Are you consistently feeling burned out despite taking frequent study breaks? You may need to consider whether your study breaks are effective.  

Are these examples of effective study breaks? 

• Taking a walk while thinking about which topics you’ll study when you get back from your study break. 
• A 10-minute phone break to see what’s happening on the actuary subreddit. 
• Playing your favorite game while thinking to yourself, “I am going to be so refreshed and ready to keep studying after this.”  

For study breaks to truly be helpful, try to find activities that you enjoy and take your attention away from exams. Almost anything can be a break when you are focused on what you are doing instead of worrying about your upcoming exam sitting.  

Consider these alternatives to the examples above: 

• Taking a walk while thinking about the dogs you walk past, or your own dog, or how you really want to get a dog. What kind of dog do you want? 
• A 10-minute phone break to see what’s happening in your area this weekend or to find a new book to read.  
• Playing your favorite game while thinking about your strategy, what you want to do next, or where you want to find your next quest. 

The actuarial exam journey is not about studying or thinking about studying 24/7—for many of us, the key is balancing quality studying with effective study breaks.