Operators of the ACT college entrance exam on Saturday canceled the test for all of South Korea and Hong Kong after officials confirmed that test materials had been stolen.
ACT spokesman Edward Colby said the company canceled the exams at the last moment for about 5,500 test takers at 56 locations after it received “credible evidence” of a data breach on Friday.
Colby said he believes it is the first known cancellation of the exam for an entire country.
"We are extremely concerned about any activities that could impact the fairness and integrity of the test. When individuals attempt to profit by stealing test materials and selling them, it can hurt thousands of students who did nothing wrong, as it has in this case,'' he said.
Colby didn’t say how or where the tests were stolen, but did say that all those who were scheduled to take the test will receive refunds. He said the ACT test won’t be administered again until September.
South Korea has a history of mischief when it comes to taking standardized tests. In 2013, the College Board, the company that administers the SAT test, similarly canceled testing for the entire country after it had testing materials stolen.