Korean Language Top Grade Cutoff in the Late 80s... Likely to Decide Regular Admission Outcomes

2021 College Scholastic Ability Test Subject Difficulty and Admission Strategies

Mask Wearing, Dividers, Psychological Burden Negatively Affect First Period Problem Solving
Increased High-Difficulty Questions in Mathematics Ga-hyeong Raise Difficulty, Na-hyeong Similar to Last Year
Practical English Passages Similar to Last Year...Top Grade Rate Expected Above 8%

The Korean language section of the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) was difficult, and the math section was tricky, so examinees generally felt it was 'difficult.' In particular, although the Korean language section had fewer new types of questions or high-difficulty problems, the actual raw score cutoff for the top grade is expected to be lower than last year. The admissions industry analyzes that the changed environment, such as wearing masks and installing desk partitions, also caused difficulties for examinees. Even if the difficulty was similar to previous years, the prolonged remote classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused academic gaps, leading to a decline in scores among mid- to lower-tier examinees. Ultimately, contrary to initial expectations, the difficult Korean language section appears to be the biggest variable determining success or failure in this regular admission application.

◆Korean Language Section Difficult Contrary to Expectations... Key to Regular Admission Applications= This year, the Korean language section was mostly evaluated as similar to or even easier than last year's CSAT. Yoon Sang-hyung, a college entrance counseling teacher at Yeongdong High School and part of the Korea University Education Council (KUEC) counseling team, said, "The area that raises the difficulty in the Korean language section is reading comprehension, but this CSAT had passages of moderate length and did not include difficult concepts." The analyses from admissions companies were similar.

However, based on the preliminary scoring results, the cutoff score for the top grade was lower than last year. As of 6 a.m. on the 4th, Megastudy, Uway, and Etoos predicted 87 points, Daesung Academy and Jinhaksa predicted 88 points, and Jongro Academy Haneul Education predicted 89 points. Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy, said, "According to the preliminary scoring results from students, the Korean language section seemed more difficult than initially expected," adding, "The top grade cutoff is estimated to be in the high 80s, lower than last year's low 90s."

Jinhaksa was the only organization that stated the Korean language section was difficult. Woo Yeon-cheol, head of Jinhaksa's admissions strategy research institute, analyzed, "The speech and writing sections were straightforward, but the grammar section consisted of questions that students often get wrong. In reading comprehension, many inference and reasoning questions were included, maintaining a high-difficulty question trend."

On the 3rd, the day of the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test, a test taker who finished the exam at Deoksung Girls' High School in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is leaving the test site while receiving encouragement from family. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The math section was generally analyzed as difficult. In particular, the difficulty of 'Math Type A,' which was relatively easier in the past, increased. Kim Jeong-hwan, a teacher at Daegu Hyehwa Girls' High School who analyzed Math Type A, said, "Compared to last year's CSAT, the number of high-difficulty questions increased, so students likely found it difficult," adding, "Even mid-tier students probably spent a lot of time solving high-difficulty problems." Math Type B was also not easy this year, but since it was very difficult last year, it was relatively easier. Jo Manki, a teacher at Gyeonggi Pangok High School, said, "Fractal and blank inference problems, which students struggled with, were not included this time," and "Although trigonometry questions appeared, they were at the level covered in this year's mock exams."

The English section, which is graded on an absolute scale, was generally evaluated as easy and similar to last year. The top grade ratio is expected to be over 8%, indicating an appropriate difficulty level. Yoo Seong-ho, a teacher at Seoul Soongdeok Girls' High School, said, "English passages recently focused on social changes, especially practical texts, so it was probably not difficult even for mid-tier students," adding, "Issues like bicycle-sharing services and remote/online classes were used as passages, so students likely solved the problems without boredom."

◆Time to Focus on Selecting Target Universities After Objective Scoring= Now, examinees should strategize their college applications based on their preliminary scores. Woo said, "First, check whether you meet the minimum CSAT requirements for early admission universities, then find universities you can apply to in the regular admission based on your preliminary scores, and quickly decide whether to take university-specific exams," advising, "Before the official scores are announced, find about three universities in groups A, B, and C that are advantageous to you, understand their application methods, and prepare your strategy."

On the 4th, the day after the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test, examinees are waiting to enter the essay test site at Soongsil University in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

It is also necessary to check your scores converted into standard scores and percentiles, not just preliminary scores. The CSAT scores used in regular admissions are based on either standard scores or percentiles. Lee Young-deok, director of Daesung Academic Development Research Institute, said, "You need to carefully judge which indicator, standard score or percentile, is more advantageous," adding, "Since many students have the same score near the admission cutoff for each major, you should also check the tie-breaker rules." Generally, top-tier universities use standard scores, while mid- to lower-tier universities use percentile indicators.

Participating in major admissions companies' post-CSAT briefing sessions is also a good option. These sessions predict and disclose the possible regular admission scores for each university based on preliminary scores and advise whether to take early admission essay and interview exams by score range, making them useful. Jongro Academy Haneul Education will livestream the '2021 Regular Admission Possible Scores' briefing session on the afternoon of the 4th. Advance reservation is required, and offline attendance at Gangnam Jongro Academy is already full. Uway will also hold an online preliminary scoring briefing session on the same afternoon to explain regular admission strategies based on CSAT preliminary scores. On the 5th, Skyedu Academy and Sumatus Academy will hold an online '2021 CSAT Preliminary Scoring Strategy Briefing,' revealing preliminary scores, difficulty analysis by section, and expected grade cutoffs. Daesung Academy will provide admissions strategies online on the afternoon of the 6th instead of an offline briefing.

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