Technique
C-Test technique: how every gap is made
Once you understand the gap rule, you no longer have to guess blindly. Identify the word type, count the letters, and write the form that the sentence requires.
The basic rule
Start with the second word of the second sentence. After that, every second word is selected. The second half of the selected word is deleted. With an even length n, the final n/2 letters are missing. With an odd length, the larger half is missing: in Bulle (5 letters), Bu remains and three letters are missing. That is the calculation behind the gap.
One expectation matters: the onSET input does not give you a reliable visible count of the missing letters; it shows only the beginning of the word. Underscores in explanations such as Bu___ are notation for the example, not a count you should rely on in the test.
What is skipped
In our exercise rule, one-letter words, digits, proper names, and abbreviations do not count in the rhythm. The exact selection can vary by C-Test implementation; officially, onSET describes the central principle as the second part of every second word.
Capitalization of nouns is part of the answer. garten instead of Garten is wrong when capitalization is graded strictly — and the real test grades it that way.
The first look at every gap
Read the heading and the intact introductory sentence. The topic helps you distinguish stems: Bu__ in a text about libraries is more likely Buch than Bus.
Then identify the word type. Is there a preposition before it? An article plus a noun in the correct case often follows. Is the stem an adjective before a noun? Then the ending matters. Short stems such as di__, we__, and de__ can be articles, pronouns, or connectors — the rest of the sentence decides.