As Leaving Certificate students prepare to receive their results this week, a new survey suggests almost two-thirds of them have taken grinds outside school hours in the last year.
The survey of 1,000 senior cycle pupils found that 66 per cent of sixth-year students took a grind during the year. However, this was down from 73 per cent last year.
Girls in single-sex schools took the most grinds, with 70 per cent attending. Just over 40 per cent of fifth years attended.
The survey was carried out by the study skills group, Student Enrichment Services, which visits mainly middle-class schools, to talk to students about improving their study technique.
The survey also revealed a rise in the number of pupils taking part- time jobs. Almost 20 per cent of sixth years took a job, up from 15 per cent the year before. The number of fifth years taking one was up 4 per cent to 31 per cent.
Sixth-year students said they spent between 15 and 20 hours on average a week on homework and study. Girls spent considerably more time on this area, doing nine hours of study per week compared to 6.5 hours among boys. Girls did 10.7 hours of homework compared with 8.7 among boys.
Girls in single-sex schools topped this section - spending on average an extra three hours per week at homework and study than any other group.
The sexes also differed on computer games. Fifth-and sixth-year girls displayed negligible interest in them, whereas 56 per cent of boys played them for 4.6 hours or more each week.
Students were also asked if they had "complete freedom of choice" which university would they attend. In Dublin, 51 per cent of students said UCD, 36 per cent said Trinity College, 6 per cent said DCU, and the rest said they would go overseas.
In Cork, 48 per cent selected UCC, 9 per cent said Trinity, 7 per cent said UCD, and the rest said overseas. In Galway, 55 per cent said NUI Galway, 16 per cent said the University of Limerick (UL), 11 per cent said Trinity, and 10 per cent said UCD.
In Limerick 29 per cent said UL, 21 per cent said UCC, 17 per cent said UCD, 17 per cent said Trinity, and 12 per cent chose NUI Galway.
On exams, almost 100 per cent said they would like to see the current system replaced by some form of continuous assessment.