510,000 Students to Take CSAT Tomorrow... 101 Confirmed Cases and 105 Isolated Students Among Test Takers (Comprehensive)

68 of 101 Confirmed Cases Take Exam at Hospitals and Living Treatment Centers
Isolated Individuals Use Separate Test Sites, KF94 Mask Mandatory
General Examinees Allowed Regular Masks, Symptomatic Must Wear KF80 or Higher
Temperature and Symptom Checks Before Entry... Complete Entry by 8:10 AM

On the 15th, three days before the 2022 College Scholastic Ability Test, officials at a printing factory in Sejong City are loading the CSAT test papers and answer sheets, which will be distributed to each test district nationwide, onto vehicles.
Sejong=Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

The 2022 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) is just one day away. Due to COVID-19, self-quarantined and confirmed test takers will take the exam at separate test sites and hospitals or residential treatment centers.

According to the Ministry of Education on the 17th, 509,821 candidates will take the exam at 1,395 test sites on the test day, the 18th.

This year, there are 1,251 general test sites and 112 separate test sites for self-quarantined individuals, accommodating 3,099 test takers. Hospitals and residential treatment centers have secured 32 locations with 463 beds.

Only 68 Confirmed Test Takers to Take Exam at Hospitals and Residential Treatment Centers

As of the 16th, there are 101 confirmed COVID-19 test takers. Excluding 15 who do not wish to take the CSAT and 18 who will be discharged before the exam, a total of 68 will take the CSAT at hospitals and residential treatment centers. Confirmed test takers have been assigned to designated beds at 12 hospitals nationwide and one residential treatment center.

A total of 105 quarantined test takers will take the exam at separate test sites. Among them, 85 will travel by private car, and 20 will receive transportation support from local governments or other organizations.

To ensure thorough management of test takers until just before the exam, working hours at public health centers nationwide will be extended until 10 p.m. on the 17th, and a rapid testing system for test takers will be operated. If a test taker with suspected symptoms visits a health center, they can quickly receive a COVID-19 (PCR) test.

What About Test Takers' Masks on Exam Day?

On exam day, test takers can enter the test site from 6:30 a.m. and must complete entry into the exam room by 8:10 a.m. Since temperature checks and symptom screenings are conducted before entry, test takers should arrive at the test site with ample time.

Mask-wearing requirements differ by test site type. In general exam rooms, regular masks are allowed, but wearing KF80 or KF94 grade masks is recommended. Symptomatic individuals take the exam in separate rooms and must wear masks of KF80 grade or higher. Self-quarantined test takers at separate test sites must wear masks of KF94 grade or higher. Valve-type and mesh masks are prohibited.

Proctors will verify the identity of test takers and whether they possess permitted watches during the exam. During the first and third periods, identity checks will be conducted more thoroughly with additional time. Test takers must cooperate by briefly lowering their masks to confirm their faces upon the proctor's request; failure to comply will be considered cheating.

Last year, full partitions were installed throughout the exam time, but this year, three-sided partitions will be installed only during lunch. Partitions will be distributed to test takers after the second period. Test takers should eat their packed lunches without leaving their seats, and after eating, fold and return the partitions.

Changing the Order of Fourth Period Elective Subjects Constitutes Cheating

Starting this year, answer sheets for Korean history and inquiry subjects are separated. The inquiry answer sheet clearly distinguishes between the first and second elective answer sections. Writing or modifying answers for the first elective subject after its allotted time during the second elective subject period is considered cheating. Answer modifications include erasing existing answers with correction tape or writing new answers.

During the fourth period inquiry exam, test takers must only have the question papers for the subjects they selected on their desks. Changing the order of elective subjects or having multiple subject question papers simultaneously on the desk is considered cheating and will invalidate the exam.

Textbooks, reference books, and past exam papers may be carried during breaks but are prohibited during the exam; possession during the exam will be treated as cheating. Carrying scratch paper, personal mechanical pencils, spare marking pens, or ballpoint pens during the exam will result in confiscation.

Permitted items include ▲ID card ▲admission ticket ▲black computer-use sign pen ▲white correction tape ▲black pencil ▲eraser ▲mechanical pencil leads (black, 0.5mm) ▲analog watch with hour, minute (and second) hands ▲mask (subject to prior proctor approval), among others.

The First Year of the Integrated CSAT

The number of current students taking this year’s CSAT (360,710) increased by 4.0% compared to last year, and graduates (134,834) increased by 1.3%. Other applicants, including those who passed the qualification exam, increased by 4.3% to 14,277. Compared to last year’s decrease in graduates, the increase rate of repeat test takers is relatively high.

This CSAT is the first to be conducted under an integrated humanities and sciences system. Korean language and mathematics are structured as 'common + elective subjects.' In the Korean language section, 70.6% chose 'Speech and Writing' as their elective, while in mathematics, 'Probability and Statistics' was chosen by 53.2%.

Among this year’s CSAT applicants, the proportion choosing science inquiry subjects increased due to the six-year integrated program change in medical schools. Combining elective subject applicants, the proportion of science inquiry applicants rose to 47.3%, up 2.6 percentage points from last year. The proportion of social inquiry applicants decreased from 55.3% to 52.7%. Among social and science inquiry applicants, 32.5% selected 'Life and Ethics.'

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