Nearly 200,000 repeat test-takers registered for this year’s Suneung, the highest number in 23 years

Nearly 200,000 repeat test-takers are expected to sit South Korea’s 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test, marking the highest level in 23 years. The exam will take place on Nov. 19.

The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation announced the registration results on the 8th. A total of 551,864 people applied, down 2,310, or 0.4%, from last year’s 554,174.

Current students accounted for 355,391 applicants, a year-on-year decrease of 16,506, or 4.4%. Their share fell to 64.4%. By contrast, graduate applicants rose by 13,784, or 8.6%, to 173,706, lifting their proportion to 31.5%. Other applicants, including those taking the qualification examination route, also increased slightly to 22,767, or 4.1%.

The decline among current students was therefore largely offset by repeat test-takers and qualification-examination applicants. The article also points to a deepening “social studies switch,” in which students from the natural sciences track move to social studies subjects because they face a relatively lighter study burden.