The Korean SAT is no joke. High school seniors (or maybe juniors I wasn't completely clear) take the SAT near the end of the school year. It is only offered on one day of the year and there are no make up days. The test can literally impact the rest of your life. Your school impacts what you can do after high school and what college you can get to. Similar to the US there are levels of college when it comes to difficulty but your ability to get into a college is highly impacted by your SAT score.
Students study for this test for years and especially for months prior to the test. High school students are at school literally the entire day. My co-teacher told me that when she was in high school she got on the bus at 5:30 and usually got home between 11:00 and midnight. She would take breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks with her every day. She would be at school for a normal school day, then go to after school classes (maybe hagwons - not sure) and then she would do self-study. This pattern hasn't changed with students today. At orientation they told us about the insanely long days of high school students. The Korean SAT has a lot of pressure to and it is a main focus of all of their studying.
So on November 7th the Korean SAT was happening. It is such a big deal that my school operated on a 1-hour delay. Many businesses throughout Busan also were delayed. This was so the buses would not be crowded and there wouldn't be traffic. This allows for the students to get to school on time and without problems (well supposedly). If you are late, you miss the test. And remember there are no make up dates. Sick, sorry you still need to take the test.
It was crazy to go to school an hour later but only because I knew it was for a test. Evidently the other high school students go in early and are there to cheer on their classmates as they enter the school for the test. It's a big deal.
The sad part of all of it is when you hear stories like I heard later that day. My co-teacher told me that at one of the high schools there was a car accident. A teacher was on her way to school and so was a family who was taking their high school senior to the school. Their cars crashed. They all had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. This meant that the student did not take the test. My understanding is that he can take the test next year but that is a whole year! He cannot do anything about future plans until he takes that test.
That is so much pressure! Although I loved the extra hour of sleep, I am so thankful that I was not in a system where I had to take a test with that much pressure! I mean my graduation writing test was bad enough. I missed the day of the test because of my headache that was later diagnosed as viral meningitis. The make up was the next day so I had to go in and take the test even with the headache. I remember barely being able to think clearly because of the pain but looking in front of me and seeing a classmate with an IV in their arm while they took the test. Thankfully it was my junior year so that I could also take it the next year if I missed the make up day and still not miss graduating on time. Thankfully though I made the test and passed it. It was enough pressure as it was. The Korean SAT is much worse!
This is just a glimpse into some of the differences between Korean and American education :)
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