Korean Job Discussion Forums

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

After leak, 900 students' SAT scores canceled
About 900 students who took the Scholastic Aptitude Test on Jan. 27 in Korea will have their scores canceled because questions were leaked ahead of time, the Educational Testing Service announced yesterday.

... it was difficult to determine how many students studied the test in advance because the cram schools did not cooperate with the investigation.

"It is true that our teachers distributed the 2005 test to students. But I don't know how the teachers acquired the test questions," said Lee Gyeong-ro, chairman of the Seoul Language Institute, one of the cram schools. Parents and students were upset. "Although ETS says it costs a lot to develop new test questions, it is problematic that the test administrator offered an identical test within less than two years," said a student at the Korean Minjok Leadership Academy who declined to be identified.
By Kim Soe-jung and Im Jang-hyuk
JoongAng Ilbo
March 10, 2007
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2873289

51 Universities Face Penalties for Fraud
By Chung Ah-young, Korea Times (April 19, 2005)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200504/kt2005041917215911970.htm

Perjury Rises Due to Light Penalties
by Moon Gwang-lip, Korea Times (April 4, 2005)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200504/kt2005040416310010230.htm

Teachers, Principals Involved in Manipulating Students' Scores
by Chung Ah-young, Korea Times (February 24, 2005)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200502/kt2005022418082211970.htm

Ex-pats Describe Korea's Culture of Corruption
by Kim Hong-jin, Chosun Ilbo (December 16, 2004)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200412/200412160027.html

gsxr750r · Joined: 29 Jan 2007

"Leaked?"

They re-use the test, and try to cover up their own ignorance, foolishness, and tightwaddedness by blaming it on cram schools who used old versions of the test to study by?

Oh man, this is crap. I hope the parents get together and sue or something.

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

The ETS confirmed that a number of students had seen at least a portion of the test on Jan. 27 prior to the exam. The test was given illegally to students by South Korean test preparation companies, ETS officials said.

"Our investigation confirmed that the security breach occurred only in South Korea," said Ray Nicosia, an ETS executive director.
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200703/kt2007030918123410220.htm

The ETS and the College Board had been tipped off about the possibility that some Korean students knew about some questions for January's SAT test before they actually took it.
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/Engnews/20070309/610000000020070309173807E3.html

The ETS sent a fact-finding team to Korea to question schools, private tutoring institutes and students in response to claims that several questions had been leaked and that some test sites were poorly monitored.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200703/200703090031.html

uberscheisse · Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Location: japan is better than korea.

but teeeachaaa.... whyyyayyayyyyyyyyyyy?!? i paid 100man won!?!?

charlieDD · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Location: Seoul, Korea

I read in an old Korea Herald copy (from 1992, I think it was) about this happening with a TOEFL, but in a different way (professional test takers were hired by a Korean cram school / publisher overseas to take the paper TOEFL and report back memorized questions / answers; the test was later given in Korea).

It caused worldwide cancellation of grades.

ETS sued the Korean company involved. The Korean court ordered the Korean company to pay ETS $12 per question, . . the price ETS paid its writers.