'Exclusion of Killer Questions' Applied in September Mock Exam... Cautious Academies, Increased Confusion Among Examinees

Some Entrance Exam Academies Avoid Mentioning 'Killer Questions'
Some Academies Decide Not to Release Same-Day Materials
"Need to Select Information Carefully to Judge Difficulty"

This year, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) will conduct a mock exam excluding 'killer questions' before the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). As it has become difficult to predict the difficulty level of the CSAT itself, and some private academies are reluctant to analyze the difficulty compared to previous years, it is expected that confusion among test-takers will increase.

On the 6th, starting from 8:40 a.m., the 2024 CSAT September mock exam will begin at 2,139 high schools nationwide (including education offices) and 485 designated private academies. The September mock exam has the same test characteristics, subject areas, and number of questions as the 2024 CSAT, which will be held on November 16.

This mock exam is considered the first and last opportunity for test-takers to explore the difficulty level of this year’s CSAT. This is because the government announced in June that killer questions would be excluded from this year’s CSAT, and this will be applied for the first time in the September mock exam. By excluding killer questions, it will be possible to predict the approximate difficulty level of the CSAT through this mock exam.

On the 1st, repeat students are taking the June mock exam for the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test at the Jongno Academy headquarters in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

However, confusion is expected as some large private academies are cautious due to changes in government policy. Daesung Academy plans not to release real-time analysis data on question trends and difficulty during this mock exam, unlike previous years. This is the first time since its establishment in 1965 that Daesung Academy will not provide analysis data on the day of the exam. JinHakSa has also decided not to release analysis data on the day of the exam. Both academies plan to disclose difficulty analysis data the day after the mock exam. Additionally, EBS will analyze and announce question trends for each session on the day of the mock exam with current high school teachers.

Other academies such as Jongno Academy, MegaStudy, Uway, and EtoosEdu plan to release analysis data on question trends and difficulty for each session as usual, but are expected to refrain from mentioning 'killer questions.' The reason some academies hesitate to analyze the mock exam is believed to be because the government has emphasized 'breaking the private education cartel' as a key reform value and is increasing pressure on private education companies. An industry insider said, "If we say 'this question is a killer,' we might face pressure (from the government), so we are afraid," adding, "We try to avoid mentioning killer questions as much as possible." Recently, with tax audits by the National Tax Service and on-site inspections by the Ministry of Education targeting large private academies, the academy industry has become very cautious.

Due to these changes, test-takers are expected to have difficulty analyzing the difficulty level. It has already become difficult to predict the difficulty due to government policy, and private academies are likely to provide different information. Academies intend to focus as much as possible on analyzing the difficulty of the mock exam itself. A MegaStudy representative explained, "Since the CSAT follows immediately after the September mock exam, it is difficult to say that the mock exam difficulty directly corresponds to the CSAT difficulty," adding, "The biggest problem this year is that it is hard to predict what difficulty level the CSAT will have." An EtoosEdu representative also said, "Test-takers may feel confused," and advised, "If each company provides different information, it is better for students to selectively judge and decide for themselves."

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