South Korean Students Sue After 8-Hour College Exam — Considered One of World’s Hardest — Is Cut Short by 90 Seconds

Students in South Korea are suing the government because their college admission exam — an annual eight-hour marathon — ended 90 seconds earlier than planned.

The lawsuit asks the government to cough up 20 million Korean won, or about $15,500, for each student. Currently, 39 students are party to the suit, according to the BBC.

The students’ lawyer claims that the early conclusion of the first test in the exam affected their performance in the rest of the exam.

The annual test, known in South Korea as Suneung, or the College Scholastic Ability Test, is notorious for its difficulty, with students writing multiple papers back-to-back covering a variety of subjects.

Its results aren’t simply used to determine college admissions; they go on to play a role in students’ job prospects and future overall as well.

And to ensure that students can concentrate, on the day of the exam, shops shut down, the opening of the stock market is delayed, and even airplanes are grounded so the noise doesn’t affect the performance of those taking the test.