The percentage of applicants who didn’t show up for the annual college entrance exam has hit a record high this year amid a resurgence of COVID-19 infections. 

Among the 490-thousand-992 applicants for the College Scholastic Ability Test(CSAT), 426-thousand-344 were present at their test sites before the beginning of the first test session, according to the Education Ministry and the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation(KICE). That translates into a record-high absence rate of 13-point-17 percent. 

The high absence rate could rather be a burden on those who took the test as it will lower the proportion of people who will score the highest marks. Nine different grades will be assigned to the test-takers, with those whose scores are within the top four percent receiving the highest marks. 

Meanwhile, most of the tests this year, including the Korean language, math and English exams, were considered to be as easy as last year or even easier. 

Earlier, KICE said the test creators drew on many questions from the high school curriculum this year. Education experts speculate such an arrangement was partly to alleviate the pressure of the applicants, who have had difficulty in preparing for the exam due to the pandemic-induced school schedule changes. 

The test-takers will be informed of the results on December 23.