How common is taking time off for CFA studying?

I took time off for L2 and L3. It definitely helps to get some alone time to focus, you’ll find that you’ll progress much faster during that time.

I took off 2 weeks before each level to study and it helped significantly.

I took time off for all three levels, and so did half the people that were studying with me. You should do what you can to ensure you pass. Risking a fail will mean you end up spending even more time restudying and you may have to take even more days off.