[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] "Can I get the Pfizer vaccine if I take the September mock exam?"
The Ministry of Education announced that it will provide COVID-19 vaccinations not only to high school seniors but also to other test-takers who apply for the September College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) mock exam, drawing attention from examinees. Some have expressed concerns about 'phantom test-takers' who submit applications for the mock exam without actually taking the test just to receive the vaccine.
On the 23rd, numerous posts appeared on online communities such as Everytime and Orbi, where university students and test-takers gather, saying things like "They say you can get the vaccine if you take the September mock exam," and "Can you really get vaccinated if you take the mock exam?"
According to the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE), the September mock exam will begin on September 1. To ensure the safety of college entrance exam candidates, test-takers will be given priority for COVID-19 vaccination.
Among them, high school seniors will start receiving the Pfizer vaccine from August 19 and plan to complete their second dose by August.
Those who are not current students, such as repeat test-takers, those taking a gap year, or those who passed the qualification exam, will also be given priority vaccination opportunities if they apply by August. In other words, paying the mock exam registration fee of 12,000 KRW will allow priority access to the vaccine.
However, concerns have been raised that 'phantom test-takers' could cause confusion in exam planning. This refers to those who submit the application during the mock exam registration period but do not actually take the test.
In this regard, KICE has requested that only those who will actually take the exam apply for the mock exam.
KICE emphasized, "Priority vaccination is being promoted by the Ministry of Education and health authorities to ensure the safe participation of examinees preparing for college entrance exams amid the COVID-19 situation. For smooth exam administration, only those who will actually take the test should apply."
Meanwhile, KICE will accept mock exam applications from the 28th of this month until the 8th of next month.
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