"September Mock Exam Korean Easier Than Last CSAT... Math Difficulty Similar"

On the 31st, when the September mock test for the College Scholastic Ability Test was conducted, high school seniors were preparing for the exam at Yongsan High School in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] An analysis of the September mock test for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) held on the 31st revealed that the difficulty levels of the Korean, Math, and English sections were similar to or easier than the previous CSAT.

This mock test was conducted in the same integrated liberal arts and science format as the one changed last year. Since last year, the CSAT has been administered without distinguishing between liberal arts and science tracks, requiring students to take common subjects in Korean and Math and choose one elective subject.

Admissions experts evaluated that the Korean section was somewhat easier compared to last year’s CSAT and the June mock test. While the common subject was relatively easy, the elective subject Language and Media was analyzed to have been difficult. Accordingly, students who chose Language and Media are likely to receive higher standard scores than those who selected Speech and Writing. The more difficult questions included question 13 on "Inheritance Reserved Portion" and question 16 on "Webpage Relationship Diagram."

Im Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy, stated, "Students who chose Language and Media might have been very confused from the moment they encountered the questions due to the grammar problems presented," adding, "Facing difficult questions from the start could have affected their performance even in the common subjects."

The English section was evaluated to be easier than last year’s CSAT and this June’s mock test. The passages were relatively shorter, and typically difficult question types such as blank inference and sequence arrangement were presented in an easier manner. The high-difficulty question was identified as question 39, the sentence insertion type.

However, admissions experts advised against assuming that the CSAT will be administered at a similar difficulty level. Kim Won-jung, Director, explained, "Although the September mock test was easier than last year’s CSAT and this June’s mock test, English is an absolute evaluation subject where it is difficult to predict the top grade ratio, so consistent study until the actual CSAT is necessary."

The Math section was evaluated to have been as difficult as last year’s CSAT and this June’s mock test. In the common subject, the difficulty of the 4-point multiple-choice questions increased, and among the elective subjects, Calculus was difficult, while Probability and Statistics and Geometry were relatively easier. The high-difficulty questions included question 15 on sequences in the common subject and question 22 on differentiation of polynomial functions.

Kim Byung-jin, Director of the Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute, analyzed, "Although the question types were similar to the June mock test, there were no questions requiring extensive calculations, and many 4-point questions demanded mathematical thinking, so the perceived difficulty gap between high- and low-ranking students is expected to be large." Kim Won-jung, Director of Admissions Strategy at Gangnam Daesung Academy, said, "Recently, questions in the common subjects Math I and Math II have mainly been difficult, so the study proportion for common subjects should be increased," adding, "Especially for students choosing Probability and Statistics, increasing the study proportion of common subjects is necessary."

Woo Yeon-cheol, Director of the Admissions Strategy Research Institute at Jinhaksa, said, "The September mock test is the most important benchmark for deciding final early admission applications and preparing for regular admissions, so the focus should be more on how to utilize the results rather than the results themselves."

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