Samsung Open Recruitment Online GSAT Completed Without Unexpected Issues...Candidates Say "Generally Easy" (Update)

Samsung conducted the online GSAT over two days, June 8-9, this year. Prior to this, on the 1st, supervisors held a preliminary briefing for the test takers at the Samsung Electronics Human Resources Development Center in Seocheon, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
[Photo by Samsung Electronics]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Among the four major conglomerates, Samsung is the only one to publicly recruit college graduate new employees. The 2021 first half GSAT (Samsung Aptitude Test) for college graduate new hires was held online over two days. Test takers generally commented that the exam difficulty was moderate.

According to a summary of test takers' reactions posted on online communities on the 9th, the question types for this year's first half GSAT were the same as those in the second half of last year, and the difficulty level was generally moderate. One test taker said, "Although time was tight, the question level was relatively easier than previous mock tests." Another test taker also said, "The difficulty was easier than commercial workbooks," adding, "It was not burdensome to solve the problems."

Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung SDS, and 14 other Samsung affiliates conducted this year's first half GSAT over two days starting the day before. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the exam was held online again this year, following last year. This was the third online exam after the first and second halves of last year.

The GSAT is conducted over two consecutive days with four different groups taking the test once in the morning and once in the afternoon. There are 50 questions in total, including 20 math questions and 30 reasoning questions, and the test duration is about two hours, including a 60-minute pre-check and a 60-minute exam.

Test takers took the exam at home using personal computers, and supervisors monitored the exam remotely through a monitoring system. To prevent cheating, test takers recorded themselves taking the exam on their smartphones. All four test sessions proceeded without major unexpected issues such as server failures. Prior to the GSAT, Samsung conducted a pre-test for employees.

The exam difficulty was evaluated as moderate. However, since the GSAT questions differed for all four groups, there were some differences in perceived difficulty depending on the test time.

One test taker who took the morning exam said, "The math section was similar in type and difficulty to existing workbooks and was relatively easy," adding, "The reasoning section felt relatively difficult, but overall it was moderate." Another test taker said, "The math section was straightforward, but the reasoning section was somewhat challenging," noting, "Many difficult questions were in the 'conditional reasoning' part of the reasoning section, and there were many questions I couldn't even read."

Some test takers also commented that the online GSAT format still felt awkward. One applicant advised, "I think I need to study in an online exam environment regularly."

Samsung plans to announce the final successful candidates between June and July after interviews and health checkups for those who pass the GSAT. Among the four major conglomerates, Samsung is currently the only one maintaining the public recruitment method. They are actively considering continuing to conduct the GSAT online in the future.

Samsung emphasized, "We plan to fulfill our social responsibility as a leading company by guaranteeing open recruitment opportunities for young people and providing stable, quality jobs."