September Mock Exam Held Today... Yoo Eun-hye Reiterates "No Postponement of CSAT"

2099 High Schools Nationwide
428 Hagwon Conduct Simultaneously

484,347 Examinees Expected
Fewer Graduates Compared to Last September Mock Exam

Score Release Date October 14
Two Days Earlier Than Scheduled

On the 4th, students at Yeouido Girls' High School in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, where the September mock test for the 2020 College Scholastic Ability Test was held, are reviewing the question booklet before the exam starts. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] The September mock exam for the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) will be held simultaneously at 2,099 high schools and 428 academies nationwide starting at 8:40 a.m. on the 16th.

The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation announced that 487,347 examinees registered for the September mock exam, including 409,287 current students and 78,060 graduates and other examinees.

◆'Repeat test takers' expected to be fewer than anticipated= The number of applicants increased by 4,061 compared to the June mock exam this year. This is due to a decrease of 7,242 current students and an increase of 11,303 graduates and other examinees. The increase in graduates is similar to the levels seen in the June and September mock exams last year.

Compared to last year's September mock exam, there was a decrease of 49,930 current students and 11,947 graduates and other examinees.

This mock exam serves as a preparatory test for the CSAT scheduled for December 3, with the same test characteristics, subject areas, and number of questions. The institute explained, "We will identify areas for improvement during the mock exam's question setting and grading process and reflect them in the CSAT."

The score notification date has been moved up by two days from the originally scheduled October 16 to October 14. Since image scanners will be used for grading, examinees must not use pencils, mechanical pencils, or any writing instruments other than computer-use sign pens on the answer sheets. In particular, any marks such as preliminary markings left by any pen type must be thoroughly erased with correction tape or similar before submission.

Schedule for Online Participation in the September Mock Test (Provided by Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation)

During the fourth session, which covers Korean history and social/science/vocational inquiry subjects, there will be a separate 10-minute period to collect the Korean history question papers and distribute the inquiry subject question papers. Examinees who do not select an inquiry subject will move to the waiting room.

Those who do not take the Korean history section will have their entire test scores invalidated, so caution is required. Objections to questions and answers can be submitted from the 16th to the 19th of this month, and the final answer announcement will be made on the 28th.

◆Online testing available...same as CSAT= Due to the impact of COVID-19, online testing is available for those who have difficulty entering the test site due to self-quarantine or other reasons.

For academies, the number of examinees per test room must not exceed 50; if this is not possible, they must arrange alternative nearby facilities or implement their own measures. After accessing the designated website, examinees can input and submit their answers and receive a separate score report. However, these scores will not be reflected in the overall examinee results.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye reiterated that the 2021 CSAT test date will not be changed.

At a press conference held the previous day, Deputy Prime Minister Yoo emphasized, "We are preparing to conduct the CSAT smoothly without any disruptions, and this is our top priority. The active compliance of the public with quarantine guidelines is the key to holding the CSAT as scheduled."

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