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GMAT studying took the most amount of time for me. Even if you’re a good test taker, it still takes time to master. That was the biggest time sink for me and took time to plan for. I knocked all the essays out in one long weekend and came back and reviewed them 2 times with other people before submitting. That part was pretty easy. Outside of that, it will feel long because of turnaround time after submitting
The part that takes the most time in the MBA application process is honestly the essays and personal statements. Crafting unique, thoughtful responses for each school means a lot of reflection and re-writing. Gathering recommendations and prepping for interviews also slow things down, since you’re usually juggling timelines and waiting on others. What really causes delays is trying to perfect your story and align it with each program’s values, so give yourself lots of extra time for edits and soul-searching.
The two biggest time sinks are
1) Test prep - for some this takes months or even years. And you don't want to be doing this in parallel with writing applications!
2) Figuring out your strategy/narrative. Before you even look at essay prompts you should have a clear vision for your post-MBA career - both short and long-term and be able to articulate why you need an MBA to get there. This often requires deep introspection and visioning AND finding the job requirements for your target roles so you can work backwards into what you need to learn during business school. This will inform your school research and selection.
If you do the latter up front, then you will save a LOT of time when writing essays.