Third-year students at Gyeongbuk Girls' High School in Daegu write messages and wishes on a chalkboard on Monday, 101 days before the 2027 national college entrance exam. (Newsis) The 100-day countdown to Suneung, South Korea's national college entrance exam, began Tuesday, with students and parents each preparing for the final stretch.Held every year on the third Thursday of November, the College Scholastic Ability Test is widely regarded as one of the most consequential days in a South Korean student's life.The exam is known for its grueling eight-hour duration, testing students across subjects including Korean, mathematics, English and history. More than 400,000 students take the test each year.As the 100-day mark arrives, students are locking in for a final push of studying, while parents turn to temples and cathedrals, praying for their children's health and strong exam results. A “D-100” sign is seen next to students studying at Gangbuk Jongno Academy in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday, 100 days before the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test. (Yoon Chang-bin / The Korea Herald) A student studies at Etoos 247 Academy in Seoul on Tuesday, with a stopwatch running. (Yonhap) A Buddhist prays at Jogyesa in central Seoul on Tuesday, 100 days before the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test. (Yoon Chang-bin / The Korea Herald) A wish paper for success in the college entrance exam hangs at Jogyesa in central Seoul on Tuesday, 100 days before the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test. (Yoon Chang-bin / The Korea Herald) Buddhists pray at Jogyesa in central Seoul on Tuesday, 100 days before the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test. (Yoon Chang-bin / The Korea Herald) Parents pray for their children's success on the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test at Mugaksa in Gwangju on Monday. (Yonhap) People pray at Jogyesa, the chief temple of the largest sect of Korean Buddhism, on Monday, 101 days before the 2027 national college entrance exam. (Yonhap)