One of the most tense days in South Korea just passed. Nearly 700,000 high school students took the national college entrance examination. This is no minor ordeal. The yearly test determines a student’s potential. There is so much importance placed on the exam that planes can’t even take to the air near the test site, and the workday begins 60 minutes later so students can get to the testing center ontime.

Police even escort girls to their school. There are 1,100 exam locations throughout the nation. Lots of parents accompany their children to the test and encouragethem while others wait outside and observe their students taking the test. Students even come prepared with water bottles and seat cushions.

Students get ready for this test their entire life. One student revealed that they studied six hours a day outside of school in order to prepare. The pressure is high because that’s what universities look at. One student said “It’s all going to be changed by this.”

The stress gets so high for some students that they end up taking their own lives. For those that have decided to take the test and exhausted a large percent of their time studying have parents and grandparents praying at Buddhist temples in Seoul and all through the country. Parents pray their child’s college placement exams will turn out well and the scores will be great. Some parents have been praying for this over the past 100 days.

A students potential and ultimately their existence boils down to a single test on a single day. But since the country does emphasize education 83 percent of high school grads go to universities. But in order to get to a university they have to do well on the nine hour long test.

The stress and pressure placed on these kids is enormous. A child’s prospect shouldn’t depend on one day and one test. Plus the fact that many kids don’t test well. It goes back to the fact that people learn and test differently. Some do good on tests while others do better on interviews or projects. The government should give students more of a chance to show that they can be successful in life without this test.

Even though their graduation rates are super high, and their college attendance at 83 percent students still need to be able to have a life. They need to use up time with friends socializing, playing sports, and spending time with relations. Not everything can be learned in the classroom. They need to experience high school and College because for many of us that was the greatest time of our life.

There is way too much pressure placed on these South Korean students. The U.S. also has a valuable test but there isn’t as much stress involved. While the SAT and ACT in America are the big test they don’t determine your potential. They give a background to display what you have learned. Yet students can go on to college and live a thriving life with the value of hard work and even if you have poor scores many still get into college.

Education is awfully important but many Americans earn their degrees, open their own businesses, and have successful lives even if they didn’t do well on the test. While the American system isn’t the greatest and there is a lot of room for improvement, the South Koreans need to calm down a little bit. There is no way one test can conclude the cleverness or importance of a student.

About the Author Info
Diane Johnson graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Utah and enjoys writing about current events, politics, college degrees, online school, and the office.

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