2027 What to Bring to the CSAT: Power Banks and Smart Glasses Are Banned—What Is Allowed on Exam Day?
The 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test will be held on 2026-11-19 Thursday. According to the candidate guidelines announced by the Ministry of Education on November 9, not only mobile phones but also smart glasses, smartwatches, Bluetooth earbuds, power banks, and tumblers with electronic displays are prohibited in the exam room. Ordinary analog watches and medically necessary devices have separate conditions, so prepare for them accordingly.
The first thing candidates and their parents should check before the exam is the difference between items they may bring to the exam room and those they may not.
When are the 2027 CSAT exam and the preliminary assembly?
The 2027 CSAT will take place on November 19 Thursday. The preliminary assembly will be held the day before, on November 18 Wednesday.
| Category | Date and time |
|---|---|
| Preliminary assembly | November 18 Wednesday |
| CSAT exam day | November 19 Thursday |
| Deadline to enter the exam room | 8 o'clock 10 minutes a.m. |
| Replacement admission ticket if lost | By 8 o'clock a.m. on exam day |
At the preliminary assembly, candidates should check the locations of their exam site and room and collect their admission ticket.
On exam day, candidates must bring their admission ticket and a valid form of ID with a photo. Mobile IDs are not accepted, so it is important to prepare a physical ID in advance.
If you lose your admission ticket, you can have it reissued at the exam management office at the test site by presenting 1 photographs identical to the one attached to your application and your ID.
What items are prohibited, from smart glasses to power banks?
For the 2027 CSAT, electronic devices are generally prohibited in the exam room, whether or not they are used during the test.
The main prohibited items listed in the guidance announced by the Ministry of Education on 2026-11-09 are as follows.
| Category | Prohibited items |
|---|---|
| Communication and payment devices | Mobile phones, smartwatches |
| Smart devices | Smart glasses, tablets |
| Audio devices | Bluetooth earbuds |
| Electronic display devices | Electronic dictionaries, watches with electronic displays |
| Rechargeable items | E-cigarettes, power banks |
| Other | Tumblers with electronic displays |
Power banks and tumblers with electronic displays are easy to overlook.
Unlike ordinary tumblers, products that show information such as temperature on an electronic display are on the prohibited-items list.
Power banks are also rechargeable items, even when they are not connected to a mobile phone, so it is safest to leave them at home.
Smart glasses require particular caution. Wearing them during the exam alone is considered use, and the Ministry of Education's guidance specifies that the exam will be invalidated and eligibility to take the exam the following year will be restricted.
The Ministry of Education said it would also pursue legal action, including filing complaints and requesting investigations, in cases of planned and deliberate cheating using smart glasses.
What watches and other items may be used during the exam?
Not all watches are prohibited. Analog watches without communication or payment functions or an electronic display may be worn during the exam.
These should be distinguished from ordinary digital watches and smartwatches.
The main items candidates may bring into the exam room are as follows.
Admission ticket
Physical ID
Black felt-tip pen for computer-scored answer sheets
White correction tape
Black pencil
Eraser
Black 0.5 mm mechanical pencil lead
Analog watch
Face mask (subject to prior inspection by an exam supervisor)
In particular, do not assume that personal mechanical pencils, ballpoint pens, scratch paper, or fine-tip pens for preliminary marking are freely permitted.
You must distinguish between items provided at the exam site or managed by an exam supervisor and items you may bring yourself.
Items needed because of a physical condition or for medical reasons, such as hearing aids, magnifying glasses, and continuous glucose monitors, may be brought as exceptions. However, they must be inspected by an exam supervisor before each session.
What should you do if you accidentally bring a mobile phone?
Guidelines explain the procedure for handing a mobile phone to an exam supervisor before the test begins, even if you brought it to the exam site.
The Ministry of Education advises candidates who bring prohibited items to hand them over to an exam supervisor as instructed during the collection period before the start of the 1 session, and collect them after the exam ends.
The problem arises if candidates keep the items instead of handing them over.
If a candidate is caught keeping a prohibited item without handing it in, it is treated as cheating and the exam is invalidated.
So the safest approach is to leave mobile phones and electronic devices at home before heading to the exam site.
When preparing what to bring to the exam site, check the following in order.
1. Remove mobile phones and smartwatches from your bag.
2. Remove power banks and e-cigarettes.
3. Check for Bluetooth earbuds and tablets.
4. Check for watches and tumblers with electronic displays.
5. Prepare the required physical ID and admission ticket.
6. Check with the exam site in advance about medically necessary devices and be ready for an inspection by an exam supervisor.
What should you keep in mind for the 4 session of Korean History and the social studies/science/vocational inquiry sections?
In addition to the rules on electronic devices, candidates must know how to take the 4 session.
If you do not take the Korean History section, that exam will be invalidated and no score report will be issued.
In the social studies/science inquiry sections, candidates must take their selected subjects in the order they chose.
Candidates who chose two subjects may be treated as having cheated if they write or change answers for the first subject, whose exam time has already ended, during the second subject's time.
Another point to watch is when you fill out the provisional answer sheet.
Starting with the 2027 CSAT, candidates must fill out the provisional answer sheet provided on the back of their admission ticket before the end-of-session bell rings. Filling it out after the bell, but before the answer sheet and question paper are collected, is also subject to treatment as cheating.
So candidates must follow not only the instructions for answering questions but also the exam-ending announcements and the exam supervisors' directions.
Final preparations to check before the CSAT
At the November 18 preliminary assembly, it is best to do more than just collect your admission ticket.
Check the exam site and room, and make sure your selected subjects are correctly listed on your admission ticket.
On exam day, you must enter your assigned exam room by 8 o'clock 10 minutes a.m., so it is a good idea to calculate your travel time in advance.
Finally, check your electronic devices and physical ID once more.
Items that people use in everyday life, such as smart glasses, power banks, and tumblers with electronic displays, can cause problems at the exam site.
The 2027 CSAT is on November 19. Before the exam, the priority is to check whether the items you have already prepared are allowed, rather than adding new ones.