September Mock Exam English Test Easier Than Last Year, While Record Repeat Test-Takers and Subject Switching Add Uncertainty

The English section of South Korea’s final September mock exam before the November 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test was considered easier than last year’s unusually difficult exam. Teachers said other subjects were similar to, or somewhat easier than, last year’s test.

Kim Jin-seok, a teacher at Somyeong Girls’ High School who led the Korea Educational Broadcasting System’s field teachers’ panel, said the exam maintained the expected test direction so students could prepare for the CSAT without confusion. He said the range of question difficulty should distinguish appropriately among mid- and upper-level students.

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We maintained the CSAT’s test direction so students can prepare for the exam without confusion.

Kim Ye-ryeong of Daewon Foreign Language High School said the English test felt clearly easier because it used familiar words rather than the abstract concepts that appeared frequently last year. Only 3.11% of students received the top grade in last year’s English test, the lowest share since the subject adopted absolute grading. The rate was also low at 4.13% in June.

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Last year’s CSAT included many abstract concepts, but this test used words students commonly encounter, so it was clearly easier.

Teachers generally judged Korean easier than last year’s difficult test but harder than the June mock exam. The top standard score stood at 147 in last year’s CSAT and 132 in June. Mathematics was assessed as similar to last year’s easier CSAT, although the September test included slightly more questions to separate the highest-performing students than the June exam.

The September mock exam drew 500,128 applicants. Current students numbered 388,203, or 77.6%, down by 22,007 from last year. Graduates and equivalency examinees totaled 111,925, or 22.4%, an increase of 6,235 and the highest number and proportion since 2011. Teachers advised students to assess conservatively whether they can meet the minimum CSAT requirements for early admissions because the larger repeat-taker pool could push grade cutoffs higher than expected. Meanwhile, social studies selections rose to 67.6% of all inquiry-subject applications, from 60.7% last September, as science-track students increasingly chose the less burdensome option. The teachers’ panel said the strategy has already become common and should not be treated as a major new variable.

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This year, the decline in current students makes judging the likelihood of meeting the minimum CSAT requirements for early admissions an important variable.