The CSAT is on November 19, five weeks away. Most test takers remember to pack a watch and an ID, but those who must carry something for their body have extra checking to do. A cushion for a weak back, earplugs for sensitivity to noise, a glucose sensor worn on the body for diabetes: these are the kinds of items in question. CSAT test sites in principle do not allow electronic devices, so even medical items can be treated as prohibited if they do not go through the set procedure. This article follows the "2027 College Scholastic Ability Test Implementation Guidelines" of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, and for how to actually apply, the instructions of your test district office of education and the institute take priority.

The items you may hold during the exam are fixed

The guidelines allow these items during the exam: ID, admission ticket, black computer marker, white correction tape, black pencil, eraser, black 0.5mm mechanical pencil lead, an analog watch, and a mask. Everything else must be put in a bag before each period starts and handed in outside the test room, and if you ignore the proctor's instruction or keep it somewhere of your own choosing, it is treated as cheating. The rules on watches and electronics are covered separately in our article on CSAT watches and prohibited items. Medical items come in through an exception to this list.

Cushions, earplugs and magnifiers get a proctor check every period

The guidelines give magnifying glasses, earplugs and cushions as examples of items a person needs because of their physical condition or for medical reasons, and say these may be carried after a proctor's advance check in every period. Approval once does not cover the whole day; you are checked period by period. So it is safer to tell the proctor what the item is as soon as you take your seat. Masks are also subject to the proctor's advance confirmation, and if you want a spare mask to swap in during the exam, it has to be checked too.

Hearing aids, cochlear implants and glucose devices need headquarters permission first

Some items have one more step. The guidelines classify hearing aids, cochlear implants and blood glucose management devices (continuous glucose monitors and their dedicated terminals, insulin pumps and the like) as items that need advance permission to use from the test management headquarters. Most of these devices are electronic, so taking them into the room without permission can run into the prohibited-items rule. The guidelines do not state the application method or deadline. Ask your test district office of education or the institute, and get permission before test day.

Test accommodations go only to those who applied at registration

Visually impaired, hearing impaired and motor-impaired test takers have a separate test accommodation system. Test takers with severe visual impairment receive braille question booklets and audio evaluation material, and their exam time is 1.7 times the regular time. Test takers with mild visual impairment or motor impairment such as cerebral lesions get 1.5 times the time. Test takers with mild visual impairment choose an enlarged booklet at 118%, 200% or 350%; only one ratio is allowed, so it cannot differ by subject. This is applied for in person at the registration site while filling in the application form with supporting documents, and this year's registration has already closed.

Supporting documents have issue-date limits

The documents submitted when applying for accommodations have validity periods. Submitted documents such as a disability certificate must have been issued within one month of the registration date, and a diagnosis from the director of a general hospital is valid if issued within one year of the registration date. The diagnosis must state concretely the type and degree of disability, the difficulties during the exam, and the accommodation items requested. The guidelines say accommodations can be refused if the evidence does not meet the requirements or is not accepted in the verification process. Test takers receiving accommodations take the exam in a separate room and are given the odd-type booklet.

How the listening test and separate rooms work

For test takers with severe hearing impairment, the period 3 listening test is replaced with a written test, while those with mild hearing impairment use a hearing aid or cochlear implant and take the listening test the same way as other test takers. Their exam time is the same as the regular time. The listening test is played over the school broadcasting system from a CD produced by the institute, so if your hearing is limited, check seating and hearing aid use in advance. The designation of test sites and the setting up of test rooms are decided by each city and provincial superintendent of education.

What those whose registration has closed can do now

The guidelines do not describe a procedure for adding accommodations after registration has ended. If you were injured or diagnosed after registering, do not guess; call your local test district office of education right away and ask what is possible. The guidelines themselves tell you to ask the superintendent of education and the district office about details. Here is the order to check things: first, confirm the test site and room written on your admission ticket; second, decide which medical items you will bring and ask whether permission is needed; third, show them to the proctor first when you check in. The ID and admission ticket standards are set out in our ID article.

What to do starting today

The guidelines say additional prohibited and permitted items will be announced in the "2027 CSAT Cheating Prevention Measures" due in October. When that document comes out, check once more whether your item is covered. Even with permission, the proctor's instructions come first on the day, so practicing with the same items in mock exams keeps you from being flustered. The rules for transferring answers with the marker are in our article on answer sheet marking rules, and the period 4 procedure is in our period 4 article. This article is general information and does not replace medical judgment or individual permission.