GMAT questions are complex, testing a lot of concepts at once, so you need to really know fundamentals like math formulas, idioms, and grammar rules. But what’s the best way to learn them? GMAT flashcards! They can help you practice these key quant and verbal concepts until they become second nature.

In this article, I’ll talk about why flashcards are useful, how you should study with flashcards, whether or not you should make your own flashcards (spoiler alert: you should), and review some of the best GMAT flashcards available.

Why Should I Study With GMAT Flashcards?

For many test-takers, studying for the GMAT can seem like a long, difficult affair that involves many hours hunched over an in-depth review guide. Are simple tools like flashcards, then, even worthwhile for GMAT prep?

In a word: yes.

Flashcards are an incredibly effective way to prepare for both the GMAT quant and verbal sections. You can use GMAT quant flashcards to build your fluency with the formulas and concepts you’ll see on the GMAT quant section. Verbal flashcards, on the other hand, are a great way to improve your mastery of the idiomatic language and grammar skills.

Here are three reasons why flashcards are a great tool to help your GMAT prep:

#1: Flashcards Help You Confront the Material

Flashcards require you to actively engage with the material. For instance, rather than just trying to memorize a list of many different formulas you’ll use on the quant section, you’ll engage with each formula one by one. You’ll be forced to ask yourself whether or not you really know how to use the formula in a quick, concise way.

#2: Flashcards Are An Effective Study Tool

According to a study by Time, flashcards are one of the best tools you can use to master material. Every time you use a flash card, you’re training your brain to quickly and accurately recall information. As you practice with flashcards, you’ll be able to strengthen your knowledge and build your memory.

#3: Flashcards Help You Master Quant Fundamentals

Questions on the GMAT quant section often ask you to use more than one skill to get the right answer. Flashcards, on the other hand, only ask you to use one skill. In some ways that’s a drawback, but practicing each skill in isolation will help you achieve mastery of the fundamentals you need to succeed on GMAT quant. Then, when faced with a complex question you’ll be able to confidently combine those skills.

What Can I Study With GMAT Flashcards?

As I mentioned before, flashcards are a great tool to help you study for the GMAT, but they don’t have long, GMAT-style questions on them. Instead, they have bitesize chunks of information on them, such as an idiom or a particular math equation. You’ll use flashcards to build your fluency with these fundamental concepts that you need to master the longer, harder GMAT questions.

Most GMAT quant flashcards ask you about simple math concepts such as: “What is a polygon” or “Factor this equation.” These bite-sized math chunks are basically the fundamental high school math skills you’ll need to answer the more complicated math questions on the GMAT quant section.

Most GMAT flash cards for the verbal section focus on either idioms or grammar terms. Idiom flashcards ask you to explain the meaning of common idioms that you’ll see on the GMAT verbal section, while grammar flashcards ask you about grammar concepts that come up on sentence correction questions, such as identifying where to correctly place a comma in a sentence.

Again, GMAT flashcards don’t focus on GMAT-style questions. Rather, they focus on building the fundamental skills you need to answer GMAT-style questions.

How to Study With GMAT Flashcards

As with any study method, there are good and bad ways to practice. In this section, I’ll teach you the best way to study with GMAT flashcards to maximize your studying time.

The best way to study GMAT flash cards is to use the waterfall method. In the waterfall method, you work through smaller and smaller subsets of flashcards as you learn the different topics, then work back up through the cards once you’ve learned them all.

Let’s see how that works. Take your pile of flashcards.

First, you’ll go through the cards individually. For each card that you can answer right easily, you’ll put it in the “Know it” pile on the left. For each card that you answer wrong or struggle with, you’ll put it in the “Struggled” pile on the right.

Once you’ve gone through all of your flashcards, pick up the “Struggled” pile. Go through this pile. For cards that you can answer, place them in a second “Know it” pile next to but not combined with the first “Know it” pile.

For cards that you can’t answer, make a new “Struggled” pile next to but not combined with the first “Struggled” pile. Repeat this process until your “Struggled” pile only has 4-5 cards. This process creates your “waterfall.”

After you’ve worked through all of your flashcards, you’re going to move back up the “waterfall.” Starting with the last “Struggled” pile, repeat these flashcards until you can answer every question in the pile.

Then, add the most recent (the rightmost) “Know it” pile. Go through these cards until you can get all of the answers right. If you miss any cards, shuffle the cards and start again. Continue this process with every stack of cards as you move back up the waterfall. Keep going until you can answer every card correctly.

The waterfall method works because you’re seeing the concepts that you struggle with the most often. You’ll study the cards you don’t understand more than you’ll study the concepts you’ve already mastered.

Eventually, you’ll have worked through your flashcards so often that you’ll know every concept.

Should I Make My Own GMAT Flashcards?

There are tons of free GMAT flash cards out there. Is it worthwhile to make your own?

Yes. The best flashcards are the flashcards you make yourself.

For one thing, writing down material is a great way to learn it. As you’re making your flashcards, you’ll be writing material, which will help you learn.

You can customize your flashcard set so that it contains more of the content you’re struggling with and less of the content you’ve already mastered. Building your flashcard deck with lots of cards on topics you struggle with will help you see those questions more often and lead to faster mastery.

When making your own flashcards, then, consider the topics you struggle with. Maybe you have trouble mastering the rules of probability. Maybe you really struggle with idioms. Build cards with those questions into your deck.

You’ll want to have two sides to each flashcard. On one side, you’ll give an example of a skill. For instance, you might want to write: “How do you find the area of a triangle?” On the second side, you’ll provide the correct answer to the question. You can also have a short question (such as, “Factor this equation”) on the first side, with the answer on the second side.

Ideally, you’ll make your flashcards on notecards so that you can use the waterfall method when you’re studying. You can purchase notecard decks or rings at any office supply store. You can also use an app to make your flashcards or create them in a program like Microsoft Word.

Keep your flashcards short and sweet. Flashcards aren’t the place to test your ability to solve long, multi-part questions. Each flashcard should only test one specific skill. Testing one specific skill means that you’ll have a targeted focus for each card and that you’ll be able to easily identify which skills you’re struggling with.

Best GMAT Flashcards Review

If you don’t want to make your own flashcards, or you’re looking to supplement your own flashcard deck with other flashcards to practice, there are a number of different options available around the web. There are free GMAT flashcards that you can download or use online, as well as flashcards you can purchase. In this section, I’ll review some of the best GMAT flashcards out there.

Beat the GMAT

• Cost: Free with login
• Format: PDF or app

Beat the GMAT’s downloadable flashcards cover all the major topics tested on the GMAT, as well as strategies for the verbal and quant sections. You can practice memorizing different formulas you’ll see on the quant section as well as applying the knowledge you’ve gained with short, one-step questions. These flashcards come in PDF form or through an app, so you can use them with the waterfall method or just pull out your phone if you don’t have a lot of space to work in.

GMAT Club

• Cost: Free with login
• Format: PDF

GMAT Club has an extensive array of flashcards that cover almost every concept you’ll see on the GMAT, from statistics to subject-verb agreement. This set is the most complete set of flashcards you’ll find on the GMAT. The questions are presented in easily digestible chunks which make the flashcards perfect for truly targeting your practice and mastering fundamentals one at a time. The PDF does have four different flash cards on one page, so you’ll have to spend some time with scissors getting them ready for use.

Magoosh

• Cost: Free
• Format: Online or in-app

Magoosh’s online GMAT flashcards are easy to use and get started with. You don’t have to have a login or download an app; you can simply visit the website to get started. The site breaks down flashcards by concept (e.g., algebra or number properties) and offers mixed concept review as well. The flashcards ask you questions about concepts more than they ask you to memorize formulas, such as “How do we add or subtract fractions?” If you’re looking for clear, quick answers, these cards might not be for you, as the explanations can be a bit wordy. Unfortunately, since you can only use these flashcards online, you can’t use the waterfall method with them.

Kaplan

• Cost: $12.70
• Format: Paper flashcards

Kaplan’s GMAT flashcards are better for building your knowledge of the GMAT than for testing the actual content on the test. While there are cards that review grammar, math formulas, and idioms, a large percentage of the flashcards focus on the GMAT itself, asking questions about the different sections of the test or how much time you have for each section. The breakdown of the flashcards is 260 cards for the quant section, 190 cards for the verbal section, and 50 cards on the test format itself. If you’re not concerned about the mechanics of taking the test, I’d skip these cards. You can get better flashcards for free from Beat the GMAT or GMAT Club.

Ready4 GMAT (Formerly Prep4 GMAT)

• Cost: Free with in-app purchases
• Format: iOS/Android app

Ready4 GMAT (formerly Prep4 GMAT) is a great app that has a number of features, including practice questions, in-depth answer explanations, and personalized coaching and feedback. The app also has hundreds of flashcards that review important GMAT skills, like idioms and formulas. The app also contains flashcards that review vocabulary words you may see on the GMAT verbal section. While you can access the vocabulary flashcards and some introductory flash cards for quant and verbal for free, you have to subscribe to the app to use all of the features. A subscription is a one-time fee of $19.99 (not including tutoring).

The app has a sleek design and is packed with content, but can be buggy and slow. If you’re already thinking about purchasing the app, the flashcards are a nice bonus feature. If not, I’d use one of the other resources before trying this one. Unfortunately, since you can only access these flashcards via an app, you can’t use the waterfall method with them.

What’s Next?

Are you filled with flashcard card and wondering how to build flashcards into your GMAT study plan? Well, you’re in luck! Check out our total guide to crafting a GMAT study plan and learn about how many hours you should devote to studying with flashcards every week.

Wondering what other GMAT resources you can use to supercharge your prep? Don’t worry, we’ve done all the research for you. We’ve compiled guides on the best GMAT books, as well as the Best Online GMAT Resources (link coming soon!). Check out these detailed guides to find the resources that’ll work for you.

Looking for even more ways to achieve your GMAT goal score? Our guide to the top 10 GMAT strategies offers tips and strategies to help you ace your practice and the GMAT itself on test day.

The post The Best GMAT Flashcards and How to Use Them appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

Have you ever heard of Dave Hopla? He’s a basketball coach. Well, more specifically, he’s a basketball shooting coach. Throughout his career, he’s made 98 percent of the shots he’s taken. And, he trains players to do the same. How? By mastering the fundamentals.

You might be wondering why I’m beginning an article about the GMAT by talking about a basketball coach. Well, in this article, I’m going to be talking about the importance of mastering GMAT math formulas. Mastering GMAT math formulas is like practicing your free throw if you’re a basketball player. It’s a way to build up your fundamental skills so that, on test day, you’re able to achieve your goal score.

In this article, I’ll talk about why GMAT quant formulas are important, break down the most important formulas to know by subject, and give you some tips for how to incorporate formulas into your prep. I’ll also give you access to a downloadable PDF that you can use to practice offline.

Why Do You Need to Know Math Formulas for the GMAT?

Spending time learning and memorizing GMAT formulas may seem like an overly simple task in light of the complex questions you’ll face on the GMAT quant section, but studying these formulas is an important part of reaching your goal score.

Despite the notoriety of the GMAT quant section, the questions on this section actually test basic math concepts that are presented in complex ways. Mastering fundamentals, like formulas, will help you solve these questions because you’ll be able to figure out the answers to each individual part of the problem, leading to your final answer.

The GMAT quant section only tests math concepts that you would’ve learned in high school. So, learning basic formulas will go a long way in ensuring you understand how to solve different questions.

Learning formulas is also a big time-saver. You only have a limited amount of time for the GMAT quant section, so you’ll need to work quickly and efficiently to answer every question, which is important to do so that you maximize your score.

By learning these formulas, you’ll be able to easily recall what you should do to answer each question. You’ll save time by using the most efficient methods for solving a question.

The GMAT quant section doesn’t allow you to use a calculator. So, you won’t be able to easily do long, complex calculations. Learning formulas will help you because you’ll have tools at your disposal to figure out different measurements or calculations without technology.

While learning formulas is an important part of studying for the GMAT, it’s not all you should do to prepare for the quant section. As I mentioned before, while the actual math on the GMAT is relatively simple, the questions are presented in a complex way. You’ll need to spend time applying your formula knowledge by practicing the different styles of questions on the GMAT. Studying in this way will help you feel prepared for the questions you’ll see on test day.

GMAT Quant Formulas

In this section, I’ll break down the most important formulas for you to know for the GMAT. I’ve broken them down by math topic so that they’re easier to sort through.

GMAT Geometry Formulas

Geometry questions make up about 20% of the questions test on the GMAT quant section. Use these formulas to master the content covered on those questions.

AREA & PERIMETER FORMULAS

Square:

• Area = $\length^2$
• Perimeter = 4*length

Rectangle:

• Area = length*width
• Perimeter = 2(length) + 2(width)

Parallelogram:

• Area = base*height
• Perimeter = 2(base) + 2(height)

Circles:

• Area = $πr^2$
• Circumference = $2πr$

Triangle:

• Area = $(\base*\height)/2$
• Pythagorean Theorem: $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$

Trapezoid:

• Area = $(1/2)*(a+b)/h$, where a and b are the length of the parallel sides

CIRCLE FORMULAS

Central angle = 2(inscribed angle)

Area of a sector = $(x/360)*πr^2$, where $x $is the measurement of the central angle of the circle portion in degrees

VOLUME FORMULAS

Cube: $(\length)^3$

Rectangular prism: length*width*height

Cylinder: $πr^2*h$

Cone: $1/3πr^2*h$

Pyramid: $1/3(\base \length*\base \width*\height)$

Sphere: $4/3πr^3$

GMAT Arithmetic Formulas

Arithmetic concepts are one of the most heavily tested content areas on the GMAT quant section, making up nearly 50% of GMAT quant question types. These GMAT quant formulas address the majority of concepts covered on the GMAT.

ORDER OF OPERATIONS

Parentheses – Exponents – Multiplication – Division – Addition – Subtraction (PEMDAS)

NUMBER PROPERTIES

(Positive Number) * (Positive Number) = (Positive Number)

(Positive Number) * (Negative Number) = (Negative Number)

(Negative Number) * (Negative Number) = (Positive Number)

(Positive Number) / (Positive Number) = (Positive Number)

(Positive Number) / (Negative Number) = (Negative Number)

(Negative Number) / (Negative Number) = (Positive Number)

(Odd Number) + (Odd Number) = (Even Number)

(Odd Number) – (Odd Number) = (Even Number)

(Odd Number) + (Even Number) = (Odd Number)

(Odd Number) – (Even Number) = (Odd Number)

(Even Number) + (Even Number) = (Even Number)

(Even Number) – (Even Number) = (Even Number)

(Odd Number) * (Odd Number) = (Odd Number)

(Odd Number) * (Even Number) = (Even Number)

(Even Number) * (Even Number) = (Even Number)

PERMUTATIONS AND COMBINATIONS

Permutation formula: $nPr = n!/(n-r)!$

Combination formula: $nCr = n!/((r!)(n-r)!)$

PROBABILITY

Probability = (Number of favorable outcomes) / (Number of all possible outcomes)

Probability of events A & B happening = (Probability of A) * (Probability of B)

Probability of either event A or B happening = (Probability of A) + (Probability of B)

GMAT Algebra Formulas

Algebra questions make up about 20% of the question types you’ll see on the GMAT quant section.

ABSOLUTE VALUE

|x| depicts absolute value.

|x| = x

|-x| = x

|x| = |-x|

|x| ≥ 0

|x| + |y| ≥ |x+y|

EXPONENT Rules

In the expression $x^n$, ‘x’ is the base and ‘n’ is the exponent. The way to interpret is that the base ‘x’ gets multiplied ‘n’ times. For example, $2^3=2*2*2$.

Some key rules and formulas for exponents:

$0^n = 0$

$1^n = 1$

$x^0 = 1$

$x^1 = x$

$(x)^-n = 1/x^n$

$x^m*x^n = x^(m+n)$

$x^m/x^n = x^(m-n)$

$(x/y)^n = (x^n)/(y^n)$

$(x^m)^n = x^(m*n)$

QUADRATIC EQUATIONS

$ax^2 + bx + c = 0$

$x = (-b ∓ √[b^2 – 4ac]) / 2a$

INTEREST

All interest formulas use the following variables: P = starting principle; r = annual interest rate; t = number of years.

Simple Interest = P*r*t

Annual Compound Interest = $P(1+r)t$

Compound Interest = P(1 + r/x)^(xt); x = number of times the interest compounds over the year

OTHER Algebra Formulas

Distance = Speed * Time

Wage = Rate * Time

PrepScholar GMAT Formula Sheet

Download our GMAT formula sheet to help you study your GMAT formulas.

How to Incorporate GMAT Formulas in Your Prep

As I mentioned before, simply memorizing the formulas I gave you above isn’t a good way to prepare for the GMAT quant section. In order to ensure your formula prep really helps your score, you’ll need to apply your formula mastery. Follow these tips to make your formula knowledge work for you.

#1: Use Flashcards

Flashcards are a great tool for memorizing GMAT math formulas because they’re easy to use and effective. You can quickly review flashcards on your commute or before you go to bed at night or while you’re scarfing down breakfast on the way to class… really, you can review flashcards any time, any place! By spending time memorizing formulas with flashcards, you’ll be able to quickly recall what you’ll need to do to solve a problem.

Flashcards require you to actively engage with the material. For instance, rather than just trying to memorize a list of many different formulas you’ll use on the quant section, you’ll engage with each formula one by one. You’ll be forced to ask yourself whether or not you really know how to use the formula in a quick, concise way.

#2: Understand the Underlying Concepts

While memorizing formulas is great, understanding the underlying concepts of each formula is better. Don’t just know what the formulas are – know how they work and, better yet, how to apply them. Understanding the underlying concepts means that you’ve reached a deeper level of learning beyond simply memorizing. If you’re able to understand something, you’ll be able to apply it to solve a question much more easily.

Take the formula for area of a sector of a circle: (x/360) * πr2

If you know that a sector is part of a circle that has its own interior angle measurement and you know that the area of a circle is πr2, it makes sense that you can find the area of a sector by multiplying that interior angle by the overall area of the circle.

#3: Apply GMAT Math Formulas by Practicing Real GMAT Questions

Memorizing formulas won’t help you if you don’t apply your knowledge. The GMAT quant section tests basic concepts in complex ways. You’ll need to spend time familiarizing yourself with the ways that the GMAT asks questions. It won’t simply ask you to find the area of triangle; you might need to find the area of a triangle on your way to discovering how much it costs to put fencing around a triangle-shaped yard.

Spend time learning the style of both problem solving and data sufficiency questions, so that you’ll be able to use your GMAT math formulas to easily get to the correct answer. The best way to practice for the GMAT is to use real retired GMAT questions, which you can find in the official GMAT guides or in the GMATPrep Software. Real, retired GMAT questions best emulate the style and content of what you’ll see on test day.

What’s Next?

Looking for a more in-depth review of the quant section? There’s a lot you need to know to be able to reach your GMAT goal score. Our guide to the GMAT quant section teaches you the ten essential tips you need to know to master the most notorious section of the GMAT.

We also offer more specific guides that break down the data sufficiency and problem solving question types on the GMAT. Learn about the types of content covered on the problem solving questions and the trick to mastering the difficult data sufficiency questions, while also learning how to solve sample questions.

Want to focus on a different part of the GMAT? We also offer in-depth guides to the verbal section, as well as tips for how to do well on the analytical writing assessment (link coming soon!). Check out those guides to boost your all-around GMAT scores and get into the business program of your dreams.

The post All 64 GMAT Math Formulas You Need + How to Use Them appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.

You might have seen GMAT idiom lists in prep materials or heard students talk about memorizing idioms for the GMAT. But how are idioms actually tested on the GMAT? How much do they really matter? And how can you familiarize yourself with them before the exam?

In this article, I’ll go over what an idiom means in the context of the GMAT, how idioms are tested on the exam, and top tips for learning common idiomatic expressions, including how to create effective GMAT idiom flashcards. In addition, I’ll provide you with a GMAT idioms list of the 93 most common GMAT idiomatic expressions and examples of each one.

What Are GMAT Idioms?

An idiom is a common expression or grammatical structure in English. You might hear idioms described elsewhere as a “saying”—for example, “as easy as pie”—but on the GMAT, you won’t see these as often. Instead, you’ll encounter more everyday constructions and have to decide which one is correct in English.

For example, which one of these sentences is correctly phrased?

Henry graduated from college.

Henry graduated of college.

The first one is correct: You don’t graduate “of” school. You graduate “from” school. There’s no special grammatical reason that this is the case, other than that that’s simply the way we talk about graduation in English (using the preposition “from” rather than the preposition “of,” that is). This is an example of how you’ll encounter idioms on the GMAT: There’s no specific grammar rule to follow, but an idiomatic expression will need to be corrected simply because it’s not used in English.

So, how much do GMAT idioms matter for the test? This is a common question for students, and the answer isn’t black or white. If you’re a verbal whiz and used to reading high-quality materials, you probably won’t need to spend too much time on GMAT idioms, as you’re likely to know most of them already.

But if you’re a non-native English speaker or tend to have trouble with the verbal section, memorizing idioms might be more important for you to do. If you notice when you take practice tests early on in your prep that you’re missing incorrectly phrased idioms, you should devote additional study time to memorizing and practicing with common GMAT idioms.

No matter what, you should familiarize yourself with the most common idioms that you’re likely to see when you take the GMAT. As you go over the list later in this article, take note of any idioms that seem unfamiliar to you so you can memorize them. While you can’t memorize specific rules to prepare for idioms on the GMAT, the good news is that many of them do tend to show up on the exam over and over.

How Idioms Are Tested On the GMAT

We know now what a GMAT idiom is, but how will you be tested on them?

Idioms are tested in sentence correction questions in the GMAT verbal section. Sentence correction questions will show you a sentence that is partially underlined, asking you to choose between four rewritten replacements for the underlined portion (answer choices B through E) or leaving the sentence as is (answer choice A).

Sentence correction questions usually have more than one error. In idiom questions, often, there will be both an incorrectly used idiom in the given sentence and a broken grammar rule. One answer option may correct the sentence’s grammar, but still use the idiom incorrectly.

The right answer choice will correct both the grammar of the sentence and the incorrectly used idiom. For more information on the grammar rules you should know for GMAT sentence correction questions, go to our article on the 6 essential GMAT grammar rules.

So, what exactly do I mean by an “incorrectly used idiom?” There are three main errors you’re likely to encounter on GMAT idiom questions. Let’s walk through an example of each one.

#1: Preposition Usage

As in the “of/from” example in the prior section, many idiomatic expressions you see on the GMAT will be incorrect because they use the wrong preposition. Prepositions are words that show a relationship between a pronoun or noun and another part of a sentence. They include words like “of,” “to,” “for,” and “with,” as well as many words that indicate direction or location (“above,” “under,” and “below,” for example).

Idioms often involve the correct use of a specific preposition. On the GMAT, you might see those prepositions being used incorrectly.

Take a look at this example.

As in many sentence correction questions, there are two errors at play here: an idiomatic issue and a subject-verb agreement error. The subject of the verb “are” in the sentence is “cost(s).” Since “are” is the plural form of the verb “to be,” it needs to be preceded by a plural subject, so “costs” is correct rather than “cost.” This means that answer choices A and D can immediately be eliminated.

Now that we’ve narrowed the answer choices down to B, C, and E, we have to take a look at the idiomatic errors. “Associated with” is the correct idiom, while “arising from” and “of” don’t make sense in context, so answer choices C and E can be eliminated. Also, we need to match up the correct prepositions with one another: the “with” after “associated” needs to be followed by another “with.” “From” and “of” don’t match up with the first “with.”

One significant clue is the second use of “with” later in the sentence; “with” should be paired with “with,” rather than mixing prepositions (“of” and “with” or “from” and “with”). Thus, answer choice B is both grammatically and idiomatically correct.

#2: Correlatives

Correlatives are words that work together to serve a single function in a sentence, though they might be separated from each other within the sentence. You can think of these words as “married pairs.” Some examples are “both/and,” “either/or,” and “neither/nor.”

On the GMAT, many idiom errors involve correlatives being used incorrectly. Let’s take a look at an example.

The correct correlative in the context of this sentence is “so x that y” (see the idioms list below).

Answer choice B doesn’t pair “so” with “that,” and neither does answer choice D, so those two options can be immediately eliminated on the basis of idiomatic errors.

Answer choices C and E are illogically constructed.

In answer choice C, “it” is an ambiguous pronoun; we don’t know what “it” is referring to, so even though “so/that” is used in the sentence, the pronoun usage makes it the incorrect choice.

In answer choice E, the word order makes the sentence illogical; starting with “installed and operated” doesn’t make sense, as the subject of the sentence is “a recording system.”

Answer choice A, by contrast, starts with the correct subject (“a recording system”) and also includes the correct correlative construction (“so x that y”), so it’s the right option.

#3: Forms of Comparison

In English, there are certain rules about how we compare things to each other and which words we use to do so. For example, take a look at these three sentences. Which one is correct?

Between the two candidates, she was the better one.

Among the two candidates, she was the better one.

The first sentence is the correct one. When we compare two items (in this case, two candidates), we use the word “between” rather than “among.” So sentence #2 is incorrect because it uses “among” to refer to a comparison of two candidates.

The first sentence correctly uses “between” to compare two candidates, making it the correctly phrased one.

So now that we’ve selected “between” over “among” to compare two candidates, let’s go over another potential idiomatic error that you might encounter in comparison questions.

Between the two candidates, she was the better one.

Between the two candidates, she was the best one.

Superlatives (words like “best” and “worst”) are used when three or more items are compared. When there’s a comparison between only two items, “better” or “worse” would be correct. So sentence #1 is correct in this regard, using “better” to compare the two candidates.

Idiom errors on the GMAT may make comparisons using incorrect phrasing. Let’s look at an example.

We can tell this sentence might include an idiomatic comparison error because of the clue word “more.” The correct idiom to use in this comparison is “more x than ever,” not “more than never.” So we can eliminate answer choices A and C immediately.

Next, we can eliminate answer choices B and E, which include the correct phrasing (“more than ever”) but in the wrong order. “Closely integrated,” which is what’s happening “more than ever before,” comes before the idiom in answer choice B and after the idiom in answer choice E.

Answer choice C contains the correct idiomatic expression with the words in the correct order; “closely integrated” (x) comes after “more” and before “than ever.”

GMAT Idiom List: 93 Most Common GMAT Idioms

It’s important to know not only what idioms are likely to show up on the GMAT, but also how to use them correctly. Here’s a handy GMAT idioms list, containing 93 of the most common GMAT idioms and an example sentence for each one.

3 Expert Tips for Learning GMAT Idioms

Now that you have an idea of how idioms are tested on the GMAT and what kinds of idioms will show up on the exam, let’s go over three expert tips on how you can best familiarize yourself with them.

#1: Make GMAT Idiom Flashcards

Using the above GMAT idioms list, make flashcards to use during your prep. As you complete practice tests, you should also note any additional idiomatic expressions you aren’t familiar with and add GMAT idiom flashcards that include them. You should incorporate flashcards into your regular GMAT idioms practice.

In addition to your own GMAT idiom list, you can also use pre-made GMAT idiom flashcards, such as those available on the Magoosh GMAT Idioms app. The app divides common GMAT idioms into “basic” (more common) and “advanced” (less common) categories and can be used to quiz yourself on the idioms you’re likely to see on the exam. Find out more about using apps to prepare for the GMAT here.

#2: Write Example Sentences

Another way to familiarize yourself with common GMAT idioms is to write sample sentences with them. It’s important to get to know the idioms you’re not used to in context, rather than simply memorizing them. It’s also important not to simply rely on your ear or intuition, as you might already be used to using certain idioms incorrectly. Using them correctly over and over will help you break that habit.

As part of a study session or a warm-up, select 10 idioms from the GMAT idioms list (preferably 10 that you’re not comfortable with already) and practice using them in sentences. As you do this, turns of phrase that might have sounded strange to you earlier will begin to sound correct, which will help you recognize idiomatic errors on the exam.

#3: Read—A Lot

To familiarize yourself with a wide variety of common English idioms (beyond those on your GMAT idiom list), you should read and digest complex materials such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Science, Nature, and The Atlantic as a regular part of your GMAT prep.

This technique is especially important if you are a non-native English speaker, as like I said earlier, it’s important to familiarize yourself with idioms in context rather than to simply memorize a list. You’ll encounter many idioms as you read. Note any phrasing patterns that seem unfamiliar to you, and keep a log. Add them to your GMAT idioms list or to your flashcards so you can practice with them at a later time.

What’s Next?

Ready to delve into critical reasoning questions? Check out our tips on mastering critical reasoning questions on the GMAT verbal section.

Looking for GMAT verbal practice, including GMAT idioms practice? We’ve got you, with over 500 high-quality GMAT verbal practice questions.

Struggle with GMAT reading comprehension? Our guide to the nine best GMAT reading comprehension practice resources will help you improve.

The post 93 GMAT Idioms and How to Use Them appeared first on Online GMAT Prep Blog by PrepScholar.