COVID Guidelines for University Entrance Exam Announced

The Education Ministry on Wednesday released stringent guidelines to keep candidates safe from coronavirus during the nationwide university entrance exam on Dec. 3.

Candidates will be asked to arrive at the test venue early to go through temperature checks and must wear a face mask that meets certain specifications. A total of 493,433 candidates have registered to take the test at 1,352 venues nationwide.

"Due to COVID-19 quarantine measures there are more guidelines this year that test takers have to follow. They have to be fully aware of them," so that they will not be caught out on exam day, a ministry official said.

All test takers must be seated by 8:10 a.m. and stragglers will not be admitted. Those with symptoms or temperatures above 37.5 degrees will still be allowed to take the test in a separate room.

Those who have already tested positive will take the test in a designated hospital or recovery facility, and those who are in self-isolation will do so at other designated venues. If a candidate is found to have hidden a positive diagnosis or self-isolation order, their test results can be nullified.

There will be no drinking water provided this year, so candidates must bring their own. They can only eat a packed lunch in their seat during the lunch break, and a distance of 1.5 m must be observed when queuing for the toilet.

Transparent screens will be installed on every desk, but any note-taking on the screen will be considered cheating. When an invigilator asks the test taker to take his or her mask off for identification purposes before the start of each test segment, the test taker must comply.

All electronic devices such as mobile phones and e-cigarettes have to be left outside and only analog watches or clocks are permitted.