Amid COVID-19 Spread, 490,000 Take College Entrance Exam Nationwide... Confirmed Cases and Self-Quarantined Also Participate

Record Low Number of Participants
More Testing Rooms Than Last Year
Early Morning Confirmed Cases Tested in Hospitals

Masks Must Be Lowered Only During Identity Verification
Graffiti on Dividers Considered Cheating

On the 1st, two days before the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test, local volunteer members including the Sinjeong 4-dong Residents' Autonomy Committee were disinfecting the exam rooms at the test site set up at Yeongsang High School in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) will be held from 8:40 a.m. on the 3rd amid the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to the Ministry of Education, the number of CSAT applicants is 493,433, the lowest since the CSAT was introduced in 1994. Among them, 346,674 are current high school seniors, 133,069 are graduates, and 13,691 are GED holders.

Although the number of test-takers has decreased, the number of test sites and rooms has increased. Separate rooms have been prepared for confirmed cases, self-quarantined individuals, and symptomatic persons, and the number of examinees per general test room has been reduced from 28 to 24. As of the previous day, 1,383 test sites were set up in 86 test districts nationwide, an increase of 198 from last year. The total number of test rooms reached 31,291, a 1.5-fold increase.

As of the 1st, among the examinees taking the CSAT, 35 were confirmed cases and 404 were self-quarantined. Self-quarantined individuals will take the test in separate rooms away from general test sites, and confirmed cases will take the test at hospitals or residential treatment centers. Even if a person is confirmed positive in the early morning on the day of the CSAT, they can take the test at a hospital or residential treatment center.

To prevent infectious diseases, examinees must wear masks throughout the test. If a proctor asks to lower the mask for identity verification and the examinee refuses, it will be considered cheating. Additionally, opaque partitions will be installed in front of desks. Writing graffiti on the partitions may also be regarded as cheating, so caution is advised.