Suneung: The Most Important Exam for Korean High Schoolers

  

The Suneung is a national-level exam for Korean high school students. It is known as one of the most stressful exams in the world because it determines whether the students can get into university or not. 

The Suneung Exam originated from the ancient civil service exam of Koreans, but the official university exam was held for the first time in 1960. Over 6 decades with many revisions and delays due to various reasons, the current exam is based on a recent revision in 1994.

Suneung is usually held on the 3rd Thursday of November every year. It is an 8-hour-long examination, consisting mostly of multiple choice questions and made up of 6 subjects which are Korean, math, English, history, social studies, and a second foreign language. 

The pressure of this college entrance exam is unbelievably tremendous. Starting from a very young age, Koreans dedicate their lives to study in order to get accepted into better schools and get better grades. Typically, students go to school from 9am to 4pm. Then they either self-study, go straight to private tutoring or college entrance exam preparation classes until 10pm to 11pm. Then they go home to complete all their homework. 

Suneung is taken very seriously nationwide, even among the non-exam-takers. On the day of the exam, the whole nation falls into silence. Suneung takes place from 8:40 am until 5:40 pm. Offices and work start an hour later than usual to reduce the traffic jams. 

Additional subways and buses are available too for students to get to their exam location on time. There are even police escorts for those who are running late. Planes are even prohibited from flying and landing to prevent disturbance during the exam's listening section. Construction sites are halted, and vehicles are also prohibited from traveling within 200m of the testing area. 

Non-exam-takers are hugely invested on the day of the examination too. Family and friends arrive early at the testing locations, often with gifts and handmade signs to show support for the test-takers and wish them good luck. Yeot (엿), a traditional Korean taffy and Chapssaltteok (찹쌀떡), glutinous rice cake in Korean are usually gifted to the test-takers to wish them good luck. These foods are given due to their sticky texture, traditionally believed to help the students 'stick' to or pass the exam.

During the day of the exam, many parents and grandparents of the test-takers often visit temples and churches to pray for their children or grandchildren to do well on the exam.

For Koreans, this is more than just a vital exam they should pass to get into the college they desire. There is a belief in society that the college one attends shapes their future. Not only does it determine which college they can get into, but a Korean's life depends on the scores of this one examination – from college to work, income and even one's romantic life. 

Since education and prestigious schools are so highly regarded in Korea, employers hire you (or not), depending on which school you went to. Suneung is so important to the point that some students may even take an extra year of Suneung preparation if they feel they aren’t ready for it or they received a low score the previous year. 

References:

● What Happens The Day of Korea’s College Entrance Exam? | https://creatrip.com/en/blog/9248

● Suneung: The day silence falls over South Korea |

           https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46181240

● All about Suneung CSAT | https://expatschoolskorea.com/article/all-about-suneung-csat--korean-college-entrance-exam.html