High school students gather at Choong Ang High School, Jongno-gu District, Seoul, to cheer their seniors who take the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) and wish them good luck on the morning of Nov. 15. (Kim Hyelin)
By Lee Kyoung-mi, Kim Hyelin, <fontcolor=”#0070c0″>Yoon Sojung </fontcolor=”#0070c0″>and Kim Minji
Video = Kim Hyelin
Seoul | Nov 15, 2018
At 6 a.m. on Nov. 15, Choong Ang High School, Jongno-gu District, Seoul, was crowded with students who gathered to support their seniors who would be taking the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) 2019. The school was designated as the ninth test venue of the No. 15 zone for this year’s CSAT.
The crowd, mostly younger students, waved the flags of their schools, and showed placards with messages of support such as “Grab the answers” and “You’ll do great!” Some of them played drums and kkwaenggwari, a loud small flat gong, to cheer up the test-takers. Some applicants even danced to the music the crowds played when entering the test venue. Other applicants held their mothers’ hands firmly before entering the venue with nervous faces. Parents stood in front of the school gate, while desperately wishing good luck for their children and watched them entering the venue.
Some students, who mistakenly went to the wrong test venue, arrived at the right venue a few minutes before the test began. Police officers gave them a motorcycle ride or a ride in a patrol car so that they could get there on time.
After the test began, parents flocked to Christian churches and Buddhist temples and prayed that their children would have good luck in the test.
Senior high school students enter Yongsan High School in Yongsan-gu District, Seoul, a CSAT test venue, on the morning of Nov. 15 while receiving cheers and support from younger students and teachers. (Jeon So-hyang, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)
This year’s CSAT took place at a total of 1,190 venues in 86 test zones nationwide in Korea on Nov. 15.
Commonly known as the university entrance exam, the CSAT was originally introduced in 1994. The test is designed to measure students’ learning ability needed for university education.
The proportion of the CSAT has been reduced since the introduction of other types of university entrance tests such as the admission officer system, and the transcript of school reports system. The admission officer system evaluates applicants based on their potential and extra-curricular activities. Transcripts are also used to evaluate applicants’ capability based on their overall performance at their high schools. Still, the result of the CSAT plays a crucial role in the university entrance process.
In this sense, the CSAT is similar to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) of the U.S., the Abitur of Germany and Japan’s National Center for University Entrance Examinations (センター試験) as all of them are needed in the university entrance process.
But the CSAT is different from other tests as students receive the result in a much shorter period of time and the results have a greater weight in the university entrance process.
In this regard, the CSAT is similar to the National Higher Entrance Examination (高考) of China, and Vietnam’s Thi tuy ển sinh đại học.
It is unique to Korea that, on one designated day each year, all parts of Korea become quiet and all people with one mind wish for good luck for the CSAT applicants.
On that day, police are on standby with patrol cars and motorcycles in case applicants need their help to get to the test site on time. The work hour for all offices, including public organizations and firms, is delayed an hour. During the English listening test, even airplanes are banned from either taking off or landing.
“I believe the CSAT is sort of a coming-of-age ceremony,” said Lee Na-young, homeroom teacher of Yongsan High School. Lee was one of the well-wishers who gathered at the test venue to cheer up applicants early in the morning.
“All senior high school students in Korea have to go through the test. Some of them have a successful experience, while others do not. For this reason, I hope all students can successfully take the test as it is one of the most important moments in their lives,” she said.
An elderly lady at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu District, Seoul, prays for good luck for her granddaughter who takes the CSAT on Nov. 15. (Lee Kyung-mi)
| Korea right after the college scholastic ability test
When the CSAT is approaching, supermarkets, bakeries and streets start selling gifts for the students in a wish for good luck. A large stationary store in Seoul is selling drinks, stickers and goods for the students. (Lee Kyung-mi) As the exam gets closer, the streets, bakeries and markets are filled with gifts for the students. In the past, it was traditional to give sticky yeot (Korean hard taffy) or glutinous rice cakes before the exam in the hope that the students would pass as the Korean for that literally means “to stick to the exam.” Nowadays, however, snacks such as energy bars, chocolate and meringue cookies are popular as gifts to students to ensure that they get enough energy from sugar-filled snacks for the test. Also common as good-luck presents for the all-important exam are power packs for phone batteries with good luck charms and pens shaped like axes or forks. After the exam, various benefits are provided by theaters, restaurants and distribution industries to cheer up the students who are stressed and exhausted from the test. For students with proof of having taken the examination, restaurants, theatres, hair shops and department stores give discounts and travel companies provide trip packages, especially for the students. The main purpose is to encourage the students to enjoy the cultural activities they have put off while studying. Some industries look forward to the exam expecting sales increase. For all those preparing to make a new start through the rite of passage called the college scholastic ability test, keep it up! |
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