Why Reframing Stress as Excitement Can Boost Your GMAT Score

Most people approach the GMAT with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. The stakes feel high, the preparation is demanding, and the test itself can be stressful. It is natural to think that the best way to manage those nerves is to calm down. Yet research suggests there may be a better way. Instead of trying to suppress that nervous energy, you can reframe it as excitement.

Alison Wood Brooks, a professor at Harvard Business School, has studied this idea extensively. She found that people who reappraise their anxiety as excitement often perform better in stressful situations. The strategy is simple. Instead of telling yourself to “stay calm,” you tell yourself to “get excited.” That small change shifts your mindset from viewing the task as a threat to seeing it as an opportunity.

In one of Brooks’ experiments, graduate students solving difficult math problems under tight time limits were divided into two groups. One group was instructed to say “try to remain calm,” while the other was instructed to say “try to get excited.” The students who focused on excitement consistently outperformed those who tried to calm themselves down.

Jeremy Jamieson, a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, reached a similar conclusion in his research on GRE test takers. Students who were told that stress could enhance performance not only did better on a practice GRE exam but also went on to earn higher scores on the official GRE a month later. Simply changing the way they thought about stress had a measurable, lasting impact on performance.

So what does this mean for GMAT preparation? If you feel stressed before or during your studies, remind yourself that the feeling may actually be working for you. Try adopting a short mantra such as “I am excited to master these problems” or “I am excited to earn a high score.” Use it consistently in practice so that it becomes second nature during the actual exam.

And if stress arises on test day, instead of fighting it, take a moment to reframe it. Remind yourself that this energy is not a sign of weakness. It is a resource you can use to focus, to engage, and to perform at your best.

The lesson is straightforward. Stress does not have to be the enemy. With the right mindset, it can become an ally in your effort to succeed on the GMAT.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep