Three Key Issues to Address in the June Mock Exam Held Amid COVID-19

Clear Decline in Lower-Mid Academic Performance
Self-Studying Repeat and Gap Year Students
Difficulty Prediction Still Premature

On the morning of the 18th of last month, when the National Joint Academic Achievement Test organized by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation was conducted, third-year students were preparing for the exam at Sangam High School in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Regarding the June mock exam results, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation stated, "When looking at grade distinctions, standard scores, grade distribution ratios, and top scores, the difference between current high school seniors and graduates is at the usual level with no notable anomalies." This is quite the opposite of concerns that the academic level of current students might have significantly declined due to delayed in-person classes and the inability to properly take previous mock exams amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Lee Young-deok, director of Daesung Academic Development Research Institute, analyzed, "The number of test-takers decreased significantly last year, and many outstanding current students have already entered top-tier universities through early admissions," adding, "Graduates also mostly had about a month off due to the COVID-19 situation." Generally, students who have taken the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) once have an advantage over those who have not. While the gap between graduates and current students remains similar to previous years, there are several points that should not be overlooked.

◆English Section, Confirming Academic Gap= When comparing only the English subject, which is graded on an absolute scale, a significant gap among test-takers is evident. Comparing English scores with last year's CSAT, the proportion of students achieving the top grade (1st grade) increased, while those in grades 2 to 4 decreased significantly, and those below grade 5 increased. In other words, the number of students scoring above 90 increased, but those in the 70-80 point range declined.

Looking at specific figures, the proportion of students scoring 90 or above in English 1st grade on the June mock exam was 8.73%, higher than last year's CSAT (7.43%). Conversely, the proportions for grades 2 to 4 all decreased. In this mock exam, grade 2 was 12.12%, grade 3 was 16.65%, and grade 4 was 16.03%, compared to 16.25%, 21.88%, and 18.48% respectively in last year's CSAT. Meanwhile, from grade 5 downward, the proportions increased. Compared to last year's CSAT, the June mock exam saw increases of 1.38 percentage points for grade 6, 1.78 points for grade 7, and 3.87 points for grade 8.

Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy Haneul Education, analyzed, "Considering that 85.9% of test-takers in the June mock exam were high school seniors and 14.1% were repeaters, it appears that a significant gap has emerged within the senior group." He added, "Top-tier students with well-established study habits were less affected by remote learning environments, but students below the mid-tier struggled with their studies." Given that top students who already performed well in English can focus more on Korean and Math in the remaining period, this may also impact other subjects.

◆Possibility of Large-Scale Graduate Participation from September Mock Exam= In this year's June mock exam, repeaters accounted for 14.1%. The Institute stated, "Compared to last year's repeater rate of 14.8%, it is difficult to say that the proportion of graduates has sharply increased." Last year, graduates began taking the exams in earnest starting from the September mock exam. The participation rate of graduates in the September mock exam last year was 17%, and over 20% in the CSAT. This year, the influence of graduates, especially 'bansu-saeng' (students retaking the exam after entering university), is expected to grow.

Graduates naturally have an advantage in CSAT-centered admissions, and this trend has become more pronounced recently. According to data reviewed by Kang Min-jung, a member of the Open Democratic Party, from the Ministry of Education on the final enrollment status of current high school students and graduates at 12 major universities in Seoul over the past five years, the acceptance rate through CSAT-centered admissions widened significantly from 48.2% current students and 51.8% graduates in 2016 to 34.4% current students and 65.6% graduates in 2020.

So far, the movement of bansu-saeng is not prominent. The number of students attending repeat academies has actually decreased by 20-30%. However, academies expect that a considerable number of repeaters or bansu-saeng study independently. This is because, amid the COVID-19 situation, some top-tier students are self-studying through online lectures. Also, during this mock exam, many academies blocked external students from taking the exam due to COVID-19. If these students take the actual CSAT, current students' scores are likely to decline. For high school seniors, the rate of score improvement from the June mock exam to the actual CSAT is known to be around 25%.

◆Too Early to Relax About Difficulty= Comparing the perfect score rates of this mock exam with last year's CSAT, Korean and Math Type B scores increased, while Math Type A decreased. According to Daesung Academic Development Research Institute, the cutoff scores for 1st grade based on raw scores were 92 points for Korean (91 points in last year's CSAT), 88 points for Math Type A (92 points last year), and 93 points for Math Type B (84 points last year). Korean and Math Type B were relatively easier, while Math Type A was more difficult. Social Studies and Science Inquiry subjects also showed varying degrees of difficulty but were more challenging than last year's CSAT, providing differentiation. For the upcoming September mock exam, Social Studies and Science Inquiry subjects are likely to be somewhat easier than the June mock exam, and English is expected to be of similar difficulty. Lee Manki, director of Uway Education Evaluation Research Institute, advised, "The difficulty of the June mock exam does not directly translate to the CSAT, so premature judgments should be avoided," adding, "Students should always study under the assumption that the exam could be difficult."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.