[2023 CSAT] Teacher Groups and Admissions Industry Say "Korean Was Easier Than Last Year"

'Bulsunung' Easier Than Last Year's Korean Exam
But Maintained Discriminative Power for Upper-Mid Tier
1st Grade Cutoff Expected to Rise
Killer Question Was No. 17 on Basal Metabolic Rate

On the 17th, the day of the 2023 College Scholastic Ability Test, examinees are waiting for the exam to start at the testing site set up at Gyeongbok High School in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The difficulty level of the Korean language section in the 2023 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) is evaluated to be easier than last year's 'bul-sunung' (extremely difficult test) and similar to the September mock exam.

On the 17th, Kim Yongjin, a teacher at Dongdae Girls' High School and a member of the College Admission Counseling Teachers Group of the Korea Council for University Education (KCUE), who analyzed the CSAT Korean language section, said, "The difficulty level is similar to the September mock exam. It was slightly easier compared to the relatively difficult 2022 CSAT," adding, "The EBS linkage rate is over 50% based on the number of questions."

With the test being relatively easier than last year, some top-tier examinees analyzed that there might be less differentiation. Kim Changmuk, a teacher at Kyungshin High School, explained, "The difficulty level will slightly decrease among the top-tier students, but the differentiation in the mid-to-high tier will be similar to previous years."

The differentiation is gauged by the difference between the highest standard score and the cutoff score for grade 1, and this year’s Korean language section is expected to have a smaller score gap than last year.

Last year, the highest standard score in the Korean language section was 149 points, and the grade 1 cutoff was 132 points, a difference of 17 points. In this year's September mock exam, the highest score was 140 points, and the grade 1 cutoff was 129 points.

Teacher Kim Changmuk analyzed, "According to some teachers' analysis of the question trends, the distribution of standard scores will decrease somewhat compared to last year's CSAT and will be almost similar to the September mock exam."

He advised, "Although the overall passage difficulty in the Korean language section has not necessarily decreased and the questions have not become easier, the differentiation among top-tier students has declined, which may increase the relative importance of other sections. Since the ratios of Korean, Math, English, and Inquiry sections are applied in various ways in the regular admissions, top-tier students need to carefully review their application strategies compared to previous years."

The killer questions were identified as questions 12 and 17 in the reading section. Question 12 asked about sales contracts and penalty payments, while question 17 was based on Kleiber's basal metabolic rate research.

Kim Yongjin said, "This test reflects the recent trends in the Korean language section. Although the passages are slightly shorter than in the past, they contain a lot of information and require students to infer through the questions. The social and science passages were linked to EBS textbooks, so students who studied diligently could solve them well. Questions 12 and 17 were high-difficulty questions but were easier compared to the most difficult questions in last year’s and the year before last’s CSAT."

On the 9th, the date of the June mock exam for the 2023 College Scholastic Ability Test, Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy, is analyzing the Korean language section questions at the Jongro Academy Gangbuk Headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The admissions industry also shared a common analysis that the difficulty was easier than last year's CSAT.

Lim Seongho, CEO of Jongro Academy, explained, "It was easier than the first year of the integrated CSAT, which was difficult, but it is not a 'mul-sunung' (too easy test) without differentiation. The scores are expected to be higher than last year's grade 1 cutoff (84 points for Language and Media, 86 points for Speech and Composition)."

Kim Wonjoong, head of the admissions strategy office at Gangnam Daesung Academy, evaluated, "It was easier than the 2022 CSAT and overall similar to the 2023 September mock exam (based on Language and Media)."

Kim Byungjin, director of the Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute, said, "It was somewhat easier than last year's CSAT. Time management for students who chose Language and Media is the key to perceived difficulty."

The admissions industry also pointed to question 17, which combined Kleiber's basal metabolic rate and the least squares method, as a key question for differentiation.

CEO Lim said, "Question 17 was also related to passages appearing in EBS, and it favored science-track students who were well acquainted with the passage content. It was a question that could widen the score gap between the Language and Media and Speech and Composition elective subjects. This year’s CSAT will inevitably have score differences between elective subjects, and the gap may widen more than last year’s 2-point difference."

Director Kim Wonjoong analyzed, "Compared to last year's CSAT, the science passage consists of 9 paragraphs and contains more mathematical content. Question 17 also asks about these points, so it was probably difficult to solve."

Director Kim Byungjin explained, "The reading section’s science passage on 'basal metabolic rate,' which has a complex passage nature, holds differentiation, and the perceived EBS linkage rate for both reading and literature will be high."