In this Question from the requester, Bara Sapir, CEO and Founder of the test preparation company City Test Prep, presents her top tips for dealing with stress and controlling your anxiety during the MBA application process.
During the application process, you can manage stress by creating a schedule, partnering with professionals, implementing performance-enhancing skills such as speed reading, and incorporating stress reduction techniques. stress from psychology and wellness practices.
1. Create an MBA program
Plan a schedule four to six months ahead of target deadlines with dedicated time to complete it. 
The more time you give, the less stressful it will be. It is a wonderful feeling to submit a full application, especially well before the deadline!
Here is an idea of how to share your time:
– Application and testing: three to six weeks for research and reflection; then for each subsequent school, two to three weeks for rewrites and modifications.
– Preparation for the test and taking the test: a minimum of two or three months of dedicated study, including at least 120 hours of practice if you want to obtain the best score. Also plan two to three test dates.
– Plan time in advance to engage with schools and contact students and alumni.
Good health habits, such as exercise, sleep, and healthy eating, will also promote emotional regulation and promote engagement, so be sure to include them in your plan.
Also schedule time once or twice a week to assess, reconcile, and adjust your schedule as needed.
2. Get professional support
If you are stressed out about producing the best test results or effective trials, you can hire dedicated professionals to help you.
Having the right support system can make a huge difference in reducing stress because you won’t have to fend for yourself. It keeps you on track, maximizes efficiency, and professionals can save months or even years from your process.
You don’t have to worry about the cost, as you will find a range of services available to suit all budgets. It’s about finding the right person, so take advantage of free consultations to “interview” providers and compare expertise and approaches.
Admission Consultants will help you improve your application and ensure that your essay is compelling and well written. They will also coach you for interviews with advice on what to wear.
Test Preparation Professionals will accelerate and perfect your test preparation and taking efforts by customizing your study to meet your score goals and timing.
3. Improve efficiency with speed reading
Improving test-taking skills that help you study smarter rather than harder, like speed reading, leads to feeling more in control and less restless. Faster reading gives you more time to think critically and answer questions, which you get credit for.
If you read less than 300 words per minute with poor to good comprehension, consider learning this skill.
In 5 hours, you can increase your reading speed up to five times faster and improve reading performance by an average of 13%.
Our all new MindFlow is an online platform with GMAT, EA and GRE speed reading training tracks.
MindFlow also offers a “state of mind” channel with yoga, sound therapy and various calming exercises to help relieve anxiety and regulate emotionally.
4. Optimize your state of mind
Change your perspective with a growth mindset, anxiety reassessment, and a variety of holistic, mindful techniques to help eliminate anxiety.
Growth mindset
Instead of feeling defeated in response to challenges and obstacles, adopt a “growth mindset.”
When you notice you’re thinking, “I’m a bad test taker or a bad writer,” trade that negative inner monologue with, “I can. to improve and go areach my goals.
This simple but profound change increases motivation and confidence. Learn more about the growth mindset of Stanford University psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck here.
Anxiety reassessment
‘Anxiety reassessment’ is another autosuggestion and messaging method that reassigns’ anxiety ‘to’ arousal ‘and shifts you from a stressed’ threat state ‘to a’ “opportunity” positive mindset.
When you feel anxious, just say aloud “I’m excited” or instruct yourself to “get excited!” These statements help shift to a more positive mindset, and all of this is supported by research from Harvard University.
Holistic and conscious techniques
Holistic and mindful techniques such as tapping, hypnosis, visualization, neurolinguistic programming, and mindfulness transform feelings of anxiety into feelings of focus, confidence and calm.
Visualize yourself starting your test, at home or in a center, and imagine that you are feeling well; alert, calm and present.
Replay this scene in your mind like in a movie, and in doing so, you will create tracks of “imagined memories” that will increase your chances of passing the actual test in that desired state.
Sports psychologists guide world-class athletes through similar processes to help them achieve peak performance.
For more methods of relieving anxiety, listen to my interview on the Accepted.com podcast, my webinar with Unimy, or try some apps, like Calm and Insight Timer, which offer relaxing meditations.
Incorporating a schedule, hiring professionals, and using supportive methods derived from psychology, holistic wellness, and mindfulness will empower you to take control, lift yourself away from stress. and get you into more emotionally positive states.
These upgrades will make your application process more fun and relaxed, and will undoubtedly produce better results on your application, on tests, and in life.
Read another question from the candidate:
How to Write a Successful MBA Personal Statement
