“Get in the groove!” “Get through the test!” “You'll do great!” “Grab the answers!” “Hope you can catch!” “Good luck on the test!”

High school students cheered and hollered, using stadium noise-makers, drums, whistles and even the traditional kkwaenggwari, a piercingly-loud small flat gong, as they held aloft signs and placards with messages of support, urging on their schoolmate seniors. Their cheers filled the streets in front of the school, starting early in the morning. This is not a scene from a demonstration. It’s one of the schools where students, teachers and parents gather to cheer on the high school test-takers as they prepare for their College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).



Even before the dawn -- starting at 6:00 a.m. -- students came in twos and threes to cheer on their seniors at this particular test venue, Kyungbock High School in Jongno-gu (District), Seoul. The temperature on the morning of November 13 this year had dropped below minus 2 degrees Celsius, reminding people of the “CSAT cold spell” that greeted test takers on their exam morning eight years ago. Despite the cold snap, however, high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors took off their outer jackets so that the seniors could recognize their own school uniform in the crowd as they entered the test venue.

The examinees were unable to hide their nervous faces at first, but they passed the school gate with a smile thanks to the energetic and heartfelt cheers from their schoolmate juniors. Teachers who came to the venue to cheer alongside the others hugged their students and gave words of encouragement.



Parents of test-takers held their children's hands or hugged them before their loved ones entered the venue for the exam. The exam lasts 362 minutes -- 6 hours and 2 minutes -- putting everyone in a nervous mood. Even after their children were inside, some parents couldn't turn their back, but stayed outside the gate. Other parents prayed with their hands together and in tears, hoping for good luck. One father said through tears, “I hope my kid can do his best on the exam, remain calm and come home with great results, as he always does.”



Younger students raised their voices to sing school anthems, shouted out words of support and rooted for all the high school seniors who were taking a test that day. In the end, they all sang together, called out the names of their schools and wished good luck upon their seniors, hoping that they wouldn't make any mistakes.

Article by Jeon Han, Yoon Sojung
Photos: Jeon Han
Korea.net Staff Writers
hanjeon@korea.kr