ACT cancels examination in Korea, Hong Kong over leak
By Chung Hyun-chae
Thousands of students in Korea and Hong Kong were turned away from U.S. college admission tests Saturday as the American College Testing (ACT) abruptly called off the examination due to a leak of test materials.
The ACT, an Iowa-based nonprofit administer of the test, cancelled the test after securing “credible evidence” of a leak.
“We are extremely concerned about any activities that could impact the fairness and integrity of the test. When individuals attempt to profit by stealing test materials and selling them, it can hurt thousands of students who did nothing wrong, as it has in this case,” ACT spokesman Edward Colby was quoted as saying by AP, Saturday.
Korean students who had been supposed to take the exam at about 20 locations nationwide from 8 a.m. received the cancellation notice via email just one hour before they were to arrive at test sites.
Those who arrived early at the site had to return home after seeing a notice on a bulletin at test sites that read: “Today’s ACT administration has been canceled due to security breach in ALL test centers of South Korea and Hong Kong. Direct all your inquiries to ACT.”
This marked the first time that the ACT college entrance exam has been cancelled in the entire country.
As the test administrator affirmed that there will be no reexaminations, students preparing for the early admission have voiced concerns.
They have only one chance left to take ACT test in September to get scores in order to apply for American universities through early admission in November.
Along with the U.S. Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), ACT is a representative standard test for high school achievement and American college and university admissions.
Given that the test questions of both examinations are based on a question bank, it is relatively easier to leak test materials.
The College Board, the administrator of the SAT, cancelled the exam in Korea due to the leaking of questions in May 2013.
As the College Board has reduced the SAT in Korea after a series of test leak incidents occurred here, taking the ACT has emerged as an alternative for Korean students who desire to enter American colleges and universities.