Masks Required for This Year's College Entrance Exam... Quarantined Test Takers Must Wear KF94 Grade

Symptomatic Individuals Tested Separately, Confirmed Cases in Separate Testing Site
Report to Education Office Upon Confirmation and Isolation Notification
Paper Dividers Installed During Lunch Hours Again This Year

A prayer for success in the 2023 College Scholastic Ability Test is hung at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul, about a week before the exam on the 9th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) is just 8 days away. This year as well, students must wear masks at all times during the exam, and those who have been notified of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis or quarantine must report to the metropolitan or provincial office of education.

On the 9th, the Ministry of Education announced the precautions for examinees taking the 2023 CSAT scheduled for the 17th.

Examinees must participate in the preliminary gathering held on the 16th, the day before the exam. For examinees subject to quarantine, siblings, relatives, direct family members, or homeroom teachers who can prove their relationship may collect the admission ticket on their behalf.

Starting this year, separate testing sites will be designated for general examinees and those who have received quarantine notifications. Symptomatic individuals will take the exam in separate rooms within general testing sites, while examinees undergoing home treatment or hospitalization will take the exam at separate testing sites or hospital testing sites. Confirmed cases must travel on foot or by private vehicle.

Examinees taking the exam in separate rooms within general testing sites must wear masks rated KF80 or higher, with a recommendation to wear masks rated KF94 or above. Examinees at separate testing sites must wear masks rated KF94 or higher. General examinees may wear regular masks, but wearing KF-AD, surgical masks, or KF80/94 rated masks is recommended.

If COVID-19 symptoms appear, examinees should visit a hospital or clinic to take a rapid antigen test to confirm infection. If notified of a positive diagnosis or quarantine, they must immediately report to the relevant metropolitan or provincial office of education to be assigned a separate testing site.

On the morning of the 18th, when the 2022 College Scholastic Ability Test was held, examinees were preparing for the exam at Gyeongbok High School in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

On the exam day, examinees must enter the testing site by 8:10 AM. They must bring their admission ticket and a photo ID. As temperature checks and symptom screenings will be conducted before entry again this year, examinees should arrive at the testing site with ample time. If the admission ticket is lost, bringing one photo identical to the one on the application form to the exam management office within the testing site will allow reissuance.

During lunch, paper dividers will be installed as in the previous year. Examinees should eat their prepared personal lunchboxes, ensuring that their face and mouth do not extend beyond the divider while eating, and avoid eating or talking with others.

All electronic devices such as mobile phones, smart devices (smartwatches, etc.), tablet PCs, and earphones with communication (Bluetooth) functions are prohibited inside the testing site. If brought, they must be submitted before the first period starts; failure to comply will be treated as cheating, invalidating the exam. Only analog watches without Bluetooth or electronic display functions are allowed. Reference books, textbooks, and past exam papers cannot be carried during the exam and will be treated as cheating if found.

Items allowed during the exam include ID cards, admission tickets, black computer sign pens, white correction tape, black pencils, erasers, mechanical pencil leads (black, 0.5mm), analog watches with hour and minute hands (and second hand), and masks (subject to prior inspection by supervisors). If a mask replacement is needed during the exam, extra masks may be carried but must be inspected and approved by supervisors beforehand.

During the fourth period, the inquiry section, examinees must take the selected subjects in order, placing only the question paper of the subject being taken on the desk. Placing or solving the question paper of the second selected subject during the first subject’s time, or placing or solving question papers of two subjects simultaneously, will be treated as cheating. Writing or modifying answers for the first selected subject during the second subject’s time is also considered cheating. Failure to comply will result in the invalidation of the entire CSAT exam.