[Opinion] The CSAT Divided by Ultra-High Difficulty Questions, That Is Unfair

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The SAT, the American equivalent of the Korean CSAT, feels easier than the CSAT. Paul Yoon, a mathematics professor at El Camino State University and an SAT test creator, shared his thoughts after encountering CSAT questions on a broadcast. "I tried solving one question. It took me over 10 minutes. (Host: It's very difficult, right?) Yes. I concluded that 'this type of question is impossible to solve without prior training.'

The killer (ultra-difficult) and semi-killer questions on the CSAT are so hard that even SAT creators throw up their hands. Some questions are even set outside the curriculum. Such a difficult CSAT is making us sick. Students and parents rely heavily on private education. Although the youth population is decreasing, the private education market has grown from 12 trillion won in 2000 to 26 trillion won today. Meanwhile, the middle class’s retirement security is becoming precarious. Many families spend over 2 million won monthly on academies and private tutoring. Retirement funds are leaking away. Seeing this, people in their 20s and 30s choose not to have children. There is a strong correlation between the difficult CSAT, the bloated private education market, insecure retirement, and the world’s lowest birthrate.

Examinees experience immense stress. Following CSAT trends, killer and semi-killer questions appear even in high school midterms and finals. No matter how much they study, they become frustrated. Otherwise capable students become math dropouts.

The average high school student in Seoul corresponds to the middle ranks, around grades 4 to 5 out of 9. The current admission system turns this majority middle group into losers. With grades 4 to 5, admission to universities within commuting distance is uncertain. The difficult CSAT creates a university hierarchy centered in Seoul, causing examinees nationwide to flock to Seoul universities. Students from non-metropolitan areas must spend a lot of money to come to Seoul instead of attending local universities. The ranking by CSAT scores does not enhance the international competitiveness of Seoul universities. Non-metropolitan universities suffer greatly, accelerating regional extinction.

The superstition that "the test must be difficult to create differentiation and fairness" still dominates. A difficult CSAT fosters unfairness. It is unfair that admission to medical schools hinges on unreasonable ultra-difficult questions. Collusion between test creators and private academies is also unfair. The current differentiation has degenerated into an ideology justifying vested interests such as private academies, specialized high schools, autonomous private high schools, and Gangnam elites.

According to Professor Paul Yoon, applicants to the top 25% of American universities score between 1600 and 1580 out of 1600 on the SAT I. This is almost no difference from the acceptance thresholds of Seoul National University Medical School, Yonsei University Medical School, and Sungkyunkwan University Medical School in Korea. Yet fairness issues do not arise in the U.S. The SAT, which is not unnecessarily difficult and focuses on fundamentals, reduces the number of students giving up on calculus, matrices, and vectors. It raises the competitiveness of universities evenly across the country.

Rejecting a difficult CSAT is a bold approach. It helps alleviate serious problems such as private education costs, exam hell, retirement insecurity, real estate inequality, regional extinction, and low birthrates. However, there are no signs of moving in this direction.

After the president’s remarks on CSAT difficulty, the issue became politicized through ruling and opposition party conflicts. If the November CSAT is slightly easier, the opposition party will criticize it as a "watered-down CSAT" and aim to win the general election by rallying the angry CSAT public sentiment. The year after the watered-down CSAT controversy, the CSAT difficulty always returns to normal. The government, which does not want such controversies, may maintain the CSAT difficulty at usual levels by replacing "ultra-difficult questions outside the curriculum" with "ultra-difficult questions within the curriculum." Either way, little changes and the problem remains unsolved.

Heo Man-seop, Professor at Gangneung-Wonju National University

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