College Entrance Exam Next Month: Government to Delay Work Hours to 10 AM, Expand Seoul Metropolitan Subway Operations

Just like in previous years, government office working hours will be adjusted and subway operations will be increased on the day of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which will be held next month.

The Ministry of Education announced today (the 20th) that it reported the "Support Measures for the Stable Administration of the 2027 CSAT" during a Cabinet meeting.

This year's CSAT will take place on November 19 from 8:40 AM to 5:45 PM (for general test-takers) across 1,312 test sites in 85 test districts nationwide.

The number of prospective test-takers stands at 551,864, which is a decrease of 2,310 from the previous year.

The government plans to provide various support measures to ensure test-takers can take the exam smoothly, including reducing morning traffic congestion on the day of the exam and preventing noise around test sites during exam hours.

First, to prevent test-takers from arriving late due to traffic congestion, government offices and corporate entities will be requested to cooperate by adjusting their employee commute times to 10:00 AM or later.

In addition, transportation convenience will be supported by increasing the number of metropolitan subway trains operating during test-takers' school commute hours (6:00 AM to 8:10 AM) and deploying emergency transport vehicles from administrative agencies such as police stations along test-takers' routes.

Vehicle access will be controlled starting from 200 meters around the test sites on the day of the exam.

Measures to prevent noise around the test sites will also be implemented.

During the 3rd-period English listening test (1:10 PM to 1:35 PM), aircraft and helicopter takeoff and landing times will be adjusted, and military exercises such as artillery firing and tank movements will be temporarily suspended to prevent noise.

The government also plans to request that buses and trains passing near test sites slow down and refrain from using horns, and that events and construction sites near test sites minimize daily noise, so that test-takers are not disturbed by ambient noise outside the listening test hours as well.

Test-takers will be able to check weather information for their test sites in advance starting November 13 on the Korea Meteorological Administration website (www.weather.go.kr).

Each city and province will prepare transportation measures for test-takers in remote or island areas and snow removal plans to prepare for adverse weather, and 16 provincial and metropolitan offices of education will conduct safety inspections on all test sites.

In addition, the Ministry of Education plans to establish a security system with the Korean National Police Agency and provincial offices of education to manage test question booklets and answer sheets, while dispatching Ministry of Education central liaison officers to all test districts to support booklet and answer sheet management.

Minister of Education Choi Kyo-jin stated, "All government ministries will join forces and do our absolute best to help our test-takers fully demonstrate the skills they have honed over the years."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.