The day a whole country follows an exam timetable

🚇Getting to the test site#

Morning transport puts candidates first

The government prepares special morning transport measures to keep candidates from arriving late because of congestion. Subway services in the Seoul metropolitan area increase from 06:00 to 08:10, when candidates are traveling from home, and emergency transport vehicles from the police and other public agencies are stationed along their routes. Adjusted work hours and vehicle restrictions near test sites are also part of the plan.

Work starts at 10:00 or later#

A request to public offices and businesses

On the morning of the exam, the government asks public offices and businesses to move their start times to 10:00 or later. The aim is to keep the journeys of candidates and commuters from overlapping. Candidates must be in their exam rooms for the first session by 08:10, so by 10:00 they will all be inside.

Drop-off stops 200 m from the test site#

Vehicle access restrictions

On exam day, vehicle access is restricted within 200 m of test sites. Families driving candidates must drop them off before that boundary, and candidates walk the rest of the way. They need to work backward from the 08:10 arrival deadline and allow for that walk when deciding when to leave home.

🚪In the exam room by 08:10#

The same deadline even without the first session

All candidates must enter their exam rooms by 08:10. Those not taking Korean language in the first session must arrive by the same time, have their identities checked and then follow the proctor's instructions to move to a waiting room. From the second session onward, candidates must enter at least 10 minutes before each session begins. Mechanical pencils and black pens for machine-readable answer sheets are provided in the exam room.

Items that cannot come in#

Electronic devices are banned regardless of function

All electronic devices are prohibited at test sites, whether or not they are used during the exam. This includes devices with communication or payment functions, such as mobile phones, smartwatches, smart glasses, tablets and earphones; devices with screens, such as electronic dictionaries; and rechargeable devices, such as e-cigarettes and power banks. Anyone who unavoidably brings one must hand it to the proctor before the first session begins. Failure to do so is treated as cheating.

There are no clocks in the exam rooms#

Analog watches with hands are allowed

The exam follows bells and announcements, and the exam rooms have no clocks. Candidates may wear an analog watch with hour and minute hands. It must have no communication or payment functions and no screen, including LCD or LED displays. Before the exam begins, proctors check watches along with candidates' identities.

🕰️Five exam sessions#

From 08:40 to 17:45

The exam has five sessions, in this order: Korean language, mathematics, English, Korean history and elective subjects, then a second foreign language and Classical Chinese. Korean history is compulsory for every candidate; candidates may choose all or some of the other sections. The second session ends at 12:10, and the third begins at 13:10. The fifth and final session runs from 17:05 to 17:45.

Session 1: Korean. Session 2: mathematics#

80 minutes and 100 minutes

The first session, Korean language, runs from 08:40 to 10:00, with 45 questions in 80 minutes. The second session, mathematics, runs from 10:30 to 12:10, with 30 questions in 100 minutes; 30% are short-answer questions. Korean language, mathematics, English and Korean history papers come in two versions, odd and even. Candidates with an odd-numbered candidate ID receive the odd version.

Session 4: Korean history and electives#

Three blocks within 107 minutes

The fourth session lasts 107 minutes, from 14:50 to 16:37. Candidates first answer 20 Korean history questions in 30 minutes. The next 15 minutes are used to collect the Korean history question papers and answer sheets and distribute those for the elective subjects. The first elective subject begins at 15:35 and lasts 30 minutes. After 2 minutes to collect its question papers, the second subject begins at 16:07 and lasts 30 minutes.

The last exam rooms to finish#

21:48

Candidates eligible for exam accommodations have more time than other candidates. Those with severe visual impairments receive Braille question papers and audio assessment materials. With 1.7 times the standard exam time, their fifth session ends at 21:48. Candidates with mild visual impairments or motor disabilities, including those associated with brain lesions, receive 1.5 times the standard time and finish at 20:25. Questions and answers are released after each session ends for candidates with severe visual impairments, who finish latest.

🎧English listening: 25 minutes from 13:10#

The window for noise control

The third session, English, runs from 13:10 to 14:20, with 45 questions in 70 minutes. Of these, 17 are listening items. The listening section starts at 13:10 and finishes within 25 minutes, using a CD produced by KICE and played over the school's announcement system. Exam-day noise controls are timed around these 25 minutes.

Flights and military drills wait#

Adjusted takeoffs and landings, paused training

South Korea's Ministry of Education said that aircraft and helicopter takeoff and landing times would be adjusted to prevent noise during English listening, from 13:10 to 13:35. Military training, including artillery firing and tank movements, also pauses during this period. Noise prevention measures are implemented around test sites as well.

🌨️Preparations beyond the exam room#

Weather, snowy roads, islands and remote areas

From November 13, candidates can check the weather forecast for their test site on the Korea Meteorological Administration website. Each provincial and metropolitan government prepares snow-clearing measures in case of bad weather, along with transport plans to get candidates from islands and remote areas to their test sites.

Protecting question papers and answer sheets#

Central liaison officers in all 85 test districts

Security for exam question papers and answer sheets is also strengthened. South Korea's Ministry of Education establishes a security system with the National Police Agency and provincial and metropolitan education offices, and sends ministry central liaison officers to all 85 test districts to support the management of question papers and answer sheets.

📅The calendar after the exam#

From final answers to score reports

The schedule continues for more than 3 weeks after the exam. Questions and answers are published on the KICE website on exam day, and challenges are accepted for 5 days starting that day. Following review, the answers are finalized at 17:00 on December 1. Scores are reported on Friday, December 11.

5 days to challenge questions and answers#

November 19 to 23

Challenges to questions and answers are accepted on KICE's dedicated online board for 5 days, from Thursday, November 19, to Monday, November 23. Reviews take place from November 24 to December 1, and the final answers are posted on the KICE website at 17:00 on December 1.

Score reports on December 11#

At school and online

Scores are reported on Friday, December 11, 2026. Current students receive their score reports at school from 09:00 that day and can also obtain them online from 14:00. Graduates, those who have passed the high school equivalency exam and other eligible candidates can obtain their reports online from 09:00. Online issuance remains available until 18:00 on January 7, 2027.