Preparing for important exams can be extremely challenging for most individuals. After all, longer study hours and endless worrying can cause physical, emotional, and mental distress. However, the levels of stress are usually kicked up a notch or two when it comes to civil service exams.

Civil service exams, especially police tests, are known to be highly challenging. Not only do they demand individuals to put in more than usual time for studying, but the syllabus is also complex. This often causes symptoms of burnout.

If you’ve ever woken up irritable, on edge, and wishing to just go back to sleep, chances are you might be experiencing burnout. When this happens, individuals become too overwhelmed to perform well in the exam. Moreover, the condition can also worsen and affect them long-term.

Here are some tips to help you prevent burnout while preparing for the Suffolk police exam.

What Is Burnout? Can You Feel Burnt Out from Studying Too Hard?

The World Health Organization defines burnout as a syndrome that occurs from chronic stress. According to the medical community, burnout is a condition that occurs from severe mental and physical exhaustion.

Though most people consider burnout an “occupational disease,” it can happen to anyone. As a matter of fact, any individual exposed to high levels of stress for long periods can get burnout. Studying is known to lead to increased stress, especially when one’s preparing for difficult exams. This is why the term academic burnout was coined.

Academic burnout is characterized by physical and mental stress that stems from exhaustion and frustration from prolonged study sessions. These feelings are normal and usually indicate that an individual has been working on the same material for too long.

However, it’s important to note that occasional frustration or exhaustion shouldn’t be mistaken for academic burnout. That’s because the condition is a chronic syndrome that occurs from long-term studying, such as preparing for a difficult civil service exam.

Academic burnout can seriously affect the quality of an individual’s life and even lead to poor physical and mental health. The syndrome is known to cause severe symptoms such as  emotional and physical fatigue, feeling tired all the time, lack of confidence, sleeping problems, using negative coping mechanisms, lack of joy, etc. In many cases, the condition can also lead to debilitating symptoms like headaches or joint pain, as well as symptoms of depression.

In most cases, experts recommend avoiding the task that causes these symptoms. However, that’s not feasible for most individuals. This leads to an important question: how can you prevent burnout while preparing for the Suffolk police exam?

Optimize Your Study Plan

Before anything else, we recommend you look at your study plan first. That’s because most individuals create schedules that are impractical and difficult to follow. This usually results in people failing to follow them, which causes feelings of incompetence, stress, etc.

So, how can you optimize your study plan?

First, it’s imperative you understand your study style. This can play a major role in helping you know how to tailor your plan according to your needs. For example, if you find it difficult to focus for longer periods, you can create a schedule with more frequent breaks.

Next, we recommend you create a schedule that allows you to tackle difficult topics and challenging concepts earlier in the day, or whenever you feel more energized. This ensures your schedule matches your energy levels. So, when you feel less energized, you’ll only have easier topics to go through.

Finally, add your study sessions to your calendar to ensure you only study when you’re required. Remember that your sessions have to be reasonable.

Limit Study Hours and Take Ample Breaks

While we understand that studying is important to succeed, limiting your hours can help prevent burnout. In fact, research reveals that taking breaks from five minutes to an hour can rejuvenate your brain and increase your energy and focus.

However, that’s not all. Taking purposeful breaks between study sessions can also help the brain learn new skills. This can be greatly beneficial in the preparation process.

We recommend you take at least 10-minute long breaks for every hour you’ve studied. It’s vital that you get up from your studying station and walk around for those ten minutes. That’s because sitting down for more than an hour is often linked to various medical problems. These don’t just include physical conditions, but also mental health symptoms.

It’s also wise to utilize that time to go outside and reconnect with nature. This has double the benefits because daylight is known to release feel-good hormones that can help keep burnout at bay.

Finally, we recommend taking at least an hour’s break in the middle of long study days. Listen to music during this time, eat a healthy meal, take a shower, and get some well-deserved rest. It’s also a good idea to utilize this time to exercise, as it’s also beneficial for your mental health.

Enroll In a Preparation School

Studying for long hours by yourself can lead to stress. It’s why most people experience burnout. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. By enrolling in a preparation school, you can prepare for the test in a short while without any problems.

Preparatory schools help students prepare for a broad range of subjects with tests and mock exams. They also provide key information and make concepts easier, which shortens study hours.

If you’re on the lookout for a preparation school to help you prepare for the Suffolk police exam, consider us at Civil Services Success.

We have experienced tutors who help students navigate the course and provide important information for the exam. Due to our experience, we also understand what Federal agencies are looking for in candidates. This means we give proper guidance to students.

Our next batch for the Suffolk police exam prep course classes starts this May. Get in touch with us and register today for the Suffolk police course!