Aptis reading Test: General Tips and Strategies

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A.
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Note: The first one is given to you as an example. Think about the other sentences and the 
context. 
In this part, you need to choose a word (there is a choice of three) to complete the sentence. There 
are five sentences to complete in total. Each sentence in the text is free-standing. 
If you would like to access to more simulated APTIS reading tests then please visit our exam 
library here. 
Exam Techniques: How To Answer The Question. 
There are techniques that you can learn which will help you find the correct answer. These are: 
Reading for gist 
The word ‘gist’ means the general idea or the sense of the text. 
Read the text quickly and decide if it is positive or negative, happy, or sad etc. For example, in the 
first sentence, the person is thanking a friend for a ‘wonderful weekend’, and so the missing word is 
likely to be positive. 
Imagine the same situation. How would you feel and what would you say to your friend after a 
fantastic stay with them? 
Decide on the type of word that is missing 
Decide the type of word that is missing. In the first sentence, you have ‘really……..time’. The 
first word is an adverb and the word ‘time’ is a noun. Therefore, the missing word must be an 
adjective and is almost certainly positive. 
In the second sentence, we can see that the missing word is a verb and that the writer is referring 
to a past event. So ‘produce’ is incorrect because it is a present verb. 
It is possible to ‘offer’ somebody dinner, but from the context, we know that the person ate the 
dinner and so offer does not work (see also collocations below). 

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If the missing word is a verb, decide which form you need. In sentence two, the answer was the 
simple past form, but in sentence three, you have a modal verb, and this will tell you that the next 
word will be the first/infinitive form of the verb. 
It will also help you to think about whether the verb is a gerund or an infinitive. For example, the 
verb ‘mind’ is generally followed by a gerund, but the verb ‘offer’ is followed by an infinitive. 
Looking at the tense can also help you in questions such as question five. The writer is talking 
about what they intend to do after they finish the letter. Therefore, the correct verb form is- ‘be’ 
going to + inf. This is confirmed with the ‘to have’ which follows the question. 
Use vocabulary and collocation 
In English, many words fit together to make phrases or expressions. Knowing which words go 
together will make sure that you find the correct answer. To do this try to: 
Decide if the missing word is part of a common phrase or expression. In sentence five, the 
expression is ‘come and stay.’ ‘Stay’ refers to a short visit (come and live would be more permanent. 
Think about the words that go together (collocations). We ‘cook’ or ‘make’ a meal and ‘offer’ to 
do or buy something for somebody. When we use ‘offer’ as a verb, we need a direct object (offer to 
do something for somebody), and so that cannot be the correct answer. 
Often these tests expect candidates to know words with dependent prepositions these can be with 
a verb: 
e.g. apply for/to 
With an adjective: 
e.g. interested in 
It is essential to know which prepositions collocate with which verbs and adjectives. 
APTIS Reading Part 1: Example Question #2 
Part 1: Choose the word (A, B, C) that fits in the gap. The answer to question 0 is an example. 
Hi Edwina, 
I need (0) _____ help finding a dress. Do you (1) _____ coming to the mall with me? My cousin’s 
wedding is (2) _____ two weeks. The dress (3) _____ be formal. I hate trying clothes (4) _____ 
without a second opinion. I can pick you (5) ________ at 4:00pm if you are free. 
Regards, 
Jeffry
0. 
A. 
some
B. a 
C. an 
1. 
A. mind 
B. can 
C. please 
2.
A. at 
B. on 
C. in 
3. 
A. might 
B. can 
C. should 
4.
A. in 
B. on 
C. off 
5.
A. around 
B. up 
C. on