College entrance exam set for Thursday with number of applicants at 7-year high

Education officials unload CSAT exam papers and answer sheets from a truck at a high school in the southeastern port city of Busan, Monday. Yonhap

The annual College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), seen as one of the nation's most important academic events, will be held nationwide this week, with the number of applicants rising to a seven-year high of over 550,000.

The education ministry said that this year's CSAT will be held at 1,310 test centers across the country from 8:40 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Thursday.

A total of 554,174 people applied for this year's CSAT, marking an on-year increase of 31,504, or 6 percent, and the highest total number of applicants in seven years, the ministry noted. High school seniors and graduates accounted for 67.1 percent and 28.9 percent, respectively, of the entire test takers, it added.

Ministry officials explained that the surge in test takers is due to the fact that most people born in 2007, the year of the auspicious Golden Pig, which saw an unusually high birth rate, are now in their third year of high school.

CSAT applicants are required to visit their designated test sites Wednesday to receive their test identification slips and various information, including test precautions.

The CSAT is the culmination of years of hard work for many students, and the government not only increases public transport to help students get to their test centers on time but also bans overhead flights during the English listening portion of the exam to minimize noise.