The education ministry will annul scores of 155 college aspirants for cheating during this week's state-administered college entrance exam, an official said Friday.

Jang Hong-jae, an education ministry official, said 81 out of the 155 applicants were caught carrying mobile phones, MP3 players and other electronic devices during the standardized College Scholastic Ability Test held on Thursday across the country.

All test takers had been informed before the test that they were banned from carrying to their seats any electronic devices out of concerns they might be used for cheating. Others were caught writing notes on their desks or marking answer papers even after the test was over, according to Jang.

Of the 155 test takers, serious offenders will also be banned from taking the college entrance exam next year, said Jang, who handles cheating cases.

Still, invalid scores do not necessarily means that the test takers could not go to college as some colleges do not require scores from the college entrance exam in their admission process, Jang said.

On Thursday, a total of 668,522 people, mostly high school students, took the crucial test that is widely seen as key to their admission to college and subsequent career in this highly competitive society.

Top college graduates still have advantages in getting decent jobs in Korea, where people's occupations bring them social status. (Yonhap News)