"Like Youth Where Green Waves Bounce Brightly"... Handwriting Verification Phrase Perfect for Examinees

Quoted from An Gyurye's poem "Morning Walk"
Handwriting verification phrase introduced after the 2005 CSAT

The poem "Morning Walk" by poet An Gyurye was quoted as the handwriting verification phrase for the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). On November 13, the phrase "Like youth where green waves bounce brightly" was used as the handwriting verification phrase for the 2026 CSAT.

The poem "Morning Walk" by poet An Gyurye was quoted as the handwriting verification phrase for the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). Photo by Yonhap News

First, each CSAT examinee must write the designated phrase in the handwriting verification section of the answer sheet at the beginning of each subject area. The phrase is printed on the cover of the test booklet. The handwriting verification phrase was introduced for the CSAT starting from the 2006 academic year to prevent proxy test-taking, following the detection of large-scale cheating in the 2005 CSAT. This phrase must also contain technical elements that allow for the identification of each examinee's handwriting. The phrase length is between 12 and 19 characters, and it must include at least two of the consonants 'ㄹ', 'ㅁ', or 'ㅂ', which reveal individual writing styles. The phrase used for the 2024 CSAT last year was "The broadest road is always within my heart."

In particular, phrases with messages of encouragement for examinees are often selected, drawing attention each year. The most frequently quoted poem is "Nostalgia" by poet Chung Jiyong. The phrase "My heart grown from the soil, the color of the blue sky" was used in both the first year, 2006, and again in 2017. The opening line of the same poem, "To the eastern end of the wide field," was used in 2007. Last year, a line from poet Kwak Euiyoung's poem "To My One and Only Beautiful Daughter," which reads "Spread your big dreams in the wide world," was chosen. In 2022, the phrase was "Dreaming of soaring into the wide sky" (Lee Haein, "A Little Song"); in 2023, it was "My dream is to become a clear breeze" (Han Yongun, "My Dream"); and in 2024, it was "The broadest road is always within my heart" (Yang Kwangmo, "The Broadest Road").

On the morning of the 13th, when the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) was held, examinees were preparing for the exam at the test site set up at Gyeongbok High School in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Meanwhile, the number of CSAT examinees this year is 554,174, an increase of 31,504 (6.0%) compared to the previous year’s 522,679. This is largely due to a surge in test-takers among current high school seniors born in 2007, known as the "Year of the Golden Pig," which saw a temporary baby boom. In terms of total examinees, this is the highest number in seven years since the 2019 academic year (594,924). The number of test-takers with a high school equivalency diploma also increased, with 22,355 (4.0%) applying for this year’s CSAT, up 0.2 percentage points from last year’s 20,109. On the other hand, the number of repeat examinees decreased to 159,922 (28.9%), down by 1,862 (2.1 percentage points) from last year’s 161,784 (31.0%). This is believed to be due to the restoration of medical school admission quotas, which has made university admissions more competitive again.

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