Due to Vaccine Issues, September Mock Exam Applications Close Early... Repeat Students in Distress

Difficulty Applying for N-Su Students at Academies and Schools
Some Academies Fill Up Within 1 Minute on First Day
High Proportion of Applicants Over 25, Including Those in Their 40s
Concerns Over Score Inflation Due to Excess Applicants
"If Not a Test Taker, It's Better to Abstain"

On the 3rd, the first mock test of the 2022 College Scholastic Ability Test, conducted under the integrated liberal arts and sciences system, took place at Yeouido Girls' High School in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, where students were studying before the exam started.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] "My alma mater and nearby academies are all fully booked, so how am I supposed to apply?"

Repeat test-takers taking this year's CSAT are facing difficulties registering for the 'September Mock Exam.' Since the Ministry of Education announced that taking the September mock exam would allow priority access to the Pfizer vaccine, false applications aiming to get vaccinated have increased.

On this day, Mokdong M Academy accepted applications for the September mock exam from individual course students and external applicants. Although registration and payment started at 11 a.m., examinees crowded in from early morning, and the waiting list was full before 7 a.m.

Repeat test-takers usually take the exam at their alma mater or academy, but this year registration closed faster than usual, leaving them anxious three days before the deadline. As early closures at academies continued, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation began accepting additional test site applications from academies starting August 30.

When registration for the September mock exam opened on August 28, both Jongno Academy and Etoos Gangnam Hyper Academy filled up within one minute. Jongno Academy recruited 42 general applicants, but 312 applied immediately after registration opened, with half (155, 49.7%) aged 25 or older. Gangnam Hyper Academy recruited 150, with 42% of applicants aged 25 or older. Among them, 21 were in their 30s, and 16 applied for vaccination. On Naver Knowledge-iN, a worker claiming to be 45 posted, "I applied for the September mock exam to get the Pfizer vaccine. Is it possible to get a refund for the exam fee after vaccination?" and received harsh criticism.

As selfish applicants flock to the September mock exam to get priority Pfizer vaccination regardless of the CSAT, concerns are rising that confusion will arise not only in exam registration but also in the score calculation process. Kang Sung-tae, CEO of the YouTube channel 'God of Studying,' pointed out, "Repeat test-takers are wandering around looking for academies where they can actually take the exam because they can't at their preferred locations. Some avoided other vaccines due to side effects and applied for this mock exam just to get Pfizer."

Kang added, "Some think that submitting wrong answers benefits students, but the evaluation institute cannot properly measure the CSAT difficulty level. Using the September mock exam cutoff scores to plan admissions strategies could lead to everyone failing if they follow those strategies. Please refrain unless you are preparing for admissions."

Admissions experts are appealing to selfish applicants aiming for vaccination to get vaccinated only and not attend the exam. Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongno Academy Haneul Education, explained, "Since scoring is based on test-takers, submitting blank or wrong answers can cause students' scores to be overestimated, which actually interferes. Non-examinees are recorded as absentees, so it is correct not to come to the test site."

The damage caused by false vaccination applications was already predictable. No measures were prepared to identify false examinees, and optimistic predictions were made because vaccinations for those under 40 started at the end of August. The Ministry of Education said it would allow examinees to take the exam using education office test sites, but examinees remain confused.

Lim said, "Since it was announced that vaccination is possible, there was a possibility of side effects, and the trend of early closure for this September mock exam is clear. We must clearly explain the score processing procedures so that false applicants do not come to the test site due to psychological burden."

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