Wearing Regular Masks Allowed on Suneung Day... Opaque Partition Installed Only in Front of Desks
Valve and Mesh Masks Not Permitted... Lunch to Be Eaten at Individual Seats
High school seniors preparing for the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test are getting ready for the September mock exam on the 16th at Yeouido Girls' High School in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. This mock exam is the last practice test conducted by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, the organization responsible for the CSAT, before the actual exam. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
[Asia Economy Reporters Jo In-kyung, Lee Hyun-joo] Students taking the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) on December 3rd are allowed to wear general masks, excluding valve-type and mesh masks, during the exam. If a student shows suspected symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever on the exam day, they must take the test in a separate exam room and wear a medical mask rated KF80 or higher.
The separate exam rooms for symptomatic students will be set up in locations separated from the general exam rooms, with no more than four students assigned per room.
The Ministry of Education and the joint CSAT management team of 17 metropolitan and provincial education offices held their first meeting on the 16th and finalized these COVID-19 prevention guidelines for the CSAT test sites.
Mask Wearing Mandatory at Test Sites... Valve-Type and Mesh Masks Prohibited
According to the prevention guidelines, students are not allowed to enter the test site building on December 2nd, the day before the CSAT, for disinfection purposes. The CSAT briefing will be conducted outdoors, such as on the school playground.
For students in self-quarantine or confirmed cases, their immediate family members, relatives, or homeroom teachers may collect their admission tickets on their behalf.
Students can enter the test site from 6:30 a.m. on the exam day. After hand sanitization, temperature checks, and symptom screening, asymptomatic students will enter the general exam rooms, while symptomatic students will enter separate exam rooms.
Wearing a mask is mandatory throughout the exam. The Ministry of Education recommends medical masks approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (such as KF94, KF80, KF AD), but general masks are also permitted. However, valve-type masks and mesh masks are not allowed at the test site. Students taking the exam in separate exam rooms or isolation rooms must wear medical masks rated KF80 or higher.
Lunch Must Be Eaten at Own Seat... Classroom Ventilation After Meals
Lunch must be eaten at the student's own seat inside the exam room, using a personal lunchbox and drinking water. Students must not eat together in groups, and the exam room must be ventilated after lunch.
The installation of desk partitions, which had been controversial, will proceed as planned. This is based on the judgment that mask-wearing alone cannot completely prevent COVID-19 transmission.
An official from the Ministry of Education explained, "Installing partitions is unavoidable to block infection risks," adding, "A3-sized exam papers can pass under the partitions, and students can spread the papers sideways or fold them vertically for use."
Students in self-quarantine must contact their quarantine monitoring officer by phone in advance to obtain permission to leave on the exam day and travel to the separate exam site by private vehicle. If private transportation is not possible, a supervisor will accompany them and transport them to the test site in a dedicated vehicle.
After the exam, students will leave according to instructions, and if symptoms such as fever occur within 14 days, they should contact the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency or a public health center.
On the 3rd, the first day of application submission for the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test, examinees are submitting their applications at the Southern Education Support Office in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The application period for the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test is from the 3rd to the 18th, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (excluding Saturdays and public holidays), and the test will be held on December 3rd. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
Up to 24 Students per General Exam Room... Up to 4 per Separate Exam Site
From one week before the CSAT, all high schools and test site schools nationwide will switch to remote classes for disinfection purposes. Additionally, test site schools will appoint disinfection officers responsible for key disinfection tasks and provide thorough training to exam management personnel in advance.
Masks should be sufficiently prepared to be distributed not only to supervisors but also to students if necessary.
Up to 24 desks and chairs will be arranged in general exam rooms, with partitions installed on the front of desks. Separate exam rooms for symptomatic students will be set up in locations separated from general exam rooms, with no more than four students assigned per room. However, if a minimum distance of 2 meters or more between students is ensured, more than four students may be assigned.
If a student is unable to continue the exam due to severe symptoms such as fever, the exam may be stopped based on the judgment of health personnel.
Hospital test sites will also be operated for confirmed cases. Answer sheets from symptomatic students, those in self-quarantine, and confirmed cases must be disinfected.
In particular, supervisors at separate exam rooms, separate exam sites, and hospital test sites must wear KF94 masks as well as full-body protective suits and goggles. Due to this, the fatigue level is higher than in other exam rooms, raising concerns that school staff may be reluctant to supervise the exams.
The CSAT management team stated that they plan to deploy education office staff as supervisors to ensure there are no issues with supervisor assignments.
Park Baek-beom, Vice Minister of Education, said, "We have prepared guidelines to assign about five supervisors per (separate) exam room, with each supervising for 2 to 3 hours before rotating," adding, "For separate exam sites or hospital supervisors, if there are not enough volunteer school teachers, we have asked education office professionals and administrative staff to participate first."
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