Students at a highschool in Gwangju studies materials for last minute before the Suneung exam on Thursday morning. (Yonhap)

For high school seniors and graduates who took South Korea’s college entrance exam, or Suneung, on Thursday, the most popular post-exam plan was to work a part-time job, according to a survey.

More than half, or 51.3 percent, of 931 test-takers said they want to get a part-time job after the national exam, according to Alba Cheonguk, a job search website on Wednesday.

The top reason for wanting a part-time job was “to earn money independently" at 59 percent, followed by desire to save a lump sum for tuition or travel, and wanting the experience itself.

The survey revealed that some students had already started job hunting. Among respondents, 36.9 percent said they started searching for positions before the test, while 30 percent plan to begin right after and 20.5 percent will start the week following the test.

Working in the food and beverage sector, including fast food outlets, coffee shops and restaurants, was by far the top choice with 77.6 percent of respondents indicating interest. Other popular sectors included culture, leisure and lifestyle, as well as retail and office work.

Students said pay was the major consideration when students chose part-time jobs, with 53 percent of respondent indicating it as their top priority. On average, respondents hoped for an hourly wage of around 11,320, slightly above next year's minimum wage of 10,030 won.