Language
Cloze Test
Also called: cloze procedure, cloze passage test, fill-in-the-blank reading test
Measure reading comprehension with short passages that have every seventh word taken out, filled in by typing or choosing each word.
8-12 minUntimed
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- Papers, 2021 to 2025
- 415
- Evidence grade
- C
- Registered clinical studies
- 1
Shape it into a loaf and let it once more.
What it measures
Measures reading comprehension. Participants read 3 short English passages with every seventh word taken out and fill in each missing word.
Constructs
- Reading comprehension
- Language proficiency
- Use of context
- Vocabulary
Research uses
- Reading and language proficiency research
- Second language research
- Within-study comparison of reading comprehension
How the paradigm works
The cloze test measures reading comprehension: how well a reader uses the meaning and grammar of a passage to restore words missing from it. Participants read 3 short English passages on plain factual topics, from easy to harder. The first and last sentences of each passage are whole; between them every seventh word is taken out and replaced by a blank of the same length, 51 blanks in all. Participants type one word in each blank or, as a setting, choose it from the word and three that do not fit. The passages have no time limit, and a short practice passage with feedback comes first.
More about the paradigm
Each blank is scored in two ways, as Brown (1980) compared them. The exact word score, the main score, is the share of blanks filled with the word that was taken out; a one-letter slip in a word of four or more letters still counts. The acceptable word score also counts other words that fit the grammar and meaning of the whole passage, from a list written for each blank. Scores for each passage and the time spent on each are also reported. Scores support research and do not diagnose.
Scores
- Exact Word Score%
- Share of blanks filled with the word that was taken out; a one-letter slip in a word of four or more letters counts.
- Higher is better
- Acceptable Word Score%
- Share of blanks filled with the word taken out or another listed word that fits the passage (typed answers).
- Higher is better
- Passage 1 Exact Score%
- Exact word score in the first and easiest passage.
- Higher is better
- Passage 2 Exact Score%
- Exact word score in the second passage.
- Higher is better
- Passage 3 Exact Score%
- Exact word score in the third and hardest passage.
- Higher is better
- Passage 1 Acceptable Score%
- Acceptable word score in the first passage (typed answers).
- Higher is better
- Passage 2 Acceptable Score%
- Acceptable word score in the second passage (typed answers).
- Higher is better
- Passage 3 Acceptable Score%
- Acceptable word score in the third passage (typed answers).
- Higher is better
- Passage 1 Timeseconds
- Time spent on the first passage.
- Context for the scores
- Passage 2 Timeseconds
- Time spent on the second passage.
- Context for the scores
- Passage 3 Timeseconds
- Time spent on the third passage.
- Context for the scores
- Empty Blankscount
- Blanks left empty.
- Context for the scores
Use and evidence
415 papers from 2021 to 2025 name this task in their title or abstract, up 7% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 61 of 395 test families in our census. See the counts for every test.
Show the numbers
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 93 |
| 2024 | 89 |
| 2023 | 72 |
| 2022 | 80 |
| 2021 | 81 |
| 2020 | 65 |
| 2019 | 81 |
| 2018 | 88 |
| 2017 | 84 |
| 2016 | 71 |
| 2015 | 73 |
| 2014 | 94 |
| 2013 | 63 |
| 2012 | 63 |
| 2011 | 67 |
| 2010 | 65 |
| 2009 | 41 |
| 2008 | 39 |
| 2007 | 15 |
| 2006 | 21 |
| 2005 | 20 |
| 2004 | 25 |
| 2003 | 19 |
| 2002 | 19 |
| 2001 | 24 |
| 2000 | 18 |
Use grade B
300 to 999 papers from 2021 to 2025.
Evidence grade C
At least 2 test-retest papers, 30 reliability or validity papers or 3 registered clinical studies.
- Papers on test-retest reliability
- 5
- Papers on reliability or validity
- 292
- Registered clinical studies using it as an outcome
- 1
Note on the counts: includes language teaching papers.
How the grades work
Use: A is 1,000 or more papers from 2021 to 2025, B 300 to 999, C 100 to 299, D 30 to 99 and E fewer than 30. Evidence: A means at least 25 papers report its test-retest reliability and at least 25 registered clinical studies use it as an outcome; B, at least 8 test-retest papers, and either 5 registered clinical studies or 150 reliability or validity papers; C, at least 2 test-retest papers, 30 reliability or validity papers or 3 registered clinical studies; D, little published measurement evidence found. The counts measure use. They include every paper that names the task in its title or abstract. Grades describe the published research on this task, not ConductCognition's version of it.
Source: ConductCognition test census 0.14.0, counted 31 October 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
Task design
The trial sequence as the test runs in ConductCognition.
- Passages
- 3 English passages of 163, 151 and 171 words on plain factual topics, from easy to harder, always in that order. 1 to 3 passages as a setting, starting with the easiest.
- Deletion
- The first and last sentences stay whole. Every seventh word between them is taken out and replaced by a blank of the same width: 17, 16 and 18 blanks, 51 in all.
- Answers
- One typed word per blank (standard), or as a setting a choice of the word and three that do not fit, in an order drawn from the session's seed. Answers can be changed until Done is pressed, and blanks can be left empty after one reminder.
- Practice
- A passage of 4 sentences with 3 blanks, followed by feedback on each blank.
- Timing
- No time limit. Each passage starts after a key press and a 1,000 ms blank screen, and the time spent on it is recorded.
- Scoring
- Exact word: the word taken out, with a one-letter slip allowed in words of four or more letters. Acceptable word: the word taken out or another word, listed for each blank, that fits the whole passage.
The passages, acceptable words and distractors were written for this task; no published cloze test or reading passage is used. The passages are English.
Quality checks
Each session is marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason, before you see its scores.
Scored rows: cloze_passage from the scored run, one answer per blank. Typed answers have no chance level, so they are not judged against chance; in the multiple-choice format (one right word of four), accuracy significantly below chance invalidates and accuracy not above chance is flagged. The same answer in 90% of at least 12 answered blanks invalidates (the same option position in the multiple-choice format, when accuracy is not above chance). Passages finished at under 1 second per blank invalidate. No blank filled in invalidates and more than half left empty is flagged. A session run in another language is flagged. A hidden tab withholds the percentile.
Why these rules
Every blank needs a different word, so one word typed in nearly every blank cannot come from reading the passage. Accuracy significantly below chance (one-sided exact test, p < .05) cannot come from guessing; it means the response mapping was reversed or the task was not followed (Slick, Sherman and Iverson 1999 treat below-chance forced-choice performance as definite response bias). Chance-level accuracy can be a real result in impaired participants, so it is only flagged. One option on at least 90% of answered trials, when the correct options are balanced and accuracy is not above chance, means the answers did not depend on the items (the task counterpart of long-string responding in surveys; Curran 2016). A passage of 150 words or more cannot be read and its blanks filled in under 1 second per blank. Empty blanks are allowed, because a reader may not find a word, but an empty passage means the task was not attempted. The word lists are English. A session run in another language shows English words to a participant who may not read English fluently, so it is flagged for review. Another tab could be used to get help with the blanks, so a percentile is withheld after a hidden tab.
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Answer format | Typed answers (standard) | Typed answers (standard), Multiple choice, 4 words |
| Passages | 3 | 1 to 3 |
Yearly plans can change settings within these limits. Free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Need a setting this test does not have?
Devices and languages
- Untimed test: runs on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. Participant devices
- Instructions and screens: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese. Words and sentences: English.
- Available on: Every plan, including the free plan.
- Recruiting online? See the setup guides for Prolific, Sona Systems, CloudResearch Connect and Qualtrics.
Cite and describe
Participants completed the Cloze Test in a web browser (ConductCognition task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0; Taylor, 1953), with the standard settings (answer format: Typed answers; passages: 3). The main score was exact word score (share of blanks filled with the word that was taken out; a one-letter slip in a word of four or more letters counts).
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
- Taylor, W. L. (1953). "Cloze procedure": A new tool for measuring readability. Journalism Quarterly, 30(4), 415-433. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769905303000401
- Oller, J. W. (1973). Cloze tests of second language proficiency and what they measure. Language Learning, 23(1), 105-118. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1973.tb00100.x
- Brown, J. D. (1980). Relative merits of four methods for scoring cloze tests. The Modern Language Journal, 64(3), 311-317. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1980.tb05198.x
Source papers
- Taylor WL (1953). "Cloze procedure": a new tool for measuring readability. Journalism Quarterly, 30(4):415-433.Paradigm source, Adults
- Oller JW (1973). Cloze tests of second language proficiency and what they measure. Language Learning, 23(1):105-118.Paradigm source, Adults
- Brown JD (1980). Relative merits of four methods for scoring cloze tests. The Modern Language Journal, 64(3):311-317.Paradigm source, Adults
Questions
How long does the Cloze Test take?
About 8 to 12 minutes, as listed in the test library.
What device does a participant need?
Untimed test: runs on desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. The browser must be Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
What scores does it produce?
Exact Word Score, Acceptable Word Score, Passage 1 Exact Score, Passage 2 Exact Score, Passage 3 Exact Score, Passage 1 Acceptable Score, Passage 2 Acceptable Score, Passage 3 Acceptable Score, Passage 1 Time, Passage 2 Time, Passage 3 Time and Empty Blanks. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
How widely is the Cloze Test used in research?
415 papers from 2021 to 2025 name it in their title or abstract, up 7% compared with 2016 to 2020. That ranks it 61 of 395 test families in the ConductCognition test census (use grade B). Source: ConductCognition test census 0.14.0, counted 31 October 2026 from OpenAlex and ClinicalTrials.gov.
How much reliability evidence does the Cloze Test have?
In the published research, 5 papers report its test-retest reliability and 1 registered clinical study uses it as an outcome (evidence grade C in the ConductCognition test census).
Which settings can a researcher change?
Answer format (Typed answers (standard), Multiple choice, 4 words) and passages (1 to 3). Settings can be changed on yearly plans; free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Which languages can participants use?
The instructions and screens are in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese. The words and sentences stay in English, so sessions in other languages are flagged for review. English is on every plan, and the other languages come with yearly plans. Have a native speaker read the machine-translated text before launch.
Is this a clinical test?
No. ConductCognition is for research use only. It runs, scores and exports the test; clinical interpretation is outside the platform.
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