South Korea’s College Exam Tests Perseverance of Blind Students

Published: 13 November 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Every November, South Korea comes to a standstill for the Suneung, the country’s notoriously demanding college entrance exam. Shops close, flights are delayed to reduce noise, and even the morning commute slows down to accommodate students. By late afternoon, most test-takers emerge from their schools, exhaling in relief and greeting waiting family members.

But for blind students, the exam is far from over. Some spend nearly 13 hours in the testing room, tackling the longest version of the Suneung, which combines extended time allowances with physically bulky braille test papers.

On Thursday, more than 550,000 students nationwide sat the Suneung, the highest number of applicants in seven years. The exam spans roughly 200 questions across Korean, mathematics, English, social and natural sciences, an additional foreign language, and Hanja (classical Chinese characters). For most students, it is an eight-hour marathon beginning at 08:40 and ending around 17:40.

Blind students with severe visual impairments receive 1.7 times the standard duration. When taking the extra foreign language section, their exam can stretch until 21:48, with no dinner break. Each braille test booklet can be six to nine times thicker than the standard printed version.

At Seoul Hanbit School for the Blind, 18-year-old Han Donghyun prepares for the extended exam. Born completely blind, Donghyun cannot distinguish light. He uses braille papers and a screen-reading computer to tackle the complex questions. “It’s really exhausting because the exam is so long,” he said. “But there’s no special trick. I follow my study schedule and try to manage my condition.”

The Korean language section is especially challenging for him. A standard test booklet of 16 pages translates into roughly 100 pages in braille. In the mathematics section, he interprets complex graphs and tables using only his fingertips. Since 2016, blind students have been allowed to use a braille notetaker called Hansone, which enables them to record calculations and follow problem-solving steps, similar to sighted students writing in pencil.

Another student, Oh Jeong-won, also 18, described the late afternoon as the hardest period of the day. “Up until lunch, it’s manageable. But around 4 or 5pm, after English and before Korean History, that’s when it gets really tough. There’s no dinner break, so it feels even more exhausting.” For him, the strain is compounded by the need to stay intensely focused with both hands and hearing. “Reading braille with my fingers while listening to audio information feels much more tiring than for sighted students.”

Yet, students say the length of the exam is not the only challenge. Access to study materials is a major barrier. Many popular textbooks and online lectures remain out of reach for blind students. Braille versions are scarce, and creating audio versions often requires text files that are difficult to obtain. Online lectures frequently rely on visual notes, diagrams, and graphics that cannot be accessed through audio alone.

One significant hurdle is the delay in receiving braille versions of the state-produced EBS preparation books, which are core to Suneung preparation. Sighted students typically receive these books between January and March, giving them months of study time. Blind students often get the braille versions only in August or September, leaving less than three months to prepare. “The braille materials weren’t completed until less than 90 days before the exam,” Donghyun said.

The National Institute of Special Education, responsible for producing braille EBS materials, explained that the process takes at least three months per book due to strict guidelines. The institute said it is taking steps to make materials available in separate volumes and reduce delays. The Korean Blind Union has repeatedly raised these issues and plans to file a constitutional petition demanding better accessibility for all textbooks.

Despite the challenges, blind students approach the Suneung with determination and resilience. Donghyun described it as a test of endurance: “There’s almost nothing you can do in life without perseverance. This exam is a process of training my will.” Jeong-won echoed the sentiment, calling it an exercise in perseverance and focus, even when exhaustion sets in.

Their teacher, Kang Seok-ju, praised their remarkable stamina. “Reading braille means tracing raised dots with your fingertips. The constant friction can make hands sore. But they do it for hours, with unwavering focus.” He encourages his students to value completion over perfection: “This exam is where you pour everything you’ve learned since first grade into a single day. Many students feel disappointed afterward, but I want them to leave knowing they did what they could.”

For blind students, the Suneung is not just a test of academic knowledge; it is a testament to years of preparation, determination, and endurance. It is a moment where perseverance is as important as performance, and every page read and calculation traced is a small victory on the long road to higher education.