In addition, anxiety seemed to double as the competition unfolded, while the number of new COVID-19 cases continued to rise and the continuous sitting time was longer than a marathon.
Song Hae-in, 18, will take the fierce college entrance exam on December 3. During these days, her family tried to limit exposure as much as possible to reduce the girl’s risk of getting COVID-19.
“I did not go out of my room unless it was absolutely necessary. But I am still very worried because online learning may not have enough knowledge to take the test”, Song Hae-in – High school student, Seongnam City, South Korea to speak.
Not having contact with family members, having to skip the extra classes held at the cram schools, COVID-19 forced almost half a million Korean contestants and supervisors to rethink their strategies ahead of this year’s exam.
This nearly 8-hour competition is considered an important event in the life of Korean high school students. This year, teachers, supervisors and students were forced to change the way they learn and teach to ensure that candidates don’t miss their chance, just because they get sick.
Mr. Jun Jin-mo – Admission Advisor said: “I think this year will be a lot more difficult for students. The college entrance exam itself has been a big challenge, but now there is a barrier. Another obstacle is the epidemic. They’ll have to try 200%. “
After postponing the exam for two weeks, Korean officials have prepared more than 31,000 test locations nationwide for this year’s exam, nearly double the amount last year to comply with the social gap regulation.
A representative from the Korean Ministry of Education said that some test locations will have a room for the test takers who have been confirmed positive and are subject to follow-up isolation. All candidates will be required to wear masks and will be separated by plastic shields.
Today, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the number of people in home isolation in this country because COVID-19 has risen to the highest level, more than 70,000 people while the number of new cases has risen again to more than 500 cases per day, most of which are infections in the community.