Transition Team Considers Lifting Restrictions on Address-Based Submission for College Entrance Exam Applications

by Lee Kimin

by Yoo Byeongdon

Published 21 Apr.2022 11:46(KST)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Ki-min Lee and Byung-don Yoo] It is expected that repeat test-takers preparing for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) who have left their hometowns to study in large cities will be able to submit their exam applications and take the test in their desired locations.

On the 21st, Heo Seong-woo, head of the National Proposal Center of the Presidential Transition Committee, stated at a briefing held at the committee's office in Tongui-dong, Seoul, "Among the suggestions proposed by the public for the new government, we analyzed and reviewed the proposal to resolve the inconvenience experienced by test-takers due to the 'restriction of CSAT application submission based on graduates' registered addresses' and presented our review to the relevant division, the Science, Technology, and Education Subcommittee."

Currently, high school graduates must visit the education office of their alma mater or their registered address jurisdiction to submit their CSAT application, and they must take the exam at the location of their registered address on test day. Although some education offices offer online applications, the lack of a system to verify the test-taker's identity means that on-site registration is mandatory for pre-registrations.

However, about 150,000 graduates from provincial areas, approximately 30% of all test-takers, who study in large cities like Seoul where private academies for college entrance exams are concentrated, have expressed inconvenience due to not changing their registered addresses.

When asked whether it is possible to improve the system before repeat test-takers submit their 2023 CSAT applications, Heo said, "It is possible."

Regarding concerns that the concentration of test-takers in Seoul, where many private academies are located, might cause difficulties in securing test sites, he said, "We need to discuss with experts and gather opinions."