One common example of this practice is to designate at least one compulsory period a day for physical education.
These are typically shorter than regular periods and allow students to participate in non-class activities.
Study periods often occur because of scheduling conflicts in the school timetable, when there is a mismatch between available students, teachers, subjects and .
Sometimes, students also use periods to converse, make phone calls, text message, play video games, or otherwise socialize or pursue non-academic topics, though this is often discouraged or forbidden.
Many academics feel that study period is an inefficient allocation of time which is often underutilized, but others say it is a positive addition to a regular schedule because it creates a good environment for completing homework or large projects.