The most deflating thing that can happen on the morning of the CSAT is not failing to solve a problem but having no ID, so your identity cannot be verified. The 2027 CSAT implementation guidelines from the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation say that if identity is not verified with an ID on the day of the exam, the exam cannot be scored and results cannot be issued. The exam date is Thursday, November 19, 2026. Based on the exam-taking instructions in the guidelines, this post covers which IDs are accepted and which are not, what to do if you lose your admission ticket, the check-in time, and the order of the subject stickers on your ticket. The detailed list of items you may bring into the test site is to be announced separately in October, so check that notice again.

Without an ID, your exam is not scored and no results are issued

The guidelines require examinees to bring both the admission ticket and an ID that proves who they are on the day of the exam. If either is missing, it is hard to pass the proctor's identity check. For the ID in particular, the guidelines state separately that if identity is not verified, scoring and notification of results are not possible. That means you could sit the whole exam and still receive no score, so the ID is the first thing to pack the night before.

Accepted IDs are the six types that carry a photo

The guidelines accept the following documents, all with a photo attached: a resident registration card, a driver's license, a passport before its expiry date, a resident registration card application receipt within its validity period, a youth card within its validity (or a youth card application receipt), and a student ID with a photo, the name, the date of birth and the principal's seal. A passport must show the resident registration number; a passport that does not show it must be submitted together with a passport information certificate. For foreigners, an alien registration card, a permanent residence card or a domestic residence report card for overseas Koreans is accepted. A student ID without the principal's seal is not valid, so check it in advance.

A mobile ID is accepted at registration but cannot be used on exam day

This is a common point of confusion. According to the guidelines, a mobile resident registration card, a mobile driver's license and a mobile alien registration card are accepted as ID when you register. But electronic devices are banned items at the test site, and identity cannot be verified through them, so they cannot be used on the day of the exam. It is risky to go with only a mobile ID on your phone. If you do not have a physical ID, start preparing documents that take a long time to issue now.

You get your admission ticket at the pre-assembly, and if you lose it you must get a new one before check-in

The pre-assembly is held the day before the exam by each city and provincial superintendent of education. The date and place for collecting your ticket are written on your application receipt, and the test site is shown on the ticket itself. At the pre-assembly you confirm your test site and room, and note that you cannot enter the building that holds the exam rooms. If you lose your ticket, the guidelines tell you to get a replacement before the check-in time so the exam is not affected. Keeping your ID and ticket in different pockets reduces the risk of losing both at once, in case you lose one on the morning itself.

Check-in closes at 08:10, and it is the same if you did not choose period 1

The check-in deadline for period 1 is 08:10, and the Korean section starts at 08:40. For periods 2, 3, 4 and 5, you must be in your seat 10 minutes before each period starts. Examinees who did not choose period 1 must also enter the exam room by 08:10, have their identity checked, and then move to a waiting room as the proctor directs. After 08:10 the proctors enter and check each examinee's identity and watch, so this time is effectively the deadline for identity verification. Allow plenty of travel time from home or school to the test site, including traffic.

In the inquiry section, the order on your ticket sticker is the order on your answer sheet

If you take two subjects in period 4's inquiry section, you must mark answers so that the first and second choices on your ticket sticker match the first and second choice order on the answer sheet. Scoring also follows the sticker order, so if the order is swapped, your answers will be scored against the wrong subject. If you chose only one social studies subject, you wait during the first session, take the exam in the second, and mark your answers in the first-choice column. How period 4 runs is covered in our post on the rules for swapping question papers in period 4.

Writing tools, watches and phones are covered separately

The writing tools you may keep with you during the exam are limited to a black computer-grade marker, a black pencil, white correction tape, an eraser and pencil leads. A marker that combines functions, such as one with a red pen attached, cannot be used. The rules on watches and electronic devices are in our post on analog watches, the answer-check sheet and personal marker conditions are in our post on the answer-check sheet, and the application steps are in our post on registering for the CSAT.

The night-before checklist

First, confirm that your physical ID is on the accepted list and put it in the front pocket of your bag. Second, read your test site and the sticker order on the ticket you received at the pre-assembly. Third, work backward from the 08:10 check-in to decide when to leave. Fourth, check again for banned items in the cheating-prevention measures to be announced in October. Rules can change slightly each year, so the final authority is the Institute's notice and your school's instructions.