American College Test (ACT), an exam for students hoping to be admitted to universities in the United States, was abruptly canceled Saturday in Seoul and China's Hong Kong due to "credible evidence" that test paper had been leaked in advance.
"ACT has just received credible evidence that test materials intended for administration in these regions have been compromised," ACT Inc., an Iowa-based non-profit organization operating the test, said in a statement.
All the 5,500 students affected would get a refund but could only resit the test to be held in September, it added.
Some of the students voiced their frustration on social media on Saturday and Sunday after the test administrators made the decision to call off the test just hours before it was to start. Some of the test takers had travelled a long distance to take the test.
"I can't believe this happened on the test day. I got informed an hour before the actual administration. This is a huge mess for everyone in South Korea and Hong Kong," said a Facebook user named Phillip Yoon.
ACT, along with Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), is an entrance exam available to international and domestic students wanting to go to a U.S. college.
This is not the first time that a cheating scandal has happened in East Asia. In 2013, an SAT test was canceled in South Korea because part of the paper had been leaked.
