Etoos: "Judging CSAT Scores Based on March Mock Exam Is Risky"
The first nationwide high school joint academic assessment of the year (March mock exam), conducted simultaneously across the country, was set at a difficulty level similar to or easier than the recent CSAT.
According to the Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute on the 23rd, the Korean and Mathematics sections were analyzed to be slightly easier compared to last year's CSAT, while the English section was set at a similar difficulty level. However, since this is the first exam taken after entering the third grade, the perceived difficulty may vary depending on students' adaptation.
On the 24th, the 2022 academic year March National Joint Academic Achievement Test was conducted for 950,000 high school students from grades 1 to 3 nationwide. Third-year students at Jamsin High School in Songpa-gu, Seoul, are taking the exam. This academic achievement test is being held simultaneously nationwide on the same day for the first time in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Joint Press Corps
First, in the Korean section, a 'view' using pictures was presented in the literature part, but it is difficult to consider it a new type since it focuses on understanding the content of the work. No works linked to EBS textbooks were included, and although many unfamiliar works appeared, the question types were similar to those in previous CSATs and mock exams, so the difficulty is expected to be not high.
In the common mathematics section, as with last year's CSAT, no blank inference questions were included, and the short-answer questions appeared in the integration unit, which has been frequently tested before, rather than the limit and continuity of functions asked in question 14 of the last CSAT, making it relatively easy.
In the mathematics elective section, there were eight questions each on Probability and Statistics, Calculus, and Geometry, and the difficulty level was moderate with little difference among subjects.
The Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute advised that since the March mock exam's mathematics section covered the entire range for the common subject and only part of the first unit for elective subjects, it should be used as a tool to check the learning completeness of the common subject.
On the 24th, when the 2022 academic year March National Joint Academic Achievement Test was conducted for 950,000 high school students from grades 1 to 3 nationwide, three students at Yongsan High School in Seoul were preparing for the exam. This academic achievement test is being held simultaneously nationwide on the same day for the first time in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Joint Press Corps
In the English section, although the blank inference type had difficult and lengthy passages, the choices were relatively easy, so if students carefully understood the options, the correct answer rate is expected not to be low. However, from question 31, the choices were composed of phrases rather than words, and question 34 was evaluated as difficult to find the answer from both passage interpretation and choice composition.
The grammar/vocabulary questions had tricky correct answer sentences, making them difficult to solve. In particular, blank inference question 34 and the sequence arrangement of the following text in question 37 were expected to be challenging for students.
Kim Byung-jin, head of the Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute, said, “There is still a lot of time left until the CSAT from the March mock exam, and considering that students' academic completeness is still very low compared to the CSAT, it is risky to conclude CSAT scores based on March mock exam results,” adding, “The focus should be on analyzing study methods and attitudes centered on whether the answers to the parts studied so far are correct.”
He continued, “For every mock exam, it is important to establish a ‘test operation principle,’ that is, a plan on how to take the exam, and to create your own ‘test operation principle’ to approach the CSAT,” adding, “It is necessary to review the March mock exam process, organize the points where problems occurred and the responses to them, and practice these in the May mock exam.”
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