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Flights, military drills, working hours to be adjusted for college entrance exam

Published: 21 Oct. 2025, 20:50

Students prepare to take 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test at a high school in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Nov. 14, 2024. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Flight schedules, military drills and working hours at government offices will be adjusted on the day of the annual college entrance exam next month to minimize disturbances to students when they take the high-stakes test, the Ministry of Education said Tuesday.

The ministry unveiled the measures for the Nov. 13 exam, known as "Suneung," when 554,174 students will take the test from 8:40 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. across 1,310 testing sites nationwide.

The annual exam is widely regarded as a life-altering event in the country as it determines which university students can attend and, in turn, the course of their future careers.

Under the measures, the ministry seeks to reduce rush-hour traffic and help students arrive at their testing sites on time by requesting that government offices and companies push back office hours to begin work at 10 a.m.

It also seeks to increase the number of subway trains operating within the broader capital area from 6 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. and station emergency transportation vehicles to help students get to their testing sites.

During the English listening part of the exam scheduled from 1:10 p.m. to 1:35 p.m., the ministry seeks to restrict takeoffs and landings of planes and helicopters to minimize noise that could disturb test-takers.

Military drills that involve artillery and tank movement will also be put on pause.

"In order for all test-takers to fully demonstrate their abilities, we will provide full support along with other government branches," Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said.

Yonhap