September Mock Exam Brings ‘Social Studies Switch’ and Record Repeat Test-Taker Numbers

South Korea’s final mock college entrance exam before the national test will take place on Sept. 2, as students navigate two notable trends: natural-science students choosing social-studies subjects and a record number of graduates retaking the exam.

The September mock exam is prepared by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, the institution that also sets the national College Scholastic Ability Test. Held just over two months before the main exam, it gives students a chance to assess the likely direction and difficulty of the test and to gauge their standing among other candidates.

This year, 500,128 students registered. Current students account for 388,203, or 77.6% of the total. Graduates and other repeat test-takers number 111,925, or 22.4%.

The current-student total fell by 22,007 from a year earlier, while the number of graduates and other repeat candidates rose by 6,235. The high participation of repeat test-takers is expected to draw attention to how results from the mock exam could shape students’ admissions strategies.