College Scholastic Ability Test

College Scholastic Ability Test
Hangul	대학수학능력시험
Hanja	大學修學能力試驗
Revised Romanization	Daehak suhak neungryeok siheom
McCune–Reischauer	Taehak suhak nŭngryŏk sihŏm

The College Scholastic Ability Test or CSAT (Korean: 대학수학능력시험, hanja: 大學修學能力試驗), also abbreviated Suneung (Korean: 수능, hanja: 修能), is a standardized test which is recognized by South Korean universities. The Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) administers the annual test on the third Thursday in November.^[1][2][3] In 2020, however, it was postponed to the first Thursday in December (December 3), due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[4]

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.^[5] Of the students taking the test, 20 percent are high-school graduates who did not achieve their desired score the previous year.^[6]

On test day, the KRX stock market opens late, and bus and subway service is increased to avoid traffic jams and allow students to get to the testing sites more easily. Planes are grounded during the listening test of the English 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. Younger students and members of the students' families gather outside testing sites to cheer them on.^[6][7]

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 college admission.^[8]

Schedule[]

All questions are multiple-choice, except for the second part of the mathematics section.^[9]

Period	Subject	Time	Number of questions	Points	Notes
Candidates must enter the testing room by 08:10. For the second to fifth periods, students must enter 10 minutes before the test begins.
1	Korean	08:40–10:00 (80 min.)	45	100
Break time: 10:00–10:20 (20 min)
2	Mathematics	10:30–12:10 (100 min.)	30	100	Candidates must choose between three different groups of questions when they apply the test. Type geometry or Type calculus or Type Probability and Statistics 30% (9 out of 30) of the questions have short answers.
Lunch: 12:10–13:00 (50 min.)
3	English	13:10–14:20 (70 min.)	45	100	17 out of 45 questions are the listening test at 13:10 (25 minutes or less)
Break: 14:20–14:40 (20 min.)
4	Korean history Subordinate subjects (social studies, sciences, vocational education)	14:50–16:32 (102 min. total)
	Korean history	14:50–15:20 (30 min.)	20	50	Required
	Collection of test papers for Korean history and distribution of subordinate-subject papers	15:20–15:30 (10 min.)			Candidates not taking subordinate-subject tests return to the waiting room.
	First subordinate subjects	15:30–16:00 (30 min.)	20	50	Candidates must take tests in code-number order. Collection time is 2 minutes for each subject.
	Collection of test papers for first subordinate subjects	16:00–16:02 (2 min.)
	Second subordinate subjects	16:02–16:32 (30 min.)	20	50
Break: 16:32–16:50 (18 min.)
5	Second foreign language/Classical Chinese	17:00–17:40 (40 min.)	30	50	No listening test.

Sections[]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2021)

The CSAT consists of six sections: national language (Korean), 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/Chinese characters and classics. In the mathematics section, candidates take type Ga(가형) or Na(나형); the former is more difficult. 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 in the Science section, but world history and principles of accounting may not – the 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/Chinese characters and classics section, the candidate chooses one subject. Most high-ranked universities require applicants to take two science subordinate subjects and type Ga 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).^[8]

National language[]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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:

• Speech and Writing (10 questions)
• Grammar (5)
• Reading (15)
• Literature (15)

Speech and writing[]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

This category consists of three written passages with 10 questions. The first passage is the script of a lecture or radio program (speech), the second is the script of a debate about an article (speech and writing), and the last one is an argumentative essay (writing). Although the category name contains the word "speech", candidates only read the written scripts.

Grammar[]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

This category consists of five questions, two of which relate to a given passage. Candidates are assessed on their ability to apply their knowledge of Korean grammar, Hangul, and Korean history from the 15th century to the present.

Reading[]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

This category consists of three articles, each with four, five, or six questions. The long articles are about abstract, complicated topics such as physics, engineering, economics, law, philosophy, or aesthetics. Topics may be related. 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 section does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

This category consists of four texts, each with three to six questions. The first text is a comparison of a modern Korean novel and scenario or play. The second is a comparison of two modern Korean poems. The third is part of a Korean novel or pansori and the last is a Korean poem, both of which were written between the Silla and Joseon eras (the Western Middle Ages). Candidates must determine which answer is the most accurate impression of the given text.

Mathematics[]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2021)

The mathematics section is divided into two types: Ga and Na. Type Ga, usually taken by students applying for natural-sciences majors, is based on calculus, geometry, vectors, and probability and statistics, all of which are taught in high school. Type Na, usually taken by students applying for the humanities, is based on probability and statistics. Most candidates choose a when they take the CSAT.

Mathematics

Type	Base subject	Contents
Ga	Calculus	I. Limit of sequence: Introduction to limit, limit of a sequence, series, squeeze theorem II. Limit and continuity of function: Limit of a function, continuous function, extreme value theorem, intermediate value theorem III. Derivation of polynomial function: Definition of derivative and its application to polynomial function, mean value theorem, maxima and minima IV. Integration of polynomial function: Definition of antiderivative and integral, fundamental theorem of calculus V. Exponential and logarithmic functions and their derivatives VI. Trigonometric function: Radian, trigonometric functions and their derivative VII. Derivations: Quotient rule, chain rule, derivative of inverse function, second derivative VIII. Integrations: Integration by parts, integration by substitution, Cavalieri's principle
	Geometry and vector	I. Curve on plane: Conic section, implicit function and its derivation, parameter II. Vector on plane: Vector and its operations, position vector, plane vector, inner product space, outer product III. Three-dimensional figure and coordinate: Theorem of three perpendiculars, orthographic projection, equation of a sphere IV. Vector in three dimensions: Operations of the vector in three dimensions, equation of a plane
Both	Probability and statistics	I. Permutation and combination: Number of outcomes, addition rule, rule of product, permutation, combination, binomial theorem, Partition of integer and set II. Probability: Probability, conditional probability III. Statistics: Discrete random variable, probability distribution, estimation

Subordinate subjects[]

Subordinate subjects^[8]

Section	Field	Subject	Related major	Contents
Social studies	Ethics	Life and ethics	Philosophy	Introduction to ethics, teleological and deontological ethics, Thomas Aquinas, Stoicism, Immanuel Kant, utilitarianism, virtue ethics, John Rawls, Alasdair MacIntyre, Jürgen Habermas
		Ethics and thought		Eastern philosophy: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Korean philosophy Western philosophy: Sophism, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicureanism, Stoicism, Hellenism, Christianity, Scholasticus, Protestantism, Empiricism, Rationalism, Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, René Descartes, Baruch Spinoza, utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill, Jeremy Bentham, Kant, practical ethics, existentialism, virtue ethics, communitarianism, democracy, social contract, natural law, capitalism, socialism
	Geography	Korean geography	Geography	Geography, ecosystem and climate of the Korean peninsula, Korean geography-based industrial structure, provincial specialties, North Korea
		World geography		World map, climate by latitude, unique landforms, distributions of ethnic groups, languages, and resources, globalization, regional conflicts
	History	East Asian history	History	History of Korea, China, Japan, and Vietnam
		World history		History of the world, especially Eurasia
	Political science	Politics and law	Law Political science International relations	Political and legal philosophy, electoral system, constitutional law, presidential, parliamentary and dual-executive system, history of Korean politics, civil, criminal and social law of Korea, international law
		Economics	Economics	Division of labor, supply and demand, unemployment, inflation, trade, exchange rate, asset management, history of Korean economics
		Society and culture	Sociology Anthropology	Structural functionalism, conflict theories, symbolic interactionism, social research, socialization, social groups, deviance, anomie, Émile Durkheim, Robert K. Merton, culture, social inequality, Marxian class theory, social stratification, poverty, gender, welfare, modernization theory, evolutionary theory, industrialisation, unemployment, globalization
Science	Physics	Physics I	Physics	${\displaystyle F=ma}$Classical mechanics in one dimension, theory of relativity, electromagnetism: electromagnetic induction and Faraday's law, wave properties, semiconductor principles, torque, Archimedes' principle, Pascal's law, Bernoulli's principle, laws of thermodynamics
		Physics II		${\displaystyle {\vec {F}}=m{\vec {a}}}$I. Classical mechanics: Classical mechanics in two dimensions, harmonic oscillator, laws of thermodynamics, proof of ideal gas law II. Electromagnetism: Electric dipole moment, Lorentz force, RLC circuit III. Waves and light: Mathematical expression of wave, Huygens' principle, superposition principle, lasers, polarization of light IV. Quantum mechanics: Black body, Wien's displacement law, Stefan–Boltzmann law, photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, matter wave, Davisson–Germer experiment, uncertainty principle, Schrödinger equation, wave function, quantum tunnelling, scanning tunneling microscope
	Chemistry	Chemistry I	Chemistry	Chemical formula, Avogadro constant, mole, periodic table, Bohr model, atomic orbital, spin, Pauli exclusion principle, Hund's rules, Aufbau principle, octet rule, covalent bond, ionic bonding, coordinate covalent bond, Bond dipole moment, acid-base, redox, DNA
		Chemistry II		Van der Waals force, hydrogen bond, ${\displaystyle PV=nRT}$ ideal gas equation, mole fraction, Dalton's law, cubic crystal system, Raoult's law, vapor pressure, ${\displaystyle Q=cm\Delta t}$ Heat of reaction, Hess's law, enthalpy, Gibbs free energy, Chemical equilibrium: phase diagram, solubility equilibrium, ionization equilibrium, buffer solution
	Biology	Biology I	Biology	DNA, genes, chromosomes, cell structure division and cycle, Mendelian inheritance, anatomy, Adenosine triphosphate, ecology
		Biology II		Deeper version of Biology I, Hardy–Weinberg principle, evolution
	Earth science	Earth science I	Geology Astrophysics	Atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere Terrain of Korean peninsula, earthquake, volcano, weathering, landslide, weather, tsunami, environmental pollution, climate change Universe: Star, Earth, Sun, sunspot, Moon, eclipse, extraterrestrial life
		Earth science II		Seismic wave, Earth's gravity and magnetic field, mineral, magma, sedimentary and metamorphic rock, hydrodynamic equilibrium, adiabatic process, Ekman spiral, sea water, atmospheric circulation, star, Milky Way, Big Bang, dark energy
Vocational education	Agriculture science	Understanding agriculture
		Basic technology
	Engineering	General engineering
		Basic drawing
	Commerce	Commercial economics
		Principles of accounting
	Oceanography	Understanding oceans
		Fishing and shipping
	Home economics	Human development
		Service industries

• 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. The test writers are prohibited from communicating with the outside world.^[10]

Administration[]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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 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:

${\textstyle S=z\sigma +m}$

${\displaystyle S}$ and ${\displaystyle z}$ are standard scores. ${\displaystyle \sigma }$ is the standard deviation of the standard score, and ${\displaystyle m}$ is its average. In the national-language and mathematics sections, ${\displaystyle \sigma }$ is 20 and ${\displaystyle m}$ is 100. For the rest, ${\displaystyle \sigma }$ is 10 and ${\displaystyle m}$ is 50. ${\displaystyle z}$ is calculated by the following formula:

${\displaystyle z={\frac {x-m_{0}}{\sigma _{0}}}}$

${\displaystyle x}$ is the candidate's original score. ${\displaystyle m_{0}}$ is the average of the original ${\displaystyle a}$ candidate scores. ${\displaystyle \sigma _{0}}$ is the candidate's standard deviation.

Examples[]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Although the CSAT is compared to the US SAT, their relative importance is different.

Mathematics[]

The 30th problem in type Ga of the 2016 CSAT was:

A function ${\displaystyle f(x)}$ defined for ${\displaystyle x>a}$, where ${\displaystyle a}$ is a constant, and a quartic function ${\displaystyle g(x)}$ whose leading coefficient is ${\displaystyle -1}$ satisfy the three conditions below:

A) For all real numbers ${\displaystyle x}$, such that ${\displaystyle x>a}$, ${\displaystyle (x-a)f(x)=g(x)}$.

B) For two different real numbers ${\displaystyle \alpha }$ and ${\displaystyle \beta }$, ${\displaystyle f(x)}$ has the same local maximum ${\displaystyle M}$ at ${\displaystyle x=\alpha }$ and ${\displaystyle x=\beta }$. (${\displaystyle M>0}$)

C) ${\displaystyle f(x)}$ has more local extrema than ${\displaystyle g(x)}$ does.

${\displaystyle \beta -\alpha =6{\sqrt {3}}}$. Find the minimum of ${\displaystyle M}$.

The 29th mathematics problem in the 1996 CSAT had an all-time low correct-response rate of 0.08 percent:

If two equations ${\displaystyle P(x)=0}$ and ${\displaystyle Q(x)=0}$ have 7 and 9 solutions respectively and a set ${\displaystyle A=\{(x,y)\mid P(x)Q(y)=0,\ Q(x)P(y)=0\ and\ x,y\in \mathbb {R} \}}$ is an infinite set, ${\displaystyle n(B)}$, the number of elements in ${\displaystyle A}$'s subset${\displaystyle B=\{(x,y)\mid (x,y)\in A\ and\ x=y\}}$, varies according to the values of ${\displaystyle P(x)}$ and ${\displaystyle Q(x)}$. Find the maximum of ${\displaystyle n(B)}$.

The 29th problem in mathematics subject type B (the former Ga) of the 2013 CSAT follows:

${\displaystyle P}$ and ${\displaystyle Q}$ are points on the sphere ${\displaystyle x^{2}+y^{2}+z^{2}=4}$. ${\displaystyle P_{1}}$ and ${\displaystyle Q_{1}}$ are the foots of two perpendiculars from ${\displaystyle P}$ and ${\displaystyle Q}$ to the plane ${\displaystyle y=4}$ respectively. ${\displaystyle P_{2}}$ and ${\displaystyle Q_{2}}$ are the foots of two perpendiculars from ${\displaystyle P}$ and ${\displaystyle Q}$ to the plane ${\displaystyle y+{\sqrt {3}}z+8=0}$ respectively. Find the maximum of ${\displaystyle 2\left\vert {\overrightarrow {PQ}}\right\vert ^{2}-\left\vert {\overrightarrow {P_{1}Q_{1}}}\right\vert ^{2}-\left\vert {\overrightarrow {P_{2}Q_{2}}}\right\vert ^{2}}$.

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' "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.

1. demand exceeds supply, resulting in greater returns
2. life becomes fruitful with our endless pursuit of dreams
3. the time and energy are limitless and assets are abundant
4. Nature does not reward those who do not exert efforts
5. 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, Korean: 전국연합학력평가,^[11]; Hanja: 全國聯合學力評價) 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,^{[12] [13]} (freshmen and sophomores), ,^[14] and ^[15] 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.^[16][17] In the Korean 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)^[18]
• 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)^[19]

College Scholastic Ability Test Simulation[]

The College Scholastic Ability Test Simulation (CSAT Simulation, Korean: 대학수학능력시험 모의평가^[20]) 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.^{[clarification needed]} 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, South Korea has changed its methods of university and college admission from twelve to sixteen times.^[21] The policies ranged from allowing colleges to choose students to outlawing hagwons. Parents and students have had difficulty adjusting to the changes.^[22] The changes have been cited as evidence of systemic instability and the sensitivity of the admission process to public opinion.^[23]

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, and the new test was the Preliminary College Entrance Examination (대학입학예비고사); it continued, mostly unchanged, until 1981.^[22][23][24] 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).^[22][23]

The current CSAT system was established in 1993, and has undergone several revisions since then.^[2][25] In 2004, the government of South Korea introduced a 2008 College Admissions Change Proposal; however, it failed to bring about significant changes.^[22]

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 agreements 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.^[26]

The 2016 subjects were national language, mathematics, English, Korean history, social studies/science/vocational education, and foreign language/Hanja. Although students may choose all (or some) of the subjects, Korean history is required.

Social studies is divided into life and ethics, ethics and thought, Korean and world geography, East Asian and 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.^{[clarification needed]} Foreign language is divided into German 1, French 1, Spanish 1, Chinese 1, Japanese 1, Russian 1, Arabic 1, basic Vietnamese, and Hanja 1. Students can choose one subject.^[25]

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.^[25] However, test takers sometimes use unofficial websites to figure out how well they performed soon after taking the test.^[10]

The test is taken seriously and day-to-day operations are halted or delayed on test day.^[6] Many shops, flights, military training, construction projects, banks, and other activities and establishments are closed or canceled. The KRX stock market opens late.^[10] 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, or eating candy. Administrators are warned against doing anything which could distract students in any way.^[27]

Pressure to perform well on the CSAT has been linked to psychological stress, depression and suicide.^[28][29] 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 cram schools to help their children study.^[10] 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 and topics that are distinct from the curriculum followed in schools.^[30]

Number of applicants[]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

• 1993–1997 (5th Education Curriculum)

Year	1993 (1st)	1993 (2nd)	1994	1995	1996	1997
Applicants	742,668	750,181	781,749	840,661	824,368	885,321
Examinees	716,326	726,634	757,488	809,867	795,338	854,272

• 1998–2003 (6th Education Curriculum)

Year	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Applicants	868,643	896,122	872,297	739,129	675,759	673,585
Examinees	832,223	868,366	850,305	718,441	655,384	642,583

• 2004–2015 (7th Education Curriculum, 2007 and 2009 revisions)

Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Applicants	610,257	593,806	588,899	584,934	588,839	677,834	712,227	693,634	668,527	650,747	640,619	631,184
Examinees	574,218	554,345	551,884	550,588	559,475	638,216	668,991	648,946	620,723	606,813	594,617	585,332

• 2016–2020 (2009 and 2011 revisions)

Year	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Applicants	605,988	593,527	594,924	548,734	493,433	509,821
Examinees	552,297	531,327	530,220	484,737	421,034	448,138

See also[]

• Education in South Korea
• List of universities and colleges in South Korea
• College admissions in South Korea
• Programme for International Student Assessment
• Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study

References[]

External links[]

• Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology
• Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation
• College Scholastic Ability Test
• Castle, Jody-Lan (March 3, 2016). "Top 10 exam rituals from stressed students across Asia". BBC.