2026 College Entrance Exam Sees Largest Turnout in 7 Years... 550,000 Nationwide Take on University Challenge

14,952 Jeonnam Students Begin the CSAT at 46 Test Centers
Despite Reduced Medical School Quotas, Strong Enthusiasm Among Repeat Examinees... Current Student Numbers Up 9.1%
Jeonnam Education Office: "Minimizing Confusion on Exam Day" with Inter-Agency Cooperation
"Experience Over Correct Answers" ? Superintendent Kim Daejung Sends Encouragement to Test-Takers

The 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test will be administered simultaneously at 1,310 test centers across 85 test districts nationwide at 8:40 a.m. on November 13.

This year, a total of 554,174 candidates have registered for the exam, an increase of 31,504 (6.0%) compared to last year. This is the largest number of applicants in seven years since the 2019 academic year, which had 594,924 candidates. Of the total, 371,897 are current students (67.1%), marking a 9.1% increase from the previous year, while 159,922 are graduates (28.9%), a decrease from last year.

With the medical school quota for the 2026 academic year reduced to 3,016 students, returning to pre-expansion levels, the proportion of repeat examinees has decreased slightly but remains high. Other applicants, including those who passed the qualification exam, totaled 22,355 (4.0%).

Banners cheering on students taking the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test are hung on roads in the Jeonnam region. Photo by Lee Jungkyung

In the Jeonnam region, a total of 14,952 students will take on the challenge of the college entrance exam at 46 test centers across seven test districts, including Mokpo, Yeosu, Suncheon, Naju, Gwangyang, Damyang, and Haenam.

The Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education conducted pre-inspections of the test material storage conditions and broadcasting equipment at each test district to minimize confusion on the day of the exam. In addition, it established a cooperative system with relevant agencies such as the police, fire department, Korea Electric Power Corporation, and the Korea Coast Guard to prepare for unexpected situations.

Test-takers must enter their exam rooms by 8:10 a.m., and will begin the first session, the Korean Language section, at 8:40 a.m. The exam will continue for about nine hours, concluding with the Second Foreign Language/Classical Chinese section at 5:45 p.m.

This year’s test will follow the same structure as last year: ▲Session 1 Korean Language ▲Session 2 Mathematics ▲Session 3 English ▲Session 4 Korean History and Inquiry (Social Studies, Science, Vocational Studies) ▲Session 5 Second Foreign Language/Classical Chinese.

The integrated liberal arts and sciences system, introduced in the 2022 academic year, will remain in place this year. For Korean Language, students must take the common 'Reading and Literature' section and choose between 'Speech and Composition' or 'Language and Media.' For Mathematics, students must take the common 'Mathematics I and II' section and select one subject from 'Probability and Statistics,' 'Calculus,' or 'Geometry.'

Korean History is mandatory for all examinees; those who do not take it will not receive a score report. For Social Studies and Science Inquiry, students may choose up to two subjects from a total of 17. For Vocational Inquiry, up to two subjects can be selected from six available.

For the Second Foreign Language/Classical Chinese section, one subject must be chosen from nine options. The English, Korean History, and Second Foreign Language/Classical Chinese sections are graded on an absolute scale, with only grades indicated. Score reports will be distributed to examinees on December 5.

Kim Daejung, Superintendent of Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education, encouraged the students by saying, "True education is about gifting children experiences, not just correct answers," and added, "I hope you will have more confidence than worry, more faith than anxiety, and do your very best."

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