South Korean High School Exam

[GirlySports]

And you thought Diploma Exams were tough!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/worl...d-silence.html

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6657097,00.html

A 6 hour exam! That's insane! I could never go through that. It's widely believed in South Korea that this test determines which college a student will go to, which company they will then work at, the size of their eventual paycheck and even whom they will marry.

[MrMastodonFarm]

..and how much plastic surgery they're allowed.

[bizaro86]

There's one day every year when normally bustling South Korea practically comes to a halt. Planes are grounded, drivers are asked not to use their horns and the stock exchange opens an hour late. On November 10, all high school seniors nationwide take the university entrance examination: a test students spend most of their lives studying for and one that will determine their future.

Crazy. They shut down the airport. That's scary and awesome at the same time.

The Confucian tradition has also contributed to a system which emphasizes rogue memorization and but places less emphasis on critical thinking.

Maybe the west could use more high stakes testing...

(both from http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6657097,00.html)

[burn_this_city]

Isn't critical thinking a better asset than being able to memorize a bunch of largely useless information? This is the extreme example of standardized testing, it's pretty stupid to pile so much pressure on teenagers this way.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Isn't critical thinking a better asset than being able to memorize a bunch of largely useless information? This is the extreme example of standardized testing, it's pretty stupid to pile so much pressure on teenagers this way.

Absolutely. Do you think it's impossible to test critical thinking?

I'm not saying the Koreans are, but I think it can be done.

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

Absolutely. Do you think it's impossible to test critical thinking?

I'm not saying the Koreans are, but I think it can be done.

Do we know that they are not testing at least some levels of critical thinking? I mean Alberta standardized exams do involve levels of IQ puzzles, spatial orientation questions, etc. Even if there is an insane focus on memorization in Asian education systems, I don't think these types of questions would be completely left out? I could be wrong though.

[krynski]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Isn't critical thinking a better asset than being able to memorize a bunch of largely useless information? This is the extreme example of standardized testing, it's pretty stupid to pile so much pressure on teenagers this way.

uh, respecting ones culture is important in my eyes, and i think calling this "stupid" would be insulting towards their culture. Different cultures run things in different ways.

Just because we live in western culture, is it our right to determine the best way to live by?

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by krynski

uh, respecting ones culture is important in my eyes, and i think calling this "stupid" would be insulting towards their culture. Different cultures run things in different ways.

Just because we live in western culture, is it our right to determine the best way to live by?

I didnt realize standardized testing was considered a cultural value.

[tjinaz]

they are doing something right so ... if they are having success and this is how they roll... more power to them.

I love my Hyundais and Samsungs.

also I believe it is ROTE memorization not Rogue....

[NuclearPizzaMan]

Originally Posted by krynski

uh, respecting ones culture is important in my eyes, and i think calling this "stupid" would be insulting towards their culture. Different cultures run things in different ways.

Just because we live in western culture, is it our right to determine the best way to live by?

Yes?

There are different ways of doing things. Some of which are better than others.

[krynski]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I didnt realize standardized testing was considered a cultural value.

Obviously, it is. Did you even read the opening post?

[krynski]

[QUOTE=NuclearPizzaMan;3397799]Yes?

There are different ways of doing things. Some of which are better than others.[/QUOTE

By saying "yes", you realize you just determined solely that western culture is superior to other cultures?

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by krynski

Obviously, it is. Did you even read the opening post?

Of course I did. Kind of sad that the culture is so built around a flawed system of testing intelligence. I guess when a country churns out students like widgets on an assembly line, you get a culture like Korea that hasn't had much in the way of innovation, just copy and improve slightly, although I'd argue Korean cars are still inferior to most.

[Locke]

Wow. I would not want to write that test.

A single 6 hour time period that effectively determines the rest of your life. Thats insane. It would be a bad time to be sick.

I couldnt imagine that kind of pressure. And I thought University tests were bad.

[Muta]

Atleast Korea has their priorities straight - education of their citizens is a prime focus.

Same can be said for Japan, and it's happening in China too.

These countries develop so quickly because of the education of these people, which contributes to the evolution of their nationwide industrialization, and ultimately their standard of living.

I don't agree with their excessive studying practices (which includes usless memorization), but I do agree that education should be the highest priority.

[Montag]

I don't believe that memorization is useless in a testing environment. I think that there is a direct correlation between memorization and things like, discipline, focus, attention to detail, etc. Are these not good qualities for students/future workers?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Montag

I don't believe that memorization is useless in a testing environment. I think that there is a direct correlation between memorization and things like, discipline, focus, attention to detail, etc. Are these not good qualities for students/future workers?

Memorization is a good skill to have for sure, but it's overrated. In the workplace, you'll have databases of information to draw from. Plus, in time these kids will likely forget (whether by accident or on purpose) what they've memorized anyways.

Critical thinking is a much, much more important skill in the future of the workplace.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Of course I did. Kind of sad that the culture is so built around a flawed system of testing intelligence. I guess when a country churns out students like widgets on an assembly line, you get a culture like Korea that hasn't had much in the way of innovation, just copy and improve slightly, although I'd argue Korean cars are still inferior to most.

I could not disagree more...when it comes to Countries who have changed their innovative ability over the last 60 years there are only two that have had meaningful changes (relative to other countries) South Korea and Israel. In the 50's South Korea was third-world and today it is going toe-to-toe with almost any first world nation in innovation. However there are structural problems (like the Chaebols) so we will see if they can keep it up.

And in regards to cars...Korean cars inferior to most? That is flat out wrong...current Hyundai cars are IMO as good as any brand in the sub-$40k range. They aren't gobbling up market share because they suck.

[lazypucker]

North American culture is somewhat similar too (in other aspects). For example, how you perform at your hockey/football/any sports tryouts at age 15 or 16 determines if you will have any sort of chance to make it to the big leagues. If you blow it then you are pretty much done!

Back on topic, I think a little bit of memorization and arithmetic skills are important for anyone. I am surprised that many people need to use a calculator for some of the simple day-to-day math problems (e.g. buying groceries, handling change, splitting a bill, tipping, etc.)

[YYC in LAX]

They look like clones in the picture