Korea's CSAT Day, Nov. 19: Later Work Start, Extra Subway Trains and Flight Timing Changes at 1:10 pm
Thursday, Nov. 19 is the day about 551,000 students sit Korea's national college entrance exam, and the morning and early afternoon look different across the country. Here is what matters to a traveller in Seoul or on a flight, taken from the Ministry of Education briefing.
Later start at work, more subway trains before 8:10
The ministry asked government offices and companies to start work after 10:00 am. Between 6:00 and 8:10 am, when students head to their test sites, more subway trains run in the Seoul metropolitan area.
The exam runs from 8:40 am to 5:45 pm. Vehicle access is blocked from 200 m before each test site.
1:10 to 1:35 pm is the quiet window
During the third-period English listening test, 1:10 to 1:35 pm, aircraft and helicopter take-off and landing times are adjusted, and artillery fire, tank movements and other military drills pause.
The ministry does not say which flights are affected. If your flight leaves or lands around that time, check with your airline first.
Keep your voice down near schools
Buses and trains passing test sites slow down and avoid horns, and nearby event venues and construction sites were asked to keep noise down.
If you want a photo or a look at the cheering outside a school, stay away from the exam start and the listening test.
Sources & context
2026-10-25T10:24:43.648Z
Korea Policy Briefing (Ministry of Education) ↗Korea Policy Briefing (Ministry of Education) ↗Wikimedia Commons ↗Wikimedia Commons ↗Photo credit
고려 (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY 4.0The gate of Puhung High School, Gyeonggi Province, after the fourth period on 2018 CSAT day (taken Nov. 23, 2017; not a photo of this year's exam). Photo by 고려, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Younger students cheering outside Kyungbock High School in Seoul on 2014 CSAT day (taken Nov. 12, 2014; not a photo of this year's exam). Photo: Republic of Korea, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons