Seoul ( CNN ) -- Most South Korean students consider their final year in high school `` the year of hell . '' It is when all students are put to the ultimate test . About 700,000 test applicants sat down in classrooms across the country Thursday to take their college entrance exams -- also known as the College Scholastic Ability Test ( CSAT ) . The stock markets opened an hour late , buses and subway services were increased and police cars offered rides for students , all to ensure they made it on time . Younger students gathered in large groups outside school gates , some having arrived at 4a.m . to mind a good spot , waiting to support their school seniors . Cheers exploded throughout the school grounds as test applicants arrived , most being guided by their anxious parents . `` I 'm just praying for her . It 's the same for all the mothers out here . They 're just praying for the best , '' a mother said , as she stood across from the school long after her daughter had entered . `` I want to give her a hug when it 's over and tell her she did a great job up until now , '' she added . For many , this one test -- which lasts a good eight hours -- will determine which university they enter . It is considered the chance to make or break one 's future . In a country where more than 80 % of high school students move on to higher-level education , getting into a prestigious school is all the more competitive . The final year leading up to the test is one of most intense periods students will ever experience . `` In South Korea , the reality is most students have lived for this very day . They have put in so much time and effort , and the fact that everything is decided on this one day can place an immense amount of pressure on them , '' a teacher from Paihwa Girl 's High School , who had come to cheer on his students , said . Many test-takers will give up sleep , living sometimes on only five hours of rest a day throughout the year . Family members live nervously in fear that they will disrupt the mood of their high-school child . South Korea 's obsession with education and academic success is rooted in Confucianism . The long practice of equating social status with academic achievement has left behind a tradition of pouring everything into studying . South Koreans on average spend 7.6 hours studying in the classroom , according to the country 's former Education Minister Ahn Byong-man . From elementary school ages , South Koreans will spend many hours in cram schools after their regular classes . Almost 75 % of the student population last year took up private education , according to the Ministry of Education . In order to reduce the financial burden from private education and encourage the students to rest , the current Lee Myung-bak administration placed a ban on operating private classes after 10pm . Government officials routinely patrol areas and crackdown on illicit classes . For a senior high school student , a study routine will include self-study sessions at school , cram school classes and more self-studying hours late into the night at private cubicles . This is all on top of their regular class hours . The psychological burden is such that South Korea suffers from high student suicide rates . More than 200 students committed suicide in 2009 and about 150 the following year , according to Ahn 's Presidential Advisory Council on Education , Science and Technology . A heavy reliance on rote learning is also a challenge the country faces , as it tries to diversify its curriculum and reduce the stress from studying . `` It is a problem too that students learn a lot . They have a bunch of knowledge . They are well-equipped with good knowledge , I would say , but the process is so painful , they do n't know how to enjoy learning from learning , you know , '' Ahn Byong-man said . The college entrance environment is better than it used to be in many ways . Some fortunate students will win a ticket to university without taking the CSAT through other recommendation programs . However , the importance of the CSAT still outweighs alternatives . More than 20 % of the applicants to this year 's test are high school graduates , also known as `` retakers . '' Those who are unsatisfied with their test results this year will likely volunteer to live through another year of sleep-deprived nights .
last year leading up to exams is an extremely intense period for students . more than 80 % of the student population The final year took up private education . Confucianism obsession with academic success is rooted in South Korea 's .