On the Day of the CSAT, COVID-19 Symptomatic Individuals Will Also Take the Exam Separately

Ministry of Education Announces COVID-19 Response Direction for University Admissions
Detailed Quarantine Measures Prepared to Prevent Mass Infection Among Examinees
Calls for University-Specific Quarantine Management Plans

The above photo is not related to the article. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] To minimize the risk of infection from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), examinees who exhibit fever symptoms on the day of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) will take the exam in a separate, isolated space.

The Ministry of Education announced on the 4th the 2021 college entrance exam management guidelines in response to COVID-19, after consultations with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation.

Approximately 480,000 examinees will take this year’s CSAT on December 3. Since the exam will be held at 1,185 high schools nationwide, there is a risk that infections among examinees could lead to community cluster infections.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education noted that since the number of applicants for university-specific written tests, interviews, and practical exams approaches 1.3 million, it is necessary to manage the CSAT and university-specific evaluations separately.

For the CSAT, separate test locations will be prepared for general examinees, those in self-quarantine, and confirmed COVID-19 cases, with detailed quarantine measures implemented at each test site. General examinees will take the exam at the pre-announced test sites, but those with fever will be placed in separate rooms within the test site or in separate test sites after a secondary screening. Due to infection concerns, various measures are being considered, such as reducing the number of examinees per room compared to the general standard, installing partitions, or securing separate test rooms.

Examinees confirmed positive will take the exam at hospitals or residential treatment centers where they are isolated, and self-quarantined examinees will be moved to separate test sites to take the exam. To finalize detailed action plans, the Ministry of Education will continue discussions with local education offices and quarantine authorities. Guidelines related to CSAT quarantine measures are expected to be completed by late September or early October.

Universities must establish their own quarantine management plans. Based on the Ministry of Education’s guidance, they should assess face-to-face elements by evaluation type and prepare management measures accordingly.

Measures such as securing distance between examinees in test and waiting rooms and preparing separate rooms for symptomatic individuals must be implemented, and university waiting rooms for parents should be operated as little as possible. Applications for changes to college entrance exam implementation plans are due by the 19th of this month, and the Ministry of Education has requested that detailed changes be communicated to examinees by the end of August whenever possible.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.