Concerns Grow Ahead of CSAT... Can Cheating with AI Glasses Be Completely Prevented?

Repeatedly Caught at Test Centers in Recent Weeks
AI Glasses Solve CSAT Questions in Just 10 Seconds
Dedicated AI Glasses Inspectors Assigned Nationwide
Simply Wearing Them Can Bar Students from Next Year's CSAT

With nine days to go before the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), smart glasses equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) have emerged as a new threat to the fairness of the exam. Concerns are growing after students were caught wearing or carrying AI glasses at university mathematics essay exams in recent weeks, and tests using actual AI glasses showed they could find the correct answers to CSAT math questions in just a few seconds. Education authorities are stepping up their response by assigning dedicated personnel to identify AI glasses at test centers nationwide and barring students caught wearing them during the exam from taking the CSAT the following year. However, it remains uncertain whether cheating can be completely prevented, given how difficult the devices are to distinguish from regular glasses.

The Ministry of Education has decided to actively file complaints or request investigations so that cheating with smart glasses during the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) can be subject to criminal punishment. Yonhap News Agency

Yonhap News Agency reported on November 10 that concerns about smart glasses are mounting ahead of the CSAT, as they emerge as a new threat to the fairness of the exam.

AI Glasses Solve Even 4-Point CSAT Math Questions in 10 Seconds... Performance Leaves Observers 'Stunned'

According to Yonhap News Agency, a test conducted on November 5 at an optical store in Myeongdong, Jung District, Seoul, used a product from the Chinese smart-glasses brand Rokid to solve calculus questions from the math section of last year's CSAT. The glasses produced the correct answer to most questions worth 4 points, which carry a high score, in under 10 seconds. The AI glasses answered all three to four questions used in the test correctly. In particular, for Question 28 in the odd-numbered version of the calculus section, the correct answer, "No. 5," appeared on the glasses' lenses just seconds after the question was photographed. The glasses also recognized several relatively simple questions at the beginning of the section simultaneously and provided the answers within seconds.

AI glasses are devices that, like regular glasses, can be worn while using a camera to recognize nearby objects or text, then deliver AI-generated results to the user through audio or a display on the lenses. Some products feature not only miniature cameras, microphones, and speakers, but also displays that show information on the lenses. From the outside, they look like ordinary glasses, but wearers can access AI-provided information without checking a separate smartphone screen.

Experts are focusing on advances in the AI models connected to the glasses, rather than the glasses' capabilities alone. Choi Byeongho, a professor at Korea University's Human-Inspired AI Research Institute, explained that AI glasses use AI models connected to the cloud to solve problems and deliver results. Given the current capabilities of AI, he said, users could achieve scores close to a perfect score on the CSAT. However, the glasses did not recognize every question perfectly. Questions with small text or complex formulas and graphs sometimes required multiple photographs because they could not be recognized at once. An employee at the optical store where the test was conducted said recognition accuracy could vary depending on the camera angle and hand movement.

Students Caught Repeatedly at Essay and Certification Exams... 'AI Glasses Spotters' to Be Deployed at Every CSAT Test Center

Cheating with AI glasses is already occurring. On October 3, a student wearing AI glasses was caught at a mathematics essay exam for the natural sciences at the University of Seoul. A similar case occurred at Yonsei University's mathematics essay exam on October 10. Cases have also been reported at language tests and national certification exams, in addition to university entrance exams. According to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, there were six cases involving AI glasses at national certification exams this year. At TOEIC exams, two people were caught carrying or using AI glasses in May, and one person was caught in June.

All electronic devices, including smart glasses and smartwatches, will be banned from test centers for the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). In particular, simply wearing AI-enabled smart glasses during the exam will be considered cheating, invalidating the test and barring the student from taking next year's CSAT. The photo shows a smart-glasses display at an electronics store in Seoul on that day. Yonhap News.

In response, education authorities decided to deploy dedicated personnel to identify AI glasses at all 1,312 test centers nationwide to prevent cheating with the devices during the CSAT, which will be held on November 19. The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education has designated 351 vice principals and supervisors, among others, who will be assigned to the province's 351 test centers, as dedicated AI glasses spotters. The Gyeongnam Provincial Office of Education also plans to deploy 104 dedicated personnel at 104 test centers.

If an exam supervisor finds a device suspected of being smart glasses, dedicated personnel will conduct additional checks and, if necessary, consult with the head of the test center and education authorities to determine whether cheating has occurred. In its "Instructions for 2027 CSAT Examinees," announced on November 9, the Ministry of Education reiterated that all electronic devices, including AI glasses, are prohibited at test centers.

AI glasses are considered to have been used simply by wearing them during the exam. If a student is caught, the exam for that year will be invalidated, and the student will be barred from taking the CSAT the following year. Students who refuse an exam supervisor's request to check their glasses may also face sanctions for serious cheating. The Ministry of Education plans to take legal action, including filing complaints or requesting investigations, over planned and deliberate cheating involving AI glasses.

Ideas Pour In to 'Clean Glasses and Block Signals'... Experts Are Skeptical

As AI glasses rapidly improve, a range of ideas for countering them are appearing online. Suggestions include putting all glasses in an ultrasonic cleaner before students enter test centers to disable electronic devices, and blocking data and Wi-Fi connections around test centers. Experts, however, say these measures would be difficult to implement in practice.

AI glasses are generally thicker and heavier than regular glasses because they incorporate cameras, batteries, communication modules, and other components. In some products that display images on the lenses, the display structure can also be seen from certain angles. Yonhap News Agency

Some AI glasses are water-resistant, making it difficult to disable them through ultrasonic cleaning, and there is also insufficient legal basis for requiring all examinees to clean their glasses. Blocking communications could also entail costs, legal restrictions, and disruptions to communications in emergencies. For now, realistic countermeasures under consideration include inspecting the appearance of AI glasses and separating them from connected smart devices.

AI glasses generally have built-in cameras, batteries, communication modules, and other components, making their frames thicker and heavier than those of regular glasses. In some models that display images on the lenses, the display structure can be seen from certain angles. Experts have also suggested storing mobile phones in designated locations and using lockers that block communications. However, this would not completely prevent the use of devices with their own communication capabilities.

Observing unusual behavior during the exam, such as a test-taker repeatedly touching their eyeglass frames or moving their head in a particular direction, was also suggested as a supplementary method. However, some AI glasses can be operated using separate wireless controllers, such as smart rings, which limits the ability to identify cheating based on behavior alone. Yonhap News

Observing unusual behavior during exams, such as repeatedly touching the frames of one's glasses or moving one's head in a particular direction, has also been suggested as a supplementary method. However, some AI glasses can be operated with separate wireless controllers, such as smart rings, making it difficult to determine whether someone is cheating based on behavior alone. People wearing AI glasses are likely to behave differently from those wearing regular glasses, so carefully watching for such behavior is one way to catch them. Installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at test centers that can detect facial changes or unusual behavior is another possibility. However, CCTV use is regulated under the Personal Information Protection Act and is permitted only for limited purposes, making it difficult to put this approach into practice.

Meanwhile, concerns about confusion are also being voiced at schools. Some worry that students wearing regular glasses could face unnecessary suspicion or be unable to concentrate on the exam during checks. Some students are reportedly preparing metal-frame glasses or contact lenses instead of their usual horn-rimmed glasses to avoid misunderstandings.

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