Half of students with top-tier grades study more than four hours on weekdays and six hours on weekends, according to a new survey. These figures represent pure self-study time, excluding school classes and private academy lessons.
Jinhaksa, a college admissions information platform, conducted an online survey of 3,522 high school students, releasing the results Wednesday. Among students with first-tier grades, 55% reported studying four or more hours on weekdays. The rate dropped to 44.2% for second-tier students, 37% for third-tier, 25.9% for fourth-tier, and 18.9% for those ranked fifth-tier or below.
The gap in weekend study time was even more pronounced. Among top-tier students, 46.8% said they studied six or more hours on weekends, with 26.8% reporting eight or more hours. In contrast, only 8.8% of students ranked fifth-tier or below studied six or more hours on weekends.
Jinhaksa also surveyed 1,061 third-year high school students whose grades had improved compared to their first year. Of these respondents, 88.2% said they had increased their self-study time before their grades rose. Specifically, 36.7% increased study time by two to three hours, 26.9% by one to two hours, and 24.6% by three hours or more.
When asked what they sacrificed most to secure more study time, 42.6% cited leisure activities such as gaming, social media, and YouTube. This was followed by sleeping in or staying up late (22.7%) and meeting friends (12.0%).
"On weekdays, the difference in available time among students is not significant due to school and academy schedules. But weekends, when students have full control of their own time, are what determine the gap between grade levels," said Woo Yeon-cheol, director of Jinhaksa's Admissions Strategy Research Institute.
"It's notable that students who improved their grades first cut out YouTube and social media," Woo added. "If you dream of turning your grades around, you should first practice keeping your distance from your smartphone and increase the density of your weekend studying."
