This is an illustration I completed for Groove Korea’s November 2015 issue, for an article about the CSAT in Korea. The author of the article points out the ties between modern testing of high school students and the testing of nobility in ancient times. The ties, according to the author, run deep.
The CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test) is the most important test for high school students in Korea, as it determines the Universities that they will be accepted to and potentially attend. Their fates all teeter on one day when they are allowed to take the test, and this year it falls on November 12th. The importance of this exam directly affects not only the students and their parents, but the communities in which they live.
On the morning of the test, traffic is strictly regulated. Subways run more frequently, businesses open an hour or two later, and police officers are on standby to escort students who might not make it in time. This day is a culmination of years of preparation and countless hours of study, often beginning before the students even enter elementary school. The inability to make it to their designated testing area in time would jeopardize their efforts and possibly hamper the outcome of the test. This is why English teachers, myself included, are asked to come to school later than usual on the testing day.
One of the biggest backlashes is the high number of student suicides that are often linked to the CSAT. Because so much emphasis is put on the University an individual attends, students often feel fated to a less-than-desirable future if their test session isn’t what they planned.
The CSAT is a serious state of affairs here in Korea, so if you feel obliged, send some good vibes/prayers/thought towards the peninsula on the 12th. The students need ’em.

Here’s a link to the article in Groove Korea.