The Dominate Test Prep Podcast - 15. Overcoming Test Anxiety, with Bara Sapir

15. Overcoming Test Anxiety, with Bara Sapir

01/28/20 • 42 min

Conventional wisdom tells us that if we study hard, high test scores will inevitably follow. But what if we are unmotivated to study or hampered by fear of failure? Or what happens if when we do study, we are plagued by feeling nervous and anxious, and we are not able to perform to our potential? It's no surprise that if you enter the test feeling anything but focused and calm, you risk a subpar performance. But how does one easily get there?
We answer those questions -- and more -- in this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast as we are joined by Bara Sapir, CEO/Founder of City Test Prep, who shares proven techniques to help students master the "Inner Game" of test preparation.
Specifically, we discuss:

What test anxiety is, and how you can know if you have it;
Anxiety-management tips for the months, weeks, and days leading up to your exam;
The "backwards spin" technique to help you reverse anxiety if it presents itself during the exam itself;
Miscellaneous tools to help you combat anxiety including mindfulness, visualization, EFT, neuro-linguistic programming, and others;
How to simulate the test-day experience as a way to eliminate the unknown and reduce nervousness;
The anxiety-producing effects of unrealistic expectations, and what you can do to recalibrate them for a more growth-minded approach;
And more!

Learn how to employ the very same methods that sports psychologists use with high-performing athletes so that you show up on test day with a sense of calm and assuredness and turn a good score into a great score.
RESOURCES
Here are the resources referenced during the show for those wishing to dive deeper into controlling their test anxiety:

Bara's "Full Potential Audio - Universal Support" (Enter the coupon code A4ZMPA6S to save 20%)
Bara's "MindFlow Speed Reading Workshop" (Enter the coupon code SXUE6FES to save $30)
The Inner Game of Tennis, by Timothy Gallwey
Dominate Test Prep's online preparation courses for the GMAT, GRE, LSAT, SAT, Executive Assessment, and others

A DOSE OF MOTIVATION
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" -- Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 12: 25-26)

Connect with Us

Get more free content on the DTP YouTube Channel
Register for a comprehensive prep course (GMAT Exam, Executive Assessment, GRE, LSAT, SAT)
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected].

What test anxiety is, and how you can know if you have it;
Anxiety-management tips for the months, weeks, and days leading up to your exam;
The "backwards spin" technique to help you reverse anxiety if it presents itself during the exam itself;
Miscellaneous tools to help you combat anxiety including mindfulness, visualization, EFT, neuro-linguistic programming, and others;
How to simulate the test-day experience as a way to eliminate the unknown and reduce nervousness;
The anxiety-producing effects of unrealistic expectations, and what you can do to recalibrate them for a more growth-minded approach;
And more!

Bara's "Full Potential Audio - Universal Support" (Enter the coupon code A4ZMPA6S to save 20%)
Bara's "MindFlow Speed Reading Workshop" (Enter the coupon code SXUE6FES to save $30)
The Inner Game of Tennis, by Timothy Gallwey
Dominate Test Prep's online preparation courses for the GMAT, GRE, LSAT, SAT, Executive Assessment, and others

Connect with Us

Get more free content on the DTP YouTube Channel
Register for a comprehensive prep course (GMAT Exam, Executive Assessment, GRE, LSAT, SAT)
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected].

Previous Episode

14. How to do Social Media Right for an Admissions Edge, with Taylor Siebert

A recent survey shows that 40% of admissions officers reported to have looked at a candidate's social media while reviewing his/her application, a trend that is expected to continue and even grow in the coming years. What does this mean for you? We invited Taylor Siebert, co-founder of Class Intercom and social media expert, to weigh in on how you can use social media to your advantage as you position yourself holistically during the application process.
In this episode we discuss:

Why and how you should take an audit of your current social media presence
Thinking through who you are, how you want to come across to admissions officers, and why it's important to be authentically you
Whether or not you should "scrub" your social media to get rid of negative things from your past (hint: it depends on the story you're trying to tell)
Why LinkedIn is the most untapped and potentially useful social media platform right now
Which social media platforms you should focus on
What it means to be a “digital leader”
Why social media is such a valuable tool as an entrepreneur and how to use it to your advantage
And more!

Social media, when done right, can be an asset for you as you're applying to college or graduate school and in your career beyond. This interview will show you how.
For more information about social media strategy or to connect with Taylor directly, visit https://classintercom.com.
FROM THE MAILBAG
This week's "From the Mailbag" segment answers the question, "How can I practice for the analytical writing (essay) portion of my exam?"
Here are the resources referenced in my response:

Sample Issue Essay prompts: https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/issue/pool
Sample Issue Essay responses + scoring: https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/issue/sample_responses
Sample Argument Essay prompts: https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/argument/pool
Sample Argument Essay responses + scoring: https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/argument/sample_responses

A DOSE OF MOTIVATION
"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." -- Epictetus

Connect with Us

Get more free content on the DTP YouTube Channel
Register for a comprehensive prep course (GMAT Exam, Executive Assessment, GRE, LSAT, SAT)
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected].

Next Episode

16. Is Harvard Really Worth It? with Jake Taylor

A lot of people believe that if they can't get in to a top-tier college or graduate school, it's not worth going. Yet, there are a lot of considerations that play into your decision to go back to school, and the prestige of the program is only one factor in choosing the school that's right for you.
In this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast we catch up with Harvard Kennedy School of Government alumnus Jake Taylor who recounts his journey from working on Wall Street to teaching middle school math in Spanish Harlem to ultimately going back to graduate school at Harvard -- and he answers the question of whether it was worth paying full sticker price at Harvard vs. going to a less-prestigious school where he would have received scholarship money.
We discuss a number of important topics that can help inform your own decision about if/where to go to school, including:

When did Jake realized that working on Wall Street wasn't his life's passion, and how did he have the courage to make a change?
Funny story: How can following someone around a grocery store help you achieve your career goals?
After teaching for five years -- and enjoying every minute of it -- how did Jake know it was the right time to go back to school?
How did he choose between the GRE and GMAT?
Why did he turn down scholarship money from other schools and ultimately decide to go to Harvard?
Was it worth it?
What was the job search process like on the back end of graduate school?
Looking back, what's the #1 thing he thinks people should consider when choosing their own college or graduate program? (Hint: his answer may surprise you)
And more!

One of the things Jake mentions as being really helpful during his transition out of Morgan Stanley and into the classroom was the counsel of people who had gone before him. Jake's experience and thoughtful insight into the key decision points of his own journey can be part of that similar counsel for you. We trust you'll find the conversation helpful!
FROM THE MAILBAG
In this week's "From the Mailbag" segment we answer the question of whether you should take time to write A, B, C, D, E a bunch of times on your scratch paper (short answer: "yes") and how to do it most effectively.
A DOSE OF MOTIVATION
"It is never too late to be what you might have been." -- George Eliot

Connect with Us

Get more free content on the DTP YouTube Channel
Register for a comprehensive prep course (GMAT Exam, Executive Assessment, GRE, LSAT, SAT)
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected].

The Dominate Test Prep Podcast - 15. Overcoming Test Anxiety, with Bara Sapir

Transcript

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who have you by worrying can add a single hour to your life. Since you cannot do this very little thing, Why do you worry about the rest? Jesus of Nazareth. Hello, everyone. And welcome to Episode 15 of the Dominate Test Prep podcast. My name is Brett Ethridge. I'm your host, and I am joined today by a very special guest. Boris appear. I will introduce her here in a moment, but we're going to talk about test anxiety. And if you're listening to this, it's probabl