General Mechanical Engineer Practical Questions Released in Advance... HRD Korea Decides on Retest

The Human Resources Development Service of Korea announced on July 27 that it had confirmed the advance release of the practical test questions for the National Technical Qualification General Mechanical Engineer Examination on July 26. The agency judged that this constituted a serious breach of fairness and decided to administer a retest for all 57 candidates who took the test on that date.

According to the agency, the practical, work-based test for the ‘General Mechanical Engineer’ qualification was administered on Sunday, July 26. At one test site, the exam questions were opened and used one day beforehand (July 25) due to negligence by staff and test officials, and the content of those questions was subsequently shared on test-preparation community websites. The agency assessed that this posed a serious risk to the fairness of the examination process and the equity between test-takers, and therefore made the decision to administer a retest for all 57 candidates who sat the exam on July 26. The detailed schedule, location, and methods for the retest will be determined as soon as possible, announced through Q-Net, and individually notified to each affected candidate.

The retest will take place between July 31 (Friday) and August 5 (Wednesday), during which eligible candidates may select their preferred date. Candidates may also choose from test centers affiliated with the agency in their desired local area. In addition, candidates subject to the retest will be provided with compensation in accordance with relevant guidelines.

The agency stated that it will conduct a special internal audit to determine the root cause of the incident and will take strict disciplinary measures against any employees and exam officials found responsible. It also pledged to improve relevant procedures in order to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.

The agency said, “We sincerely apologize for any loss of trust in the national qualification examination system caused by this retest, and for the concern and inconvenience caused to candidates and stakeholders. We will implement all necessary measures as swiftly as possible to restore public confidence in the national qualification examination.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.