~590,000 Korean students took their College Scholastic Ability Test (수능 – Suneung) on Thursday (Nov 13)… a day where the students had to endure a gruelling nine-hour tests that would significantly influence their future career prospect.
It’s a day where stock market and offices were opened an hour late to ease the morning traffic; where flights had to be rescheduled during the listening test to avoid the slightest disturbance… and it’s a day where temples and churches were packed with parents praying for good performances from their kids.
Parents praying for their kids in a Seoul temple; and students cheering for their seniors
to do well in the exam (Image from Xinhuanet)
The CSAT would determine which university/college the Korean students would be enrolled to… and the reputation of the universities will make a huge impact on their career path. A student who gets into a top university is almost guaranteed a bright future in their working career.
The larger-than-life exam culture is not entirely unique to Korea; most of the East Asian countries are adopting similar ideology, presumably originated from the Chinese civil servants’ exam in ancient Chinese dynasty some thousand of years ago. The Koreans however seem to be taking the whole idea to its extremity.
Many quarters have criticised that the high pressure of preparing for the CSAT attributes to the high suicide rates of Korean teenagers; while some others are criticising that the system are undermining the students’ creativity and other talents by overemphasising the exam results.
“The Koreans however seem to be taking the whole idea to its extremity.”
“Many quarters have criticised that the high pressure of preparing for the CSAT attributes to the high suicide rates of Korean teenagers; while some others are criticising that the system are undermining the students’ creativity and other talents by overemphasising the exam results.”
I totally agree with this. Parents praying for their kids to perform well on a test? I don’t want to lessen people’s belief in spirituality at all. But fact is, the kids will perform well if they’ve prepared well. And if they don’, it’s certainly no reason to go commit suicide. And yes, all work and no play does stfle creativity, lol.
I thought the SAT was bad (about 3-4 hours). I was usually brain dead for a couple of hours after SATs. I would go crazy if I had to take a 9 hour test that determined what I become in life.
the cheerleaders look cute and funny. i can’t imagine my school having these cheerleaders when we are entering our exam.
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