A “Suneung” student residing in Gyeonggi Province, who was trapped in her room in her house due to a broken door knob, successfully made it to the college entrance exam on Thursday after being rescued by Anyang Fire Department.

Worried that her daughter might miss the examination, the student’s mom called the fire department at 7.30am on Thursday, upon realising that the door would not budge.

Fire fighters soon arrived at the scene and broke the door knob to release the student, who reportedly looked extremely anxious about missing the once-a-year administered exam.

The Suneung, similar to the SAT examination in the US, plays a large part in determining what university a student will be accepted to. Some students have even described the exam as “the chance to make or break one’s future.”

Because the national exam is administered only once a year, senior high school students face significant pressure to perform well. According to South Korea’s Ministry of Education, approximately 25 per cent of students taking the Suneung this year are “re-takers,” slightly more than the 24 per cent that retook the exam last year.

One fire fighter later confirmed seeing the student hurry off to the test site in her mom’s car. It is not uncommon in Korea, however, to see police officers escort students to test sites on such an important day.