[2020 National Audit] Average TOEIC Score of KATUSA Successful Candidates

[Asia Economy Military Specialist Reporter Yang Nak-gyu]It has been revealed that among the 5 successful candidates for KATUSA, one in five is a graduate of the so-called 'SKY' universities, including Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. In addition, the average TOEIC score of the successful candidates was found to exceed the 860-point range, surpassing the average score of new employees at major domestic companies.

According to data submitted by the Military Manpower Administration to Rep. Hwang Hee of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly on the 13th, among the total 7,774 KATUSA successful candidates from 2016 to 2019, 1,487 (19.2%) were graduates of Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. By university, Yonsei University had the highest number with 517 (6.7%), followed by Korea University with 503 (6.5%), Seoul National University with 467 (6.0%), Sungkyunkwan University with 364 (4.7%), and Hanyang University with 276 (3.6%).

During the same period, 1,156 (14.9%) successful candidates were graduates of foreign universities, making the combined ratio of 'SKY' and foreign university graduates 34.1% of all successful candidates.

The average TOEIC scores of KATUSA successful candidates over the past four years were 863.7 in 2016, 862.5 in 2017, 864.7 in 2018, and 862.8 in 2019, consistently exceeding the 860-point range each year. This level surpasses the average TOEIC scores of new employees at major domestic companies disclosed by the employment portal site 'JobKorea,' such as Samsung Electronics at 842, Hyundai Motor Company at 838, and LG Electronics at 830.

KATUSA applicants must be active-duty enlistment candidates with physical grades 1 to 3 and meet the language score criteria set by the Military Manpower Administration, such as a TOEIC score of 780 or higher or a TOEFL score of 83 or higher.

The Military Manpower Administration selects candidates through a computerized random drawing method, applying factors such as applicants' preferred enlistment timing and distribution ratios by language score ranges.

Rep. Hwang Hee stated, "Among the total 16,763 applicants last year, 5,060 (30.2%) were from the top six universities, which is similar to the proportion among the final 1,600 successful candidates (472, 29.5%)." He added, "Since there are many applicants from certain schools, the selection from those schools may appear more prominent."