Simply Keeping "Smart Glasses" in a Bag During CSAT Counts as Cheating

All electronic devices, including smart glasses, are banned from the testing room.

At the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), even simply keeping smart glasses equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) features in a bag will be treated as cheating and invalidate the exam.

On October 15, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation released "Test-Taker Guidelines for the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test" and an instructional video containing this information.

Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation's "Important Information for Test Takers of the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test"

The guidelines list smart glasses as items prohibited in the exam room.

Even if a test taker brings smart glasses into the exam room and merely keeps them in a bag, the act falls under "Cheating Violation No. 9" in Article 19 of the Ministry of Education's CSAT administration regulations, and the relevant exam will be invalidated.

Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation's "2027 College Scholastic Ability Test Test-Taker Guidelines"

In particular, if a test taker does not hand in the smart glasses before the start of the first session and wears them during the exam, "Cheating Violation No. 3" will apply. In this case, the exam will be invalidated, and the test taker will be barred from taking the CSAT for one year.

Test takers may also face penalties for serious cheating if they refuse to comply with an exam proctor's request to check their smart glasses.

Proctors may check whether test takers are wearing smart glasses when verifying their identity, checking whether they have an authorized watch, or monitoring exam time. Test takers asked to cooperate must take off their glasses, place them on the desk, and comply with the proctor's inspection. The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation said that if a test taker refuses a proctor's request to check smart glasses or other smart devices, it may, after deliberation, impose a penalty equivalent to Cheating Violation No. 3.

Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation's "Important Notes for Test Takers of the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test"

Education authorities have strengthened penalties related to smart glasses because cheating involving the devices has recently been detected in a series of exams.

After a test taker wearing smart glasses was caught during a regular TOEIC exam in May 2026, cases of cheating using smart glasses were also uncovered in recent essay exams for early admissions at the University of Seoul and Yonsei University. The University of Seoul removed the test taker from the exam and barred them from taking its exams for the next three years.

At a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly's Education Committee on October 7, Minister of Education Choi Kyo-jin said that anyone caught cheating with smart glasses would be barred from taking the CSAT the following year.

Meanwhile, concerns have also been raised that the added responsibility of checking for smart glasses could increase the burden on exam proctors.

On October 15, the Secondary Teachers' Union launched a nationwide teachers' petition drive, saying that teachers' burden of proctoring the CSAT should be reduced. The union called for "improving a system that places excessive reliance on individual secondary school teachers for the burden and risks of administering the CSAT," and demanded that authorities ▲provide sufficient personnel and time to check AI devices ▲take greater responsibility for complaints and legal disputes arising during proctoring ▲guarantee proctors' breaks and fair compensation ▲run proctor appointments on a volunteer basis that respects teachers' willingness to participate.

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