Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to deploy dedicated ‘smart glasses’ staff at 2027 CSAT test sites

[Financial News] The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will deploy dedicated staff at test sites for the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), scheduled for the 19th, to prevent cheating with smart glasses. It plans to train staff in advance on the features of smart glasses and how to detect them, and to use that training in exam supervision.
On the 2nd, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced the 2027 CSAT administration plan and guidance for test takers, which included these measures.
To prevent cheating involving smart glasses, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has decided to place dedicated headquarters staff at schools serving as test sites. The staff will receive advance training on the features of smart glasses and how to detect them.
Smart glasses, like mobile phones, smartwatches and tablet PCs, are among the items banned from test sites. If test takers have no choice but to bring them to a test site, they must hand them to an invigilator before the first session begins. If a test taker wears smart glasses during an exam, that exam will be invalidated, and their eligibility to take the CSAT will also be suspended for one year in the following year.
Watches with electronic displays, tumblers, portable battery packs and e-cigarettes are also prohibited. During the exam, only analog watches without communication or payment functions or an electronic display may be used.
A total of 113,454 people registered to take this year’s CSAT in the Seoul area, down 704 from last year. There were 59,625 current students, a decrease of 3,658, while the number of graduates rose by 2,759 to 49,438. Test takers with GED or equivalent qualifications totaled 4,391, up 195.
The share of current students among all test takers fell from 55.4% last year to 52.5% this year, while the share of graduates rose from 40.9% to 43.5%.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will operate 4,310 exam rooms across 228 test sites in 11 test districts. A total of 19,993 personnel will be involved in administering the exam, including room invigilators.
Test sites providing accommodations for test takers with visual or hearing impairments and motor disabilities, including brain lesions, will operate at four schools. A separate exam room will also be set up at Nambu Prison, as it was last year.
The pre-exam briefing for test takers will take place on the 18th, the day before the exam. That day, test takers should check the location of their test site and the elective subject areas and subjects listed on their admission tickets. On exam day, they must bring their admission ticket and ID and enter their designated exam room by 8:10 a.m.
CSAT results will be announced on December 11. Current students will receive their score reports at school, while graduates and GED passers, among others, can obtain theirs online.

[email protected] Lee Bomi Reporter