Transportation increased, work hours delayed for college entrance exam

Planes will be grounded, subways and buses will increase, and working hours will be delayed on Thursday as over 500,000 students in Korea take the annual College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).

A student taking this year's College Scholastic Ability Test checks her designated test venue at Ewha Girls' High School in Jung District, central Seoul, on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Planes will be grounded, subways and buses will increase, and working hours will be delayed on Thursday as over 500,000 students in Korea take the annual College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).

Takers of the CSAT, also known as suneung, must arrive at the test venue by 8:10 a.m. with their exam admission tickets and personal I.D., according to the Ministry of Education.

The exam is scheduled to begin with the Korean language section at 8:40 a.m. and wrap up at 5:45 p.m. with the section on second foreign languages or Chinese characters. The sections on other subjects, including mathematics, English and Korean history, will be in between.

The Seoul Metropolitan Education Office emphasized the need for test-takers to review the guidelines before the test day. For instance, test-takers are prohibited from bringing electronic devices with them on the day of the exam. Last year, 79 people were accused of cheating during the exam in Seoul.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said this week it will increase subways and buses on Thursday morning to ensure test-takers arrive at the test venue on time.

Some 31 additional subways will operate from 6 to 10 a.m. Thursday and 16 trains will be prepared in case of an emergency. A total of 698 cars will be waiting near subway stations and bus stops close to test areas to transfer those running late.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport announced that all planes will be prohibited from taking off and landing between 1:05 p.m. and 1:40 p.m. on Thursday when students take the English listening test.

Any planes that fly into the country during that period will be told to stay at least 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) above ground until the test is over.

A total of 94 flights that were scheduled during that time have already been delayed or moved up.

The National Police Agency also said it will mobilize around 16,000 police personnel for the CSAT to reduce noise, control traffic, and ensure safety.

Working hours on Thursday will be adjusted.

The Seoul city government said the working hours of its employees will be delayed an hour to 10 a.m. to reduce traffic congestion in the morning rush hour.

Commercial banks in the country will also open and close an hour late, operating from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday.

This year’s exam will be the first mask-free one in four years. Takers with Covid-19 or coronavirus symptoms will sit in the same test center for the exams.

However, Covid-19 patients will still have a separate place for lunch.

The CSAT is usually held on the third Thursday of every November and is arguably the most critical exam most Korean students have to take. It determines which university they get into, and they usually spend their entire youth preparing for it.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]