Refer Report

As a result of the mock evaluation of the College Scholastic Ability Test in September 2025, which attracted the largest number of ‘N students’ (graduate applicants) in history, it was confirmed that the number of perfect scores in all areas of Korean, mathematics, and English was more than 10 times higher than in the mock evaluation in June. This mock evaluation is analyzed to be the easiest since the killer questions were excluded last year, but the large difference in difficulty seems to be increasing test-takers’ anxiety.

According to the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation on the 1st, a total of 63 people (19 current students, 45 graduates, etc.) received perfect scores in all sections in the mock evaluation of the CSAT held on September 4th. This is more than 10 times more than the 6 people (2 current students and 4 graduates) who received perfect scores in all areas of the mock evaluation last June. The percentage of grade 1 students by subject is 4.05% in Korean, 7.07% in mathematics, and 10.94% in English. Compared to last June’s rate of 1st grade: 4.6% in Korean, 4.57% in math, and 1.47% in English, a higher percentage of students scored 1st grade except for Korean.

In particular, the English subject, which was evaluated as ‘French-English’ in the mock evaluation last June, was made easy this time, and the number of students who received 90 points or more and received a first grade increased significantly. The percentage of English grade 1 in this mock assessment is the second highest since the 2018 school year when English was converted to an absolute assessment.

The difficulty level of the English section seems to have continued to fluctuate from 15.97% → 1.47% → 10.94% until this September since the mock evaluation in September of last year. In September of last year, the rate of grade 1 was the highest since the English section was changed to absolute evaluation in 2018, and in June of last year, the rate was the lowest since the 2018 school year. It is analyzed that the reason why the English section was relatively easy in this mock evaluation was because it was pointed out that the difficulty of English was too high in the mock evaluation last June, defeating the purpose of introducing absolute evaluation.

In the Korean language section, the highest standard score was 129 points, which was significantly lower than the highest score of 150 points in last year’s CSAT and the highest score of 148 points in the mock evaluation last June. This score is lower than the 2023 CSAT (134 points), which is evaluated as having relatively easy Korean language sections. The highest standard score is the score received by a perfect score, and as the test becomes more difficult and the average score falls, the highest score goes up. Generally, a score of 145 or higher is considered very difficult.

In the mathematics section, the highest standard score was 136 points, which is lower than last year’s CSAT score of 148 points and this June’s mock evaluation score of 152 points, so it is analyzed that the questions were easy as expected. In the area of ​​inquiry, in the case of social inquiry, the highest standard score was 66 to 72 points, so there was not much difference in scores between subjects, but in scientific inquiry, Earth Science II had the highest score with 74 points, and Physics I had 62 points, a difference of 12 points. In particular, in the case of Physics I, the grade 1 cut was the same as the highest standard score of 62 points, so a perfect score was required to receive grade 1. In response to this, Jinksa, an entrance examination company, said, “There was a phenomenon where even if you got just one question wrong without a level 2, you were lowered to level 3, which shows that it was not easy to adjust the difficulty level.”

As the September mock assessment questions become easier, there is an analysis that test takers will have difficulty preparing for the exam. Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongno Academy, said, “Students who did not get a score even though it became easier become more anxious when it becomes difficult, and students who thought they did well may become anxious as their rank is pushed back even if their raw score increases.” He also said, “Ever since last September, when we announced that we would not use killer questions, the Evaluation Institute has said that we will make the questions not difficult and differentiated, but the sudden fluctuations in the difficulty level of the test are excessive.” Wooyeon-cheol, head of the Entrance Exam Strategy Research Center at Jinjaksa, said, “Recalling the level of the mock evaluation last June, there is a possibility that there will be an adjustment in difficulty in the actual CSAT as the difference between the two mock evaluations is large.”

Meanwhile, the Evaluation Institute said, “Among the mock exam questions, there were enough questions that could distinguish the top tier,” and “There may be differences in difficulty between mock exams, but we will continue to maintain a test system that evaluates students’ understanding centered on concepts to faithfully follow the public education process.” “We plan to present questions that are advantageous to students who have applied,” he said. Individual scores will be notified to test takers on the 2nd.

Reporter Shin So-yoon yoon@hani.co.kr

Source: Korean