The College Scholastic Ability Test or CSAT ( ko, , ), also abbreviated Suneung ( ko, , ), is a
standardized test
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predete ...
which is recognized by
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n universities. The Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) administers the annual test on the third Thursday in November.
In 2020, however, it was postponed to the first Thursday in December (December 3), due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Although the CSAT was originally designed to assess the scholastic ability required for college, it is currently a national graduation test for high-school students. By determining the university a student can enter, it plays an important role in
South Korean education. The test has been cited for its efficiency, emphasis on merit, and good international results.
Of the students taking the test, 20 percent are high-school graduates who did not achieve their desired score the previous year.
On test day, the
KRX
Korea Exchange (KRX) is the sole securities exchange operator in South Korea. It is headquartered in Busan, and has an office for cash markets and market oversight in Seoul.
History
The Korea Exchange was created through the integration of Ko ...
stock market opens late, and bus and metro service is increased to avoid
traffic jam
Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic de ...
s and allow students to get to the testing sites more easily. Planes are grounded during the listening portion of the English section so their noise does not disturb the students. In some cases, students running late for the test may be escorted to their testing site by
police officers
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
via motorcycle. Younger students and members of the students' families gather outside testing sites to cheer them on.
Purpose
The CSAT is designed to test a candidate's ability to study in college, with questions based on Korea's high-school curriculum. It standardizes high-school education and provides accurate, objective data for university admission.
Schedule
All questions are multiple-choice, except for the 9 questions in the Mathematics section, which are short answer.
Sections
The CSAT consists of six sections: national language (
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
), mathematics, English, Korean history, subordinate subjects (social studies, sciences, and vocational education), and second foreign language/Chinese characters and classics. All sections are optional except Korean history, but most candidates take all the other sections except second foreign language/Classical Chinese.
In the mathematics section, candidates are made to take Math I (which consists of
Logarithm
In mathematics, the logarithm is the inverse function to exponentiation. That means the logarithm of a number to the base is the exponent to which must be raised, to produce . For example, since , the ''logarithm base'' 10 o ...
,
Sequences
In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is called t ...
and
Trigonometry
Trigonometry () is a branch of mathematics that studies relationships between side lengths and angles of triangles. The field emerged in the Hellenistic world during the 3rd century BC from applications of geometry to astronomical studies. T ...
) and Math II (which consists of
Limits
Limit or Limits may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Limit'' (manga), a manga by Keiko Suenobu
* ''Limit'' (film), a South Korean film
* Limit (music), a way to characterize harmony
* "Limit" (song), a 2016 single by Luna Sea
* "Limits", a 2019 ...
and
Calculus
Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...
on polynomials), and allowed to select one among
Probability
Probability is the branch of mathematics concerning numerical descriptions of how likely an Event (probability theory), event is to occur, or how likely it is that a proposition is true. The probability of an event is a number between 0 and ...
and
Statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...
,
Geometry
Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...
and
Calculus
Calculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals", is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithm ...
.
The subordinate subjects is divided into three sections: social studies, science, and vocational education. Candidates may choose up to two subjects, but may not select from different sections at the same time; Physics II and Biology I may be chosen for the subordinate section since both are sciences, but World history and Principles of Accounting may notthe former is in the social studies section, and the latter in vocational education. Only vocational high-school graduates can choose the vocational education section.
In the second foreign language/Classical Chinese section, the candidate chooses one subject.
Most high-ranked universities require applicants to take two science subordinate subjects and Geometry or Calculus in the mathematics section if they apply for a STEM major, and do not accept subordinate subjects in the same field (such as Physics I and Physics II).
National Language
In the National Language section, candidates are assessed on their ability to read, understand and analyse Korean texts rapidly and accurately. Its 45 questions of the subject are classified into four categories:
Common topics
* Questions 1-17: Reading
* Questions 18-34: Literature
Elective topics (select 1 out of 2 options, Q35-45)
* Speech and Writing
* Language and Media
Common subjects
= Reading
=
This category consists of four articles, from the topics reading theory, humanities/arts, law/economy and science/technology. Each passage has 3-6 questions. Candidates need to answer questions such as, "Of the five statements below, which one does not agree with the passage above?" or "According to the passage, which one is the correct analysis of the following example?"
= Literature
=
This category consists of texts from five categories: modern poetry, classic poetry, modern novel, classical prose and play/essay. Candidates may be asked to summarise a single passage or outline a common theme between multiple texts (sometimes of different text types), among many other question types.
Elective subjects
= Speech and writing
=
This category consists of 11 questions relating to three texts.
= Language and Media
=
Language forms questions 35-39 and relates to four topics:
phonology
Phonology is the branch of linguistics that studies how languages or dialects systematically organize their sounds or, for sign languages, their constituent parts of signs. The term can also refer specifically to the sound or sign system of a ...
,
syntax
In linguistics, syntax () is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns of syntax include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure ( constituency) ...
,
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
* Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
* Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...
and
history of Korean
The traditional periodization of Korean distinguishes:
* Old Korean (, to 918), the earliest attested stage of the language, through to the fall of Unified Silla. Many authors include the few inscriptions from Silla in the Three Kingdoms period. ...
. An additional topic may be used to complete the required five, or two questions are taken from morphology or syntax. Media forms questions 40-45 and relates to the characteristics of media and the creation of an online post or message.
Mathematics
All mathematics candidates take the Maths I and II and select one elective topic from three choices: Calculus, Geometry or Probability and Statistics. Calculus is most preferred by students applying for natural science majors, while Probability and Statistics are preferred by students applying for the humanities. Geometry is the least popular, with only 4.1% of students selecting it as their elective.
The Ga and Na type system was abolished from 2022 onwards, which means that students applying for the natural-sciences majors no longer have to study all three topics.
Subordinate subjects
* Second foreign Language/Classical Chinese
** German I
** French I
** Spanish I
** Chinese I
** Japanese I
** Russian I
** Arabic I
** Vietnamese I
** Classical Chinese I
Writing of the test
The test is written in September each year by about 500 South Korean teachers through a secretive process in an undisclosed location in
Gangwon
Gangwon or Kangwŏn may refer to:
* Gangwon Province (historical), the Goryeo, Joseon Dynasty and the Japanese Korean province
* Gangwon Province (South Korea), a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Kore ...
. The test writers are prohibited from communicating with the outside world.
Administration
High-school graduates and students about to graduate high school may take the test. After the KICE prints test papers and
OMR cards, they are distributed three days before the test to each test area. In 2018, there were 85 test areas.
Test monitors are middle- or high-school teachers. Superintendents of each education office decide who will monitor and where they will go. There are two test monitors for each period, except for the fourth period (which has three, because of test-paper collection). Most testing rooms are high-school classrooms, and there is a 28-candidate limit in each room.
Except for the English and Korean-history sections, grades are based on a
stanine
Stanine (STAndard NINE) is a method of scaling test scores on a nine-point standard scale with a mean of five and a standard deviation of two.
Some web sources attribute stanines to the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Psychometric lege ...
curve. Grade, percentile, and a standard score for each section and subject are added to the transcript. The standard score is calculated by the following formula:
and
are
standard score
In statistics, the standard score is the number of standard deviations by which the value of a raw score (i.e., an observed value or data point) is above or below the mean value of what is being observed or measured. Raw scores above the mean ...
s.
is the
standard deviation
In statistics, the standard deviation is a measure of the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of values. A low standard deviation indicates that the values tend to be close to the mean (also called the expected value) of the set, while ...
of the standard score, and
is its average. In the national-language and mathematics sections,
is 20 and
is 100. For the rest,
is 10 and
is 50.
is calculated by the following formula:
is the candidate's original score.
is the average of the original
candidate scores.
is the candidate's standard deviation.
Examples
Although the CSAT is compared to the US
SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
, their relative importance is different.
Mathematics
Since CSAT problems are designed for all high school students, its overall difficulty is not too high. But some of them can be very tricky, which are so-called 'killer problems'. Here are some killer problems that were on the test.
The 30th problem in type Ga of the 2016 CSAT was:
A function defined for , where is a constant, and a quartic function whose leading coefficient is satisfy the three conditions below:
A) For all real numbers , such that , .
B) For two different real numbers and , has the same local maximum at and . ()
C) has more local extrema than does.
. Find the minimum of .
The 29th mathematics problem in the 1997 CSAT had an all-time low correct-response rate of 0.08 percent:
If two equations and have 7 and 9 solutions respectively and a set is an infinite set, , the number of elements in 's subset, varies according to the values of and . Find the maximum of .
The 29th problem in mathematics subject type B (the former Ga) of the 2013 CSAT follows:
and are points on the sphere . and are the foots of two perpendiculars from and to the plane respectively. and are the foots of two perpendiculars from and to the plane respectively. Find the maximum of .
English
The following question appeared on 2010 CSAT, and had a correct-response rate of 9.77 percent. The paragraph is excerpted from
John Leofric Stocks
John Leofric Stocks DSO (26 October 1882 – 13 June 1937) was a British philosopher and was briefly Vice Chancellor of the University of Liverpool in 1937.
Biography
Stocks was born the sixth of twelve children to John Edward Stocks, the vicar o ...
' "The Limits of Purpose":
So far as you are wholly concentrated on bringing about a certain result, clearly, the quicker and easier it is brought about the better. Your resolve to secure a sufficiency of food for yourself and your family will induce you to spend weary days in tilling the ground and tending livestock; but if Nature provided food and meat in abundance ready for the table, you would thank Nature for sparing you much labor and consider yourself so much the better off. An executed purpose, in short, is a transaction in which the time and energy spent on the execution are balanced against the resulting assets, and the ideal case is one in which__________________. Purpose, then, justifies the efforts it exacts only conditionally, by their fruits.
# demand exceeds supply, resulting in greater returns
# life becomes fruitful with our endless pursuit of dreams
# the time and energy are limitless and assets are abundant
# Nature does not reward those who do not exert efforts
# the former approximates to zero and the latter to infinity
Preliminary College Scholastic Ability Test
The Preliminary College Scholastic Ability Test (PCSAT) is administered nationally. The relationship between PCSAT and CSAT is comparable to that between the
PSAT and the SAT in the United States. The PCSAT is divided into two categories: the National United Achievement Tests (NUAT) and the College Scholastic Ability Test Simulation (CSAT Simulation). These tests are more similar to the CSAT than privately-administered mock tests, since the PCSAT's examiner committee is similar to that of the CSAT. The CSAT Simulation is hosted by the same institution as the CSAT, and is used to predict the level of difficulty or types of questions which might appear on that year's CSAT.
Although the NUAT and the CSAT Simulation are similar to the CSAT in their number of candidates, types of questions and relative difficulty, the NUAT is hosted by the Ministry of Education for high-school students. The CSAT Simulation is run by KICE and may be taken by anyone who is eligible for the CSAT. Both exams are reliable, official mock tests for the CSAT, and both are graded by the KICE.
National United Achievement Test
The National United Achievement Test (NUAT, ) is administered in the same way as the CSAT, and was introduced in 2002 to relieve dependence on private mock tests. High-school students may apply to take the test, and local education offices decide whether it will be administered in their districts. Every office of education in South Korea normally participates in the NUAT to prepare students for the CSAT, and the number of applicants parallels the CSAT. The
Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education,
Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (freshmen and sophomores),
Gyeonggi-do Office of Education,
and
Incheon Office of Education take turns creating the questions, and the KICE grades the test and issues report cards.
The basic structure of the exam is identical to the CSAT. For mathematics, social studies, science and second language, its range is determined by when it is conducted. In the
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
and English sections, the questions are not directly from textbooks but are constructed in accordance with the curriculum.
As of 2014, there are four NUATs per year; it is not the same for every district,however, and some have only two exams per year for freshmen and sophomores. The NUAT for freshmen and sophomores is held in March, June, September and November; seniors are tested in March, April, July and October to avoid conflict with June and September, when the CSAT Simulation is given.
Administering institutions
* March: Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (seniors; freshmen and sophomores, 2006–2009, 2014), Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (freshmen and sophomores, 2010–2013)
* April: Gyeonggi-do Office of Education (seniors, since 2003)
* June: Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (freshmen and sophomores, 2014), Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (freshmen and sophomores 2002–2004, 2010–2013; seniors 2002), Incheon Office of Education (freshmen and sophomores 2005–2009)
* July: Incheon Office of Education (seniors since 2007), Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (2005)
* September: Incheon Office of Education (freshmen and sophomores since 2010), Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (freshmen and sophomores 2004–2008), Busan Metropolitan Office of Education (freshmen and sophomores 2009)
* October: Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (seniors)
* November: Gyeonggi-do Office of Education (freshmen and sophomores, except 2003)
* December: Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (freshmen 2003)
College Scholastic Ability Test Simulation
The College Scholastic Ability Test Simulation (CSAT Simulation, ) is given by KICE. Unlike the NUAT, anyone who is eligible for the CSAT may also take this test. The CSAT Simulation was introduced after the CSAT failed to set the proper difficulty level in 2001 and 2002. First implemented in 2002, it was held only in September during its early years. The test has been given twice a year, in June and September, since 2004. It covers everything in the curriculum for the Korean- and second-language sections, and two-thirds of what the CSAT covers for the other sections. The September exam covers everything in every section, like the CSAT. The number of questions and test time per section is identical to the CSAT.
History
Since the
liberation of Korea
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
, South Korea has changed its methods of
university and college admission
University admission or college admission is the process through which students enter tertiary education at universities and colleges. Systems vary widely from country to country, and sometimes from institution to institution.
In many countries ...
from twelve to sixteen times.
The policies ranged from allowing colleges to choose students to outlawing
hagwon
Hagwon () is the Korean-language word for a for-profit private institute, academy, or cram school prevalent in South Korea. Although most widely known for their role as "cram schools", where children can study to improve test scores, hagwons actu ...
s. Parents and students have had difficulty adjusting to the changes.
The changes have been cited as evidence of systemic instability and the sensitivity of the admission process to
public opinion
Public opinion is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to a society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them.
Etymology
The term "public opinion" was derived from the French ', which was first use ...
.
University and college admissions were first left to the universities, and the first CSAT incarnation appeared at the beginning of 1960. The
Supreme Council for National Reconstruction established an early CSAT from 1962 to 1963 as a qualification test for students. Due to the small number of students passing the test, colleges soon had a student shortage. The admissions process was criticized as inefficient, and the government scrapped the policy from 1964 to 1968. A similar policy was adopted in 1969 by the
Third Republic of Korea
The Third Republic of South Korea was the government of South Korea from December 1963 to November 1972. The Third Republic was founded on the dissolution of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction that overthrew the Second Republic an ...
, and the new test was the Preliminary College Entrance Examination (대학입학예비고사); it continued, mostly unchanged, until 1981.
That year, the policy was significantly changed. The test name was changed to Preliminary College Preparations Examination (대학예비고사), and hagwons (cram schools) were outlawed. In 1982, the test name was changed again to College Entrance Strength Test (대입학력고사).
The current CSAT system was established in 1993, and has undergone several revisions since then.
In 2004, the
government of South Korea
The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is th ...
introduced a 2008 College Admissions Change Proposal; however, it failed to bring about significant changes.
Present day
The test, based on national-standard textbooks, is designed to encourage cognitive skills. The Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation creates the problems, prints and corrects the tests, supervises the test-making, and sets the test fee. The problems are created by KICE members who are university professors and high-school teachers. Two groups make the problems: one creates them, and the other checks them. The creators are primarily professors, although high-school teachers have been included since 2000. The problem-checkers are high-school teachers. Both groups sign
non-disclosure agreement
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish ...
s with the KICE. In 2012, there was a total of 696 staff members involved in creating the problems. A member of the group earns about $300 per day.
The 2016 subjects were national language, mathematics, English, Korean history, social studies/science/vocational education, and foreign language/
Hanja
Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom.
(, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...
. Although students may choose all (or some) of the subjects, Korean history is required.
Social studies is divided into life and ethics, ethics and ideologies, Korean geography, world geography, East Asian history, world history, law and politics, society and culture, and economics; students may choose two subjects. In the science section, students can choose two subjects from Physics 1 and 2, Chemistry 1 and 2, Biology 1 and 2, and Earth Science 1 and 2. Vocational education is divided into agricultural science, industry, commerce, oceanography, and home economics; students must choose one subject. However, vocational education may only be taken if the student has completed 80 percent of the expert studies. Foreign language is divided into German 1, French 1, Spanish 1, Chinese 1, Japanese 1, Russian 1, Arabic 1, basic
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
, and
Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning
"literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning
"literar ...
1. Students can choose one subject.
After the test, the administrators collect, scan and correct them. The test correction (confirming the documentation and grades) and printing the results take about one month.
However, test takers sometimes use unofficial websites to figure out how well they performed soon after taking the test.
The test is taken seriously and day-to-day operations are halted or delayed on test day.
Many shops, flights, military training, construction projects, banks, and other activities and establishments are closed or canceled. The
KRX
Korea Exchange (KRX) is the sole securities exchange operator in South Korea. It is headquartered in Busan, and has an office for cash markets and market oversight in Seoul.
History
The Korea Exchange was created through the integration of Ko ...
stock market opens late.
Neither students nor administrators may bring in cell phones, books, newspapers, food, or any other material which could distract other test-takers. Most complaints after the test involve administrator actions such as talking, opening windows, standing in front of a desk,
sniffling, clicking a
computer mouse
A computer mouse (plural mice, sometimes mouses) is a hand-held pointing device that detects two-dimensional motion relative to a surface. This motion is typically translated into the motion of a pointer on a display, which allows a smooth c ...
, eating candy, and walking. Administrators are warned against doing anything which could distract students in any way.
Pressure to perform well on the CSAT has been linked to
psychological stress
In psychology, stress is a feeling of emotional strain and pressure. Stress is a type of psychological pain. Small amounts of stress may be beneficial, as it can improve athletic performance, motivation and reaction to the environment. Exces ...
,
depression and
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
. The highly competitive exam is also cited as a contributing factor to South Korea's declining birth rate, as parents feel pressure to pay for expensive ''
hagwon
Hagwon () is the Korean-language word for a for-profit private institute, academy, or cram school prevalent in South Korea. Although most widely known for their role as "cram schools", where children can study to improve test scores, hagwons actu ...
'' cram schools to help their children study.
Critics also say that students from wealthier families have an advantage due to the prevalence of cram schools, and that the test detracts from students' education with its emphasis on
rote memorization
Rote learning is a memorization technique based on repetition. The method rests on the premise that the recall of repeated material becomes faster the more one repeats it. Some of the alternatives to rote learning include meaningful learning, as ...
and topics that are distinct from the curriculum followed in schools.
Number of applicants
See also
*
Education in South Korea
Education in South Korea is provided by both public schools and private schools. Both types of schools receive funding from the government, although the amount that the private schools receive is less than the amount of the state schools.
Sout ...
*
List of universities and colleges in South Korea
This is a list of institutions of higher education in South Korea.
Quick index
__NOTOC__
A
* Agricultural Cooperative College – Goyang, Gyeonggi
* Ajou Motor College – Boryeong, South Chungcheong
*Ajou University – Suwon, Gyeonggi
* Andon ...
*
College admissions in South Korea
*
Programme for International Student Assessment
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in member and non-member nations intended to evaluate educational systems by measuring 15-yea ...
*
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
The IEA's Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a series of international assessments of the mathematics and science knowledge of students around the world. The participating students come from a diverse set of educ ...
Notes
References
External links
Ministry of Education, Science, and TechnologyKorea Institute for Curriculum and EvaluationCollege Scholastic Ability Test*
{{Admission tests
Academic pressure in East Asian culture
Education in South Korea
Standardized tests