S Korean students take college entrance exam

Students from a high school cheer for their seniors in front of a college entrance examination hall before the exam begins in Seoul Nov 8, 2012. About 670,000 students sat on Thursday for the annual exams that could lead them to one of the country's top universities. In South Korea there is no higher achievement than to be accepted by a prestigious university. As a result, many students prepare for these entrance exams from an early age, often studying up to 16 hours a day for years to take these tests.[Photo/Agencies]

SEOUL - The annual college entrance exam was held Thursday in education-obsessed South Korea, with early-morning planes being grounded, military exercises suspended and the morning rush hour rescheduled.

All was to ensure that test-takers have the best possible chance to do well on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) given once a year.

This year, around 670,000 students headed to 1,191 test sites nationwide to take the exam believed to determine the course of their lives.

The score a student earns on the exam is a key decider of college entrance. In South Korean society, attendance at a prestigious school is crucial in obtaining a successful job.

Under government orders, many businesses and the stock market opened one hour later than usual to alleviate the traffic conditions for students on their way to the test.

Planes were banned to land or take off at local airports during the listening portions of the test as part of noise control measures.

Buses and subway trains extended their rush hour services to help all exam-takers arrive on time.

The military halted firing drills to give students quiet time, and traffic was restricted within 200 meters of each of the test centers.

More than 3,000 police cars were mobilized to escort latecomers to the test.

Younger students gathered in large groups outside each test site, some having arrived before dawn, to cheer on test-takers.  "I came here to support my seniors as they are taking the most important exam of their lives," Kim Min-young, a 17-year-old student, said as she was handing out warm teas to arriving students at Pungmoon Girls' High School in central Seoul. "All students have studied so hard just for this day. I hope they all do well on this exam," said Kim.

It is not just students placed under enormous pressure on this very day, but their parents.  "I believe my son would do his best during the exam as he did so during preparations," said Noh Young-jae, the 49-year-old mother of a high-school senior. "I hope he gets the best result as he studied hard for this day during the past three years in high school."