More Than Half of High School Seniors Have No Plans to Retake College Entrance Exam Even If Results Are Unsatisfactory

Significant Changes in 2022 College Admissions
Impact of Some Changes in CSAT Favoring Repeat Test Takers

CSAT Seen as Most Fair Evaluation Factor at 36.8%
School Records 35.5%, Extracurricular Activities 15%

On the morning of the 18th, 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] Currently, more than half of high school seniors have no intention of retaking the college entrance exam. This is interpreted as being due to the significant changes in the 2022 college admission system that will affect those who retake the exam.

According to a survey on the '2021 Early Admission Application Plan' conducted by the education company Jinhaksa on the 8th, only 19.6% of high school seniors said they 'intend' to retake the exam if they do not get into their desired university this year. 53% said they have 'no intention' of retaking, and 27.4% answered 'don't know.'

The survey was conducted from the 2nd to the 6th with 321 high school seniors. Based on the respondents' school record grades, 24.6% were in the 3rd grade range, the largest group, followed by 23.4% in the 4th grade range, 22.4% in the 2nd grade range, 19.9% below the 5th grade, and 9.7% in the 1st grade range, which is similar to the actual grade distribution.

Provided by Jin Hak Sa

Jinhaksa views this 'retake avoidance' phenomenon as being due to the major changes in the 2022 college admission system following the '2015 Revised Curriculum.' In 2022, the total number of university admissions will decrease. In particular, the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), where repeaters have traditionally been strong, will undergo significant changes. There will be common and elective subjects in Korean and Math, and students will choose two subjects in the inquiry area regardless of whether they are in the humanities or sciences. The items recorded in the school life record will also be reduced or some will disappear entirely.

Meanwhile, the evaluation factor that high school seniors consider the fairest was the CSAT at 36.8%, followed by the academic record at 35.5%, and non-academic school records at 15%. When asked how much the resurgence of COVID-19 affects their college entrance preparation, 42.7% said it affects them a little, and 15.3% said it affects them greatly.

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