"Hard to Accept This Situation"... College Entrance Exam End Bell Rang 2 Minutes Early, Petition to Cheong

During the 4th Period of the CSAT, the End Bell Rang Early at One Test Site
Cheong Petitioners Complain "Couldn't Write Answers Properly Due to Time Pressure"

On the 7th, a petition titled "An Accident That Occurred at the 2021 CSAT Test Site" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. / Photo by Internet Homepage Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] On the 3rd, when the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) was held, an accident occurred where the bell signaling the end of the exam rang earlier than scheduled, causing backlash from affected test-takers and parents.

On the 7th, a petition titled "An Accident Occurred at the CSAT Test Site" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.

In the post, the petitioner, who identified themselves as a parent of an affected test-taker, explained the accident that occurred during the CSAT on the 3rd: "My daughter told the exam proctor that there was still time left, but the proctor ignored this and collected the students' exam papers," adding, "However, during the collection, a broadcast was made again stating that there was still time left and instructing to return the exam papers."

They continued, "It seems that the students in 29 exam rooms, who thought there was still time left before the bell signaling the end of the exam, began to panic at this point," and "Due to being rushed and flustered, they were unable to submit their answers properly and continued to be unsettled until the next exam period, resulting in an inability to take the exam properly."

The petitioner claimed, "I visited the school today to protest and tried to contact the relevant education officer, but the call did not go through, and the person who answered only said that the matter was under discussion and gave no response. I also called the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education call center several times but have yet to receive any contact."

They expressed, "As a parent, I cannot simply accept this situation as it is. Furthermore, all the students who took the exam at that school share the same feelings," and demanded remedial measures and prevention plans related to the accident.

As of 4 p.m. on the 7th, the petition had received over 9,300 endorsements.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, the day of the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test, examinees who finished the exam are leaving the test site. / Photo by Yonhap News

The incident drew attention after being reported by multiple media outlets on the 4th.

According to 'Yonhap News' at the time, on the CSAT day, the 3rd, at a CSAT test site in Gangseo-gu, an accident occurred during the first elective subject of the 4th period inquiry section where the bell signaling the end of the exam rang 2 to 3 minutes earlier than scheduled.

Some students protested that the bell rang before the official end time, but the proctors collected the exam papers. Later, the proctors realized there was an error with the end bell and redistributed the exam papers to the students, allowing them to work on the questions for an additional 2 minutes.

The issue arose because there were concerns about unfairness during the process of redistributing and recollecting the exam papers.

The 4th period inquiry section consists of three subjects: Korean History, Inquiry 1, and Inquiry 2. Before the exam starts, exam papers for each of the three subjects are distributed, and after each subject ends, the corresponding exam papers are collected again.

As a result, time is consumed during the distribution of exam papers, and since the papers were handed out starting from the front, students seated at the back reportedly lost about a minute.

There were also criticisms that each exam room proctor handled the situation differently. Some students complained that they were not clearly informed about how many extra minutes they were given, causing them to write their answers anxiously.

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