[Jeong Gyu-young's Presidential Election and College Entrance Exam②] The CSAT Is Not the Judicial Examination

Published 22 Dec.2021 14:48(KST)

Proposal for College Scholastic Ability Test Reform

Editor's NoteWe are running a series of expert contributions aimed at improving the structural problems of education in the Republic of Korea and suggesting necessary policy directions. This is a proposal from Jung Kyu-young, president of the nonprofit organization 'Studying Athletes, Exercising Students.' President Jung studied at Stanford Graduate School in the United States and served as the president of the university's fencing association. He analyzed the selection process of outstanding students from various countries and the elementary, middle, and high school education courses these students completed. Based on this, since 2008, he has been promoting educational systems that combine study and sports, as well as scholarship projects, to establish the American education system and school sports system domestically. Drawing on his experience, he discusses stories worth referencing in domestic public education and university entrance examination systems. Editor's Note

☞Reference: [Jung Kyu-young's Presidential Election and University Admission①] Speaking about Education to the President of the Republic of Korea

Jung Kyu-young, President of the Nonprofit Organization 'Studying Athletes, Exercising Students'

As mentioned in Part 1, elementary, middle, and high school education is directed according to the university entrance examination system. In other words, it is no exaggeration to say that the university entrance examination system governs education in the Republic of Korea. Given how many times this crucial university entrance examination system has changed, it seems meaningless to argue about where and how it went wrong. Instead, concrete measures are proposed.

First, I propose a reform plan for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT, known as Suneung). Currently, the CSAT is too difficult. Common sense suggests that all examinees inevitably rely on private education. I majored in environmental engineering at Stanford Graduate School in the U.S. Recently, I tried solving chemistry, math, and English questions from past CSAT exams. In reality, many questions were at a level where high school students would find it difficult to achieve good scores without private education. Since the CSAT is a 'general exam' that all students basically take, it should be at a level that does not require excessive private education. I believe it should be at a level where students from other regions can attend school and study independently to achieve high scores without private tutoring. The CSAT should not be a single exam that determines one's future. Expecting respect for teachers from students preparing for the CSAT, when the exam questions are far more difficult than what is taught in high school, is unreasonable.

Second, the CSAT should be offered multiple times a year. It should not be a gamble-like exam that decides students' lives with just one test. Students should be able to take it whenever they want, when they are prepared, or when they want to improve their scores. There should be no age restrictions. For example, if a first-year high school student takes the CSAT and achieves a sufficient score, they should no longer waste time preparing for the CSAT but instead learn and experience more through other extracurricular activities, volunteer work, or internships. In the U.S., the SAT1, equivalent to the Korean CSAT, can be taken up to seven times a year, and students only need to submit their highest score to universities. This considers that the difficulty of each test and students' conditions cannot always be the same.

Let me share one example. There was a quite smart male student. Unfortunately, he thought the standardized classes in Korean high schools were a waste of time. Many students gave up on university admission or neglected school classes and instead attended online lectures or academies after school. This student decided to study abroad in the U.S. He adapted well there and was recognized among teachers. However, he had a fatal weakness: the SAT1 exam. Although he was an excellent student receiving A grades in all subjects at an American high school, his SAT1 scores did not meet expectations. When he asked for counseling, I encouraged him, saying, "Don't worry and keep taking the test until you get a satisfactory score." He eventually took the SAT1 five times and finally achieved the desired score to enter Harvard University. I still remember the joyful expression of that student who came to me holding the acceptance letter.

Next, the CSAT should be offered in multiple formats. Not just one type as it is now, but different types of CSAT should be available. Students should be able to choose the format that suits them best. In the U.S., there are two types of exams: the SAT and the ACT. The SAT consists of three subjects?reading, writing and language, and math?with a maximum score of 1600. The ACT covers four subjects?reading, English, math, and science?with a maximum score of 36. There is also an optional writing section. Generally, students strong in English tend to prefer the ACT, while those strong in math tend to prefer the SAT. Students can choose to take the exam that benefits them or both. They can submit the higher score among the two to universities.

In conclusion, our CSAT should be transformed into an exam that gives students opportunities without despairing over failure. Parents and students should be able to understand and prepare for the CSAT without the help of private education experts. At the very least, no student's hopes should be shattered by a single CSAT despite having faithfully completed elementary, middle, and high school education. The CSAT is meant to verify whether students have the basic ability to attend university classes. It is problematic to create overly difficult questions that make students unhappy or overheat the private education market. An easier CSAT does not mean students' university academic abilities decline. If that were true, the prestige of top universities like Harvard or Stanford in the U.S. would not be what it is today. The real problem is not an easy CSAT but the downward leveling of high school education.