Cancelling a National Technical Qualification Exam: 100% Back in the Registration Period, 50% Until 5 Days Before, Nothing From 4 Days Before
National technical qualification exams in Korea, such as Engineer, Industrial Engineer, and Craftsman, charge the exam fee when you register. Work schedules shift and training days collide with exam dates, and when that happens the refund is set by when you cancel, not why. Based on the refund guidance published by HRD Korea's Q-Net, the timing splits into three windows.
You registered and then couldn't sit the exam: the refund depends on the day you cancel
Three windows: 100%, 50%, no refund
First, cancel during the registration period and you get 100% back. The cutoff is 23:59:59 on the last day of registration. Second, cancel after registration closes and up to 5 days before the exam starts, and you get 50% back. Third, from 4 days before the exam starts, there is no refund. Missing the exam on the day is treated the same way. These windows follow the refund standard in the enforcement rules of the National Technical Qualification Act, as Q-Net presents them. The amount returned is a percentage of the exam fee, which differs by exam and grade, so the amount on your payment screen is the base. If the fee you paid was 20,000 won, for instance, the 50% window returns 10,000 won and the window from 4 days before returns nothing.
"5 days before" and "4 days before": one day splits the refund in half
The numbers are easy to mix up. If the exam is on the 20th, you get 50% back through the 15th, and from the 16th you get nothing. Once registration closes it feels as if there's still plenty of time, but the 50% window is shorter than it looks. If your schedule is uncertain, cancelling inside the registration period costs you the least. Registration deadlines and start dates differ by session, so check them in Q-Net's schedule. If you must cancel near a boundary date, confirm the exact cutoff time on the registration screen and cancel a day early to be safe.
How to cancel: the "cancel registration" button in My Page
Log in to Q-Net and go to My Page → Application History → Cancel Registration. Once cancelled, the refund arrives within 7 days at most, and the depositor name shows as the payment processor, Toss Payments. People are sometimes startled by an unfamiliar name on their bank statement, but this is the refund.
An exception after the cancellation window: post-refund requests
Even if you have missed the cancellation deadline, some reasons qualify for a 100% refund through a post-exam request: a family member's death up to 7 days before the exam, your own hospitalization that prevented you from sitting the exam, a confirmed infectious-disease quarantine, quarantine of military personnel or civilian military employees during a national emergency, and public transit disrupted by weather. Use the Post-Refund Request menu in My Page rather than the cancel button. There are conditions too. A family death counts if it occurred up to 7 days before the exam, and a hospital stay has to overlap the exam period to count as the reason you couldn't attend. Check that menu's instructions for whether supporting documents are needed and by what date you must apply.
If you missed the exam and your reason is unclear
If your situation doesn't fit those categories, a refund is hard to get. A sudden overtime shift or business trip is not on the list above. If you're not sure whether your reason qualifies, the fastest route is the Q-Net customer center (1644-8000, weekdays 09:00 to 18:00, a paid call). After you've missed the exam there's little way to undo it, so ask before the exam starts if you can.
What to settle before registering: do the dates collide?
Most lost exam fees come from not checking the schedule at registration. Some exams take the written and practical parts as separate registrations, so check the cancellation deadline for each session every time you register. If you're in training on the National Tomorrow Learning Card, make sure your attendance schedule doesn't overlap the exam date. If you haven't decided which credential to pursue, start with how to choose a certification before registering. If living costs are a worry during training, look at the terms of the vocational training living-expense loan as well. Other national licenses such as the real estate agent exam may follow different registration and refund rules, so read each exam's own notice.
Summary of steps
① Put the exam date on your calendar and check for conflicts before registering. ② If you might not make it, cancel before 23:59 on the last registration day to get 100% back. ③ If registration has closed, cancel up to 5 days before the exam starts for 50%. ④ From 4 days before there is no refund, so check the post-refund list for hospitalization, quarantine, or a family death. ⑤ If a reason applies, file through the Post-Refund Request menu with any documents required.
This article summarizes Q-Net's refund guidance as general information and is not a definitive answer for a particular session or personal situation. For whether a refund is actually possible, check the notice for the exam you registered for and the Q-Net customer center.
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