What is the Pomodoro Technique?
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA · 2019 CPA Exam Scores · 95 FAR · 98 BEC · 91 REG · 90 AUD
One quick trick to study more efficiently: take more study breaks. The Pomodoro Technique is a simple, tried-and-true way to structure them.
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
Study for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. Repeat that four times before taking a longer break. Stepping away from the screen gives you a mental refresh, and then you jump back into another 25-minute study block.
My version: I like to double the numbers — 50 minutes of studying, then a 10-minute break. The longer stretch helps me immerse myself in the material more fully.
Where does the name come from?
The technique was developed in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, an Italian college student. Next to his study spot was a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato — and "pomodoro" is Italian for tomato, which is how the technique got its name.
Try the Pomodoro Technique next time you study. Structured breaks aren't a distraction from focused work — they're part of what makes it sustainable.
Want more study strategies like this?
My free CPA 101 course covers the study approach I used to score 90+ on every CPA exam section.
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA scored 90 or above on every section of the CPA exam in 2019. He is the founder and sole instructor of Maxwell CPA Review, a complete CPA review course covering all six sections, where he creates every lecture, textbook and study outline himself.