered rather than grouped together.
Preparation Strategy
For effective preparation:
- Build a strong, broad vocabulary.
- Learn common spelling patterns, prefixes, and suffixes.
- Practice with a wide variety of word lengths.
- Use context clues to narrow down possibilities before guessing.
- Always count the blanks against the letters you believe the final word contains, to confirm the pattern fits.
3. Types of Completion of Word Questions
3.1 Missing Single Letter
These questions present a word with one missing letter and ask you to identify the correct letter.
Example
Question: Complete the word: H_PPY
Options: A) A B) E C) I D) O
Analysis: The word is “HAPPY,” which has the letter A in that position.
Answer: A) A
3.2 Missing Multiple Letters
These questions present a word with more than one missing letter and ask you to identify the correct sequence.
Example
Question: Complete the word: B__K
Options: A) OO B) AA C) EE D) II
Analysis: The word is “BOOK,” which has the letters O and O in those two positions.
Answer: A) OO
3.3 Completion with Options
These questions provide a longer word with missing letters and a set of options. You must choose the option that correctly completes the word.
Example
Question: Complete the word: STR_G_LE
Options: A) E, L B) U, G C) E, G D) U, L
Analysis: The word is “STRUGGLE” (S-T-R-U-G-G-L-E). The first blank is U, and the second blank is the repeated G.
Answer: B) U, G
3.4 Completion with Clues
These questions provide a clue to help you complete the word.
Example
Question: Complete the word: P_NCIL (A writing instrument)
Options: A) E B) A C) I D) U
Analysis: A writing instrument is a “PENCIL” (P-E-N-C-I-L), which has the letter E in that position.
Answer: A) E
3.5 Jumbled Completion
These questions present a word where the visible letters are spread out rather than grouped together, so you must picture the whole word to find the blanks.
Example
Question: Complete the word: _A_PY (Feeling of joy)
Options: A) H, P B) H, E C) H, A D) H, I
Analysis: A feeling of joy is “HAPPY” (H-A-P-P-Y). The first blank is H, and the second blank is the repeated P.
Answer: A) H, P
4. How to Solve Completion of Word Questions
Use the following systematic method to solve completion of word questions quickly and accurately.
Step 1: Read the Word Carefully Count the total number of characters shown, including blanks, and note exactly where each blank falls. This total length must match your final answer word.
Step 2: Think of Possible Words Based on the visible letters and the word’s length, think of every word that could fit the pattern.
Example: for C_T, possible words include CAT, COT, and CUT.
Step 3: Use Context Clues If a clue is given, use it to narrow the possibilities down to one specific word.
Example: for C_T with the clue “an animal,” the answer is CAT.
Step 4: Check the Options If options are provided, test each one in the blanks and see which produces a real, correctly spelled word.
Step 5: Verify the Spelling and Letter Count Confirm the completed word is a valid English word, and double-check that the number of letters you’ve filled in exactly matches the number of blanks shown — a mismatch here is one of the most common sources of error.
5. Important Tricks for Completion of Word Questions
Trick 1: Think of Common Words First Start with the most familiar words that fit the pattern. For A, common completions include BAG, BAT, CAR, CAT, and DAY.
Trick 2: Use Context Clues If the question provides a clue, use it immediately to narrow down the possibilities rather than guessing blindly.
Trick 3: Use the Process of Elimination If options are given, eliminate any that clearly do not form a real, meaningful word.
Trick 4: Watch for Repeated Letters Many words hide a repeated letter (like the double G in STRUGGLE or the double P in HAPPY) — don’t assume both blanks must be different letters.
Trick 5: Look for Common Prefixes and Suffixes Words often carry recognizable prefixes (un-, re-, pre-) and suffixes (-ing, -ed, -tion). Spotting these narrows the possibilities immediately.
Trick 6: Count Blanks Against Letters Before finalizing an answer, always confirm that the number of letters you’re filling in matches the number of blanks shown — this single check catches most careless mistakes.
Trick 7: Practice Vocabulary Broadly The wider your vocabulary, the faster you’ll recognize a word from just a handful of visible letters.
6. Common Word Patterns
6.1 Words with Common Prefixes
| Prefix | Examples |
|---|---|
| un- | un_happy, un_kind, un_usual |
| re- | re_use, re_do, re_write |
| pre- | pre_view, pre_heat, pre_pare |
| dis- | dis_like, dis_appear, dis_agree |
| mis- | mis_take, mis_place, mis_lead |
6.2 Words with Common Suffixes
| Suffix | Examples |
|---|---|
| -ing | play_ing, sing_ing, jump_ing |
| -ed | play_ed, jump_ed, walk_ed |
| -tion | na_tion, ac_tion, op_tion |
| -able | lov_able, read_able, break_able |
| -ful | beau_tiful, care_ful, hope_ful |
6.3 Common Three-Letter Words
| Word | Pattern |
|---|---|
| CAT | C_T |
| DOG | D_G |
| SUN | S_N |
| RUN | R_N |
| BAG | B_G |
6.4 Common Words of Varying Length
| Word | Pattern |
|---|---|
| BOOK | B__K |
| PENCIL | P__CIL |
| APPLE | _PPLE |
| WATER | W_T_R |
| HAPPY | H_P_Y |
(Note: the number of underscores in each pattern always equals the number of missing letters — always double-check this before choosing an answer.)
7. Important Tips for Officer Cadet Candidates
Tip 1: Always Count Letters First
Before attempting to guess the word, count the total blanks-plus-visible-letters and treat that as a hard constraint on the final word’s length. This prevents wasting time chasing a word that’s the wrong length.
Tip 2: Practice Different Types
Do not practice only single-letter completions. Include:
- Missing Single Letter
- Missing Multiple Letters
- Completion with Options
- Completion with Clues
- Jumbled Completion
Tip 3: Build Vocabulary Through Reading
Regular reading naturally exposes you to more words, making it easier to instantly recognize a word from a partial pattern.
Tip 4: Practice Against the Clock
Once you’re comfortable with the method, complete word questions under a time limit to build both speed and accuracy.
Tip 5: Review Your Mistakes
Do not only check whether your final answer was correct. Ask yourself:
- Did I misjudge the number of letters needed for a blank?
- Did I overlook a repeated letter in the word?
- Did I ignore a clue that would have pointed directly to the answer?
- Did I pick an option that formed a real word, but not the one that best fit the length and clue together?
Understanding your mistakes strengthens the vocabulary and pattern recognition this test is designed to measure.
8. Quick Practice – Completion of Word Test
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Conclusion
Mastering the Completion of Word Test is essential for the Nepal Army Officer Cadet Entrance Examination. Success requires a strong vocabulary and the discipline to check that every blank truly accounts for one missing letter — not guesswork. Follow a disciplined approach: Read the Word → Count the Blanks → Use Context Clues → Check the Options → Verify the Spelling. Regular practice strengthens your vocabulary, pattern recognition, speed, and accuracy.
This resource is part of the Officer Cadet Entrance Exam Preparation series, focusing on IQ and Logical Reasoning for the Nepal Army Officer Cadet Entrance Exam. For structured lessons, comprehensive practice banks, and mock tests, explore the Completion of Word Test course on the Pratima Academy LMS.