Today is the day when Korea stands still. Unless you are a student, in which case you head to the test center:

Thursday, about 590,000 students will take the nine-hour test, which consists mostly of multiple-choice questions. Around 6 p.m., when the test is over, evening newspapers publish the questions and answers. Students who fare poorly can try again next year.

Nine hours. One day. And people complains the SAT is too long. But will the test ever end?

If all this sounds excessive, some college and government officials agree that it is. This year, the government gave money to 40 universities to hire admissions officers whose role more closely resembles those in Western countries, where standardized test scores are just one of many considerations in college-admissions decisions. “I think focusing too much on the one-day test should be changed,” says Yu Myung-cheol, vice president for admissions at Kyungpook National University in Daegu.

But the introduction of the admissions officers, essays and other criteria to the college-entrance process brings subjectivity to a system that many Koreans consider objective and fair. South Korea strives to maintain equality throughout the educational system. Admission to private elementary schools, for instance, is determined by lottery.