By Honorary Reporter Preeti Rawat from India

Photo = Korea.net Flickr

Students gather to wish good luck to takers of the College Scholastic Ability Test in a photo taken last year. (Korea.net Flickr)

In Korea, attending university is extremely important given the high importance placed on education in the country. Students who want to receive higher education must take the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which is called suneung in Korean. 

An eight-hour marathon of exams, the CSAT is the gateway to a Korean's future as the score either opens or closes the door to admission to a prestigious university and later a major company. It covers five subjects including Korean, English and math and runs from 8:40 a.m. until 5:40 p.m.

Launched in its present form in 1993, the CSAT measures one's aptitude for a university education and is similar to the Scholastic Aptitude Test of the U.S., the National Center Test for University Admissions of Japan and the National College Entrance Examination of China.

To ensure the smooth running of the CSAT, Korea on test day conducts extra preparation. Public and private companies start their workdays an hour later to reduce traffic congestion, and public transportation operates at shorter intervals and higher frequency. 

To prevent noise, all construction work comes to a halt, planes are prevented from taking off and military training is stopped. Police clear paths for test takers and escort those running late to their test centers.

Friends and family pray that their loved ones taking the test get good scores, and younger students line up outside the centers to offer encouragement and support by singing, chanting and giving test takers the taffy yeot for good luck.

Over the years, the number of CSAT takers has fallen due to the introduction of alternative admission systems by select universities such as those emphasizing the role of the admission officer or high school transcripts. But many schools continue to use an applicant's CSAT score because of the test's reputation for high efficiency and results.

The test is normally given every November but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed to Dec. 3 this year. An estimated 493,000 students will take the CSAT at more than 1,300 test centers nationwide.

Per Ministry of Education guidelines, each student must wear a mask and carry a spare. Mandatory checks of body temperature will be taken at the entrance of each center. And each room at a center is limited to 24 students with plastic dividers placed on each desk.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.