The Fort Worth Press - South Korea exam sees record number of re-takes after medical reforms

USD -
AED 3.672979
AFN 69.919011
ALL 94.359515
AMD 393.348349
ANG 1.794987
AOA 917.999683
ARS 1017.703129
AUD 1.598795
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.701512
BAM 1.874539
BBD 2.011022
BDT 119.020463
BGN 1.873937
BHD 0.375809
BIF 2944.649446
BMD 1
BND 1.352662
BOB 6.882638
BRL 6.086007
BSD 0.996022
BTN 84.675325
BWP 13.766234
BYN 3.259501
BYR 19600
BZD 2.002109
CAD 1.436275
CDF 2869.99958
CHF 0.89289
CLF 0.035803
CLP 987.904347
CNY 7.296401
CNH 7.28925
COP 4359.706714
CRC 502.515934
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 105.683615
CZK 24.066028
DJF 177.361384
DKK 7.14693
DOP 60.650788
DZD 134.805195
EGP 50.873461
ERN 15
ETB 124.157665
EUR 0.958275
FJD 2.31705
FKP 0.791982
GBP 0.79523
GEL 2.810385
GGP 0.791982
GHS 14.6413
GIP 0.791982
GMD 71.999513
GNF 8604.974361
GTQ 7.674318
GYD 208.376863
HKD 7.772675
HNL 25.282983
HRK 7.172906
HTG 130.301433
HUF 396.805497
IDR 16171.3
ILS 3.65434
IMP 0.791982
INR 84.952499
IQD 1304.739541
IRR 42087.499284
ISK 139.120209
JEP 0.791982
JMD 155.834571
JOD 0.709105
JPY 156.433494
KES 128.585805
KGS 87.000252
KHR 4002.491973
KMF 466.125018
KPW 899.999441
KRW 1446.419829
KWD 0.30795
KYD 0.830019
KZT 523.074711
LAK 21799.971246
LBP 89190.58801
LKR 292.423444
LRD 180.77347
LSL 18.3368
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.893852
MAD 10.024153
MDL 18.345713
MGA 4699.285954
MKD 58.978291
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.99987
MOP 7.973547
MRU 39.610869
MUR 47.196859
MVR 15.402453
MWK 1727.033114
MXN 20.06173
MYR 4.508009
MZN 63.903729
NAD 18.3368
NGN 1549.540153
NIO 36.651172
NOK 11.31937
NPR 135.480903
NZD 1.76986
OMR 0.384799
PAB 0.996022
PEN 3.708823
PGK 4.038913
PHP 58.869731
PKR 277.232856
PLN 4.081684
PYG 7766.329611
QAR 3.6309
RON 4.771603
RSD 112.168001
RUB 102.775169
RWF 1388.412326
SAR 3.756308
SBD 8.383555
SCR 13.944994
SDG 601.495264
SEK 11.02806
SGD 1.354865
SHP 0.791982
SLE 22.798376
SLL 20969.503029
SOS 569.224134
SRD 35.131025
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.715196
SYP 2512.530243
SZL 18.332295
THB 34.292502
TJS 10.896056
TMT 3.51
TND 3.173719
TOP 2.342098
TRY 35.19402
TTD 6.759956
TWD 32.630964
TZS 2365.457421
UAH 41.771505
UGX 3653.615757
UYU 44.42421
UZS 12841.328413
VES 51.475251
VND 25455
VUV 118.722003
WST 2.762788
XAF 628.702736
XAG 0.033694
XAU 0.000381
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.759764
XOF 628.702736
XPF 114.304883
YER 250.374981
ZAR 18.30087
ZMK 9001.198901
ZMW 27.564096
ZWL 321.999592
  • RELX

    -0.3100

    45.47

    -0.68%

  • SCS

    -0.5800

    11.74

    -4.94%

  • GSK

    0.1700

    33.6

    +0.51%

  • BTI

    0.1131

    36.24

    +0.31%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    7.27

    -0.14%

  • RBGPF

    59.9600

    59.96

    +100%

  • AZN

    0.9100

    65.35

    +1.39%

  • RIO

    -0.0900

    58.64

    -0.15%

  • CMSC

    0.0200

    23.86

    +0.08%

  • NGG

    0.8200

    58.5

    +1.4%

  • CMSD

    0.0000

    23.56

    0%

  • BCE

    0.0500

    23.16

    +0.22%

  • BCC

    -0.2600

    122.75

    -0.21%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    8.39

    +0.12%

  • BP

    0.1900

    28.6

    +0.66%

  • JRI

    0.1100

    12.06

    +0.91%

South Korea exam sees record number of re-takes after medical reforms
South Korea exam sees record number of re-takes after medical reforms / Photo: © POOL/AFP

South Korea exam sees record number of re-takes after medical reforms

South Korean students are sitting a crucial university entrance exam Thursday, with a record number re-taking the test in a bid to capitalise on reforms that made it easier to get into medical school.

Text size:

Nearly a third of those sitting the nine-hour exam this year are retaking it -- the highest percentage ever -- as people hope to join expanded cohorts of trainee doctors.

Lee Sang-joon, 21, who is taking the test for the third time, told AFP he was "so happy" when he learned about the reforms, which gave him fresh hope of pursuing a medical career.

This year is his "final chance" to succeed, he said.

"It was nearly impossible to go to medical school, the top 0.01 percent in the country could go in. Now it's about 0.015 percent, which sounds like a chance to me".

Thousands of trainee doctors and medical students stopped working in February in protest of the plans, which sharply increased the number of places available for trainee doctors.

But the government has pressed ahead, even as a roughly nine-month work stoppage has hit hospitals across the country.

Good results on the test -- locally known as "Suneung", a Korean abbreviation for the College Scholastic Ability Test -- are essential for admission to top universities.

They are also widely seen as a pathway to social mobility, economic security, and even a good marriage.

South Korea takes extraordinary measures to make sure test-takers do not face any disruptions, including rescheduling flights and slowing traffic to reduce noise -- and asking offices to change working hours.

An education ministry official told AFP "we have placed all the measures we can, working with relevant ministries, to assure that the students can do their best and focus only on the test".

To minimise noise around the more than 1,200 test centres nationwide, traffic has been ordered to slow, with bus and taxi driver unions agreeing not to honk during test hours.

Construction work near the schools will also be halted.

During the crucial listening portion of the English test, the land ministry imposed a nationwide ban on all aircraft takeoffs and landings outside of emergency situations.

More than 156 flights were rescheduled because of the exam.

Businesses were asked to adjust opening hours to alleviate traffic congestion and ensure that students arrived on time for the test, which started at 8:40 am.

Even the stock market will also open an hour later at 10:00 am.

Anxious parents wept while wishing their children good luck and police escorted test-takers who were running late into schools early Thursday.

The exam uses a multiple-choice format and will be taken by 522,670 pupils this year.

P.McDonald--TFWP