First-Time CSAT Applicants Drop to 400,000s, Highest Ever Repeater Rate "Strong Performance Expected" (Comprehensive)

49,3433 Applicants
Graduate Proportion 25.9%→27%

High school seniors preparing for the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test are getting ready for the September mock exam on the 16th at Yeouido Girls' High School in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. This mock exam is the last practice test conducted by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, the organization responsible for the CSAT, before the actual exam. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The number of applicants for the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), scheduled for December 3, has entered the 400,000 range for the first time since the CSAT system was introduced.

According to the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation on the 21st, the number of CSAT applicants this year decreased by 55,301 (10.1%) compared to the previous year, recording 493,433. Since the CSAT system was introduced in 1994, this is the lowest number of applicants ever, and it is the first time the number has fallen below 500,000.

The proportion of graduates was the highest in 17 years. This year, the proportion of graduates taking the CSAT was 27.0%, with 133,069 applicants, marking the highest ratio ever recorded. Considering that the absentee rate for the CSAT is about 10%, the actual proportion of graduates taking the test could approach 30%. Last year, the proportion of repeat test-takers among examinees was 28.3%.

Admissions experts expect repeat test-takers to remain strong this year as well. Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy Haneul Education, said, "Although the COVID-19 situation is a variable, repeat test-takers who have thoroughly focused on the CSAT are likely to emerge as a significant power group in the exam." Lee Mangi, director of Uway Education Evaluation Research Institute, explained, "The increase in students retaking the exam after a gap year was not as large as expected, but graduates usually perform strongly in the top ranks, so the dominance of graduates is not expected to change this year."

The number of applicants for the social studies section was 261,887, a decrease of 25,850 (9.0%) compared to the previous year. The number of applicants for the second foreign language and Chinese characters section decreased by 12,236 (13.7%) compared to the previous year. By gender, male students decreased by 28,009 from the previous year to 254,027 (51.5%), and female students decreased by 27,292 to 239,406.