June Mock Exam Slightly Easier Than Last Year's CSAT... Math Difficulty Similar (Comprehensive)

Korean, Strengthened EBS Linkage Rate... Increased Perceived Difficulty
Math, New Problem Arrangement and Expressions Are Challenging
English, Vocabulary Difficulty Up... Attractive Distractor Placement

In the June mock exam for the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) held on the 1st, the Korean and English sections were somewhat easier than last year's CSAT, while the math section was assessed to be at a similar level to the difficult CSAT. It was expected that the perceived linkage rate between the 'EBS CSAT-linked textbooks' and the 'CSAT' would increase, and this trend was particularly noticeable in the Korean section.

The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE), the organization responsible for setting the CSAT, conducted the June mock exam simultaneously at 2,107 high schools (including education offices) and 463 designated academies nationwide from 8:40 a.m. KICE maintained the EBS linkage rate at the existing 50% level but aimed to increase the perceived linkage rate. This is interpreted as a measure considering the learning loss caused by COVID-19.

According to the analysis of the question trends and difficulty levels for each subject by Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute on the same day, it was emphasized that it is important to become familiar with the new question trends attempted by KICE through the June mock exam analysis.

On the morning of June 1st, when the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) mock exam was conducted, students at Yeouido Girls' High School in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, were waiting for the exam to start in their classrooms. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Korean, Enhanced Perceived EBS Linkage Rate

In the Korean section, due to the strengthened linkage with EBS, the reading part was composed of content that was easy to approach, but the perceived difficulty in literature was analyzed to be somewhat higher.

The reading part included many passages directly quoted from EBS textbooks, so students who studied EBS thoroughly likely found it not difficult. It consisted of four passages: three questions related to the 'Motivation Theory of Reading' in reading theory; six questions on humanities topics including '(a) Identity Theory, Functionalism, Speech Act Theory, and Lorenz's Extended Cognition Theory' and '(b) Objectivist Philosophy on Perception'; four questions on social topics about 'Janis, Levendal, and Witte's Research on Fear Appeals'; and four questions on science topics about 'Types and Composition of Catalysts.'

In the literature part, modern novels might have been somewhat difficult to approach, with three out of six works linked to EBS. In modern poetry, 'Oath' by Jo Ji-hoon and 'Spring' by Oh Kyu-won were included, and in classical poetry, 'Hangeo Shipalgok' by Kwon Ho-mun and 'Gichwiseohaeng' by Kim Nak-haeng were featured. The classical novel was the anonymous 'Sangsadonggi,' and the modern novel used as a passage was 'Moseonggyeokja' by Choi Myung-ik.

Both elective subjects, 'Language and Media' and 'Speech and Writing,' were analyzed to be at a similar level to last year's CSAT. In the Language and Media section, questions included medieval Korean grammar, a visible radio broadcast about lighthouse stamp travel, an electronic document user manual for a scale, and social network conversations. It was analyzed that the difficulty could vary depending on students' adaptation to medieval Korean questions. In the Speech and Writing section, various contents such as introductions to Korean linguists Ju Si-gyeong and Choi Hyun-bae, newspaper-style debates and impressions, and planning articles on changing school spaces were included, which were assessed to have some difficulty.

Math, Mixed Reactions on Difficulty... "Many Challenging Questions"

Regarding the math section, reactions from the admissions industry were mixed about the difficulty. Generally, it was analyzed to be similar or somewhat easier than last year's CSAT, but some noted that the presence of many unfamiliar question types likely increased the perceived difficulty.

In the common math subject, question 22 was somewhat challenging. Like last year's CSAT, question 22 was based on the average rate of change in the differentiation unit as a conditional expression. Since students had to infer the meaning of the conditional expression, those who lacked practice interpreting unfamiliar expressions were expected to find it somewhat difficult.

The elective subject Probability and Statistics was evaluated to have questions of similar difficulty and type to last year's CSAT. The difficulty of the quasi-killer and killer questions was similar to the CSAT, and questions requiring lengthy prompts, situation analysis, and many steps of calculation were included, so the perceived difficulty for students was expected to be high.

Calculus was analyzed to be somewhat easier than last year's CSAT. Out of eight questions, six were from the differentiation unit, and two were from the limits of sequences unit, with a heavier emphasis on differentiation. No questions with provided diagrams were included.

Geometry was also analyzed to be easier than last year's CSAT. Question 28 asked whether students could interpret the equation of a figure expressed by the inner product of vectors; question 29 was a straightforward question solvable if one knew the definition of a hyperbola; question 30 combined concepts from conic sections and plane vectors but could be solved by recalling the use of tangents to an ellipse.

On the morning of June 1, the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) mock exam was conducted, and a student was filling out an answer sheet at Yeouido Girls' High School in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

English, Similar Difficulty to Last Year's CSAT... Higher Perceived Difficulty

The English section was overall set at a difficulty level similar to last year's CSAT. However, it included somewhat difficult vocabulary and trap answer choices, which likely increased the perceived difficulty for test-takers.

Passages covered diverse topics such as society, economy, philosophy, science, and technology. Besides vocabulary with footnotes, many difficult words were included, raising the overall vocabulary difficulty. Additionally, the presence of trap answer choices may have contributed to a higher perceived difficulty.

Looking at detailed question trends, in 'blank inference' questions, the choices were relatively easy, so if students understood the passage well, the correct answer rate was expected not to be low. However, question 34, which included a sentence with a blank, was difficult to interpret, and the attractive incorrect options likely made it hard for students to find the correct answer.

Unlike recent questions that were only underlined vocabulary, the 'vocabulary' section was presented in a format where students had to choose the word that fits the context inside a box, an unfamiliar question type for students. The passage content also included questions that were not easy to interpret or infer clues from.

Kim Byung-jin, head of Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute, advised, "In Korean, students should review the CSAT-linked textbooks in response to the strengthened perceived EBS linkage rate. For English, it is good to plan vocabulary study and analyze the reasons for high incorrect answer rates even for questions answered correctly. For math, it is necessary not to be confined to the standardized format of past questions but to create and practice a sequence for solving similar types of problems, and also to practice accurate solutions to adapt to the increased amount of calculation."

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