If you searched for "GMAT® idioms" and found this page, there's a good chance you're looking at an older study guide, a flashcard set, or a prep book that lists common idiomatic expressions tested on the GMAT®. Maybe a friend who took the test a few years ago told you to memorize idiom lists. Maybe you found a PDF online titled "100 GMAT® Idioms You Must Know."
That advice made sense not long ago. On the Classic GMAT®, idioms were a core content area within Sentence Correction, which was one of three question types in the Verbal section. Test-takers spent hours memorizing lists like "not only...but also," "between...and," and "regarded as" because those patterns showed up on exam day, and getting them right mattered for your score.
But the GMAT® changed. The Focus Edition, which replaced the Classic exam, removed Sentence Correction entirely. That means idiom questions are gone from the test, and the hours you might spend memorizing idiom lists are hours you could put toward something that moves your score.
What Idioms Used to Look Like on the Classic GMAT®
On the Classic GMAT®, the Verbal section had three question types: Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension. Sentence Correction presented a sentence with an underlined portion, and you had to choose the version that was grammatically correct. Idioms were one of the main content areas tested, alongside subject-verb agreement, parallelism, modifiers, pronouns, verb tense, and meaning.
An idiom question might test whether you knew that the correct phrase is "considered X" (not "considered as X"), or that "neither...nor" takes a singular verb when both subjects are singular. These were rules you could memorize, and many students did, because idiom questions tended to be among the most predictable SC items on the test.
If you were studying for the Classic GMAT®, knowing your idioms could give you a real edge. Some students even built their entire SC strategy around idiom recognition, since getting the idiom right often eliminated two or three answer choices immediately.
What Changed on the Focus Edition
The GMAT® Focus Edition launched in late 2023 and replaced the Classic exam. For a full breakdown of what changed, our GMAT Classic vs Focus Edition comparison covers everything. The new test has three sections: Quantitative, Verbal, and Data Insights. The Verbal section is shorter than it used to be, and it has only two question types: Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.
Sentence Correction is gone. So is the Analytical Writing Assessment. The new test doesn't include any question type that tests grammar, sentence construction, or idiomatic expressions directly.
What this means for your prep: you don't need to study idiom lists. You don't need to memorize "between...and" or "not only...but also" or any of the hundreds of expressions that used to appear on the Classic exam. Those lists are still out there in older prep books and on forums, but they're not relevant to the test you're taking. SKIP them.
If you're working through older Official Guide problems or past GMAT® exams, the Sentence Correction questions you encounter are no longer relevant. Skip them. The other question types, including Data Sufficiency, Problem Solving, Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension, are still useful for practice because the way those questions are asked hasn't changed much over the past 20 years. But anything related to grammar or sentence construction is no longer on the exam.
Do Any Idioms Still Matter?
This is where the answer gets a little more nuanced. Idioms aren't tested directly on the Focus Edition, but language comprehension still plays a role in your Verbal score.
Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension both require you to understand written English at a high level. You need to follow arguments, identify assumptions, distinguish between what an author states and what an author implies, and parse dense passages on topics ranging from biological science to business strategy. If you're a non-native English speaker, or if you struggle with reading comprehension, having a strong grasp of idiomatic English can help you understand passages and arguments more quickly.
But that's a comprehension skill, not a memorization task. You don't need to study idiom lists to build it. You build it by reading challenging material regularly, which is something you should be doing anyway if you want to improve your Verbal score.
The distinction matters: the Classic GMAT® tested whether you could identify the correct idiomatic expression in a sentence. The Focus Edition tests whether you can reason through arguments and passages. Those are different skills, and they call for different prep strategies.
What to Study Instead
If you were planning to spend time on idiom lists, here's where that time is better spent — and our guide on building a GMAT® study plan that works can help you reorganize:
Critical Reasoning is the first priority. CR questions on the Focus Edition test your ability to analyze arguments, and the skills involved are learnable but not intuitive for most people. You need to understand argument structure, identify assumptions, recognize common logical flaws, and distinguish between strengthening and weakening evidence. If you're starting from scratch, our CR strategy guide walks through the full process.
Reading Comprehension is the second priority. RC on the Focus Edition rewards active reading, which means mapping the passage as you read rather than trying to memorize details. You need to know where to find information, not whether you can recite it from memory. Our RC strategy guide covers the reading system we recommend.
If English comprehension is a concern, one of the most effective things you can do is read challenging material every day. Business publications like The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review are good choices because they cover the same kinds of topics that appear on the GMAT®. You're not memorizing idioms. You're building the reading speed and comprehension that both CR and RC depend on.
How to Spot Outdated Study Materials
One of the challenges with GMAT® prep in 2026 is that a lot of older content is still circulating online. Prep books published before 2024, forum posts from 2022 or earlier, and study guides that reference Sentence Correction are all outdated for the Focus Edition.
If you're using a resource and it mentions Sentence Correction, idioms, or grammar rules as part of the GMAT® Verbal section, that resource is designed for the Classic exam. Our guide on how to use the GMAT® Official Guide effectively covers which parts of the OG are still useful, and our best GMAT® study materials for 2026 lists current resources that match the Focus Edition. The question types themselves, including Data Sufficiency, Problem Solving, Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension, are still relevant from older materials. But any instructional content telling you to study grammar or idioms is no longer accurate.
A good rule of thumb: if instructional content was published before 2024, treat it with skepticism. Our guide on how to start your GMAT studies in 2026 is a good place to verify you're on the right track. Verify it against a current source before spending time on it. The official practice problems from past exams are still useful for the question types that remain on the test, but the strategic advice in older materials may send you in the wrong direction. Our comparison of the best GMAT® prep courses covers which resources are current and reliable.
FAQ
Are idioms on the GMAT® Focus Edition?
No. The Focus Edition removed Sentence Correction, which was the only question type that tested idioms. The current Verbal section has Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension only.
Should I memorize an idiom list for the GMAT®?
No. Idiom lists were useful for the Classic GMAT®, but they're not relevant to the Focus Edition. Your time is better spent studying Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension strategies.
Is Sentence Correction still on the GMAT®?
No. Sentence Correction was removed when the GMAT® transitioned to the Focus Edition. The current Verbal section has two question types instead of three.
Can older GMAT® prep books still help?
Older Official Guide problems are still useful for Data Sufficiency, Problem Solving, Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension. But any content related to Sentence Correction, idioms, or grammar rules is no longer relevant. If a prep book was published before 2024, verify its advice against current sources before relying on it.
Do non-native English speakers need to study idioms for the GMAT®?
Non-native English speakers don't need to study idiom lists, but building reading comprehension in English is important. Reading challenging material in English every day is more effective than memorizing idiom lists, because the Focus Edition tests reasoning and comprehension, not grammar recognition.
What is the GMAT® Focus Edition Verbal section?
The Focus Edition Verbal section has 23 questions and takes 45 minutes. It contains two question types: Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. There is no Sentence Correction on the current exam.
Want to learn even more?
If you're getting started with GMAT® prep and want to understand the full exam structure, our complete guide to studying for the GMAT® walks through every section, every question type, and how to build a study plan that works.
For the Verbal section specifically, our Critical Reasoning strategy guide and our Reading Comprehension strategy guide cover the two question types you'll face on test day.
If you're not sure whether the GMAT® or the GRE® is the right test for you, our comparison guide breaks down the differences between the GMAT®, GRE®, and Executive Assessment.
And if you want to hear us talk through these topics in more detail, you can find The GMAT® Strategy Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.