[2026 CSAT] Admissions Industry: "English Section Similar to or Slightly Harder Than Last Year's Test"

English Grade 1 Rate Expected to Be 5?6 Percent on 2026 CSAT

The admissions industry has assessed that the English section of the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test was set at a level similar to, or somewhat more difficult than, last year's test.

On the 13th, Jongro Academy analyzed that "the test was similar to last year's CSAT and easier than the mock test conducted in September this year." No new question types were introduced, and the section followed the existing formats. However, difficult questions were appropriately mixed in, making it possible to distinguish high-performing students.

Jongro Academy identified questions 39 (3 points, sentence insertion) and 34 (3 points, inference for a blank) as the most challenging in the English section. For question 39, they noted that it likely felt difficult because there was no clear basis for the correct answer. Question 34, which involved inference for a blank, was categorized as a difficult type, and since it dealt with philosophical topics such as Kant and Hobbes, understanding the passage would not have been easy.

On the 13th, the day the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test was held, the calendar hanging in front of the exam room at Yongsan High School in Yongsan District, Seoul, shows the test date. 2025.11.13. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Uway predicted that the percentage of students achieving a Grade 1 in the English section of the 2026 CSAT would be around 5 to 6 percent. Last year, the percentage was 6.22 percent.

Lee Manki, Director of the Uway Educational Evaluation Research Institute, stated, "The test was more difficult compared to last year's CSAT," and added, "It is similar to the mock test held in September this year." In the September mock test, the percentage of students achieving Grade 1 was 4.5 percent.

Director Lee explained, "While familiar topics linked to EBS appeared and the overall vocabulary was standard, some words were presented with additional meanings. Students who did not study vocabulary in depth may have found it challenging." He also analyzed, "Although the overall difficulty of the passages was standard, some high-difficulty questions ensured differentiation, and the presence of many attractive distractors increased the perceived difficulty for students."

Nam Yoongon, Director of the Megastudy Education Admissions Strategy Research Institute, also stated, "The English section of the 2026 CSAT appears to have been set at a higher level of difficulty than last year's test."

Director Nam added, "In particular, the placement of high-difficulty questions changed, which likely made the test feel more challenging. The questions that determined the grade boundaries were numbers 24, 32, 34, 37, and 39."

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