Parents praying for their children taking the national college admission exam at Jogye Temple in central Seoul on Oct. 15, 2019. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — The annual national college entrance exam is scheduled to take place Nov. 14, the education ministry said Tuesday, with public transportation and working hours at government offices to be affected.
More than 540,000 people are expected to sit for this year’s College Scholastic Aptitude Test (CSAT), also known as “suneung” here.
The exam will take place from 8:40 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. at 1,185 schools across the country, according to the Ministry of Education.
The CSAT, held only once a year, is considered critical in South Korea.
Many parents accompany their children to the schools and spend the day waiting for them to finish the exams. It has become a nationwide event, with police vehicles giving rides to applicants running late.
Opening hours at public and municipal offices will be postponed by one hour to 10 a.m., while the education ministry has also asked private-sector companies to delay working hours to prevent morning-hour traffic congestion.
Additional public transportation will be in operation, with more subways and buses running than usual from 6 to 10 a.m. to help applicants arrive at test venues.
Meanwhile, military drills and flight schedules are also expected to be affected to prevent noise from 1:10-1:35 p.m. when the English language listening test will take place.
The education ministry has also asked buses and trains to drive slowly and refrain from using horns during the 25-minute period in the vicinity of exam venues.
(Yonhap)
