The last mock exam before the CSAT "Easier than September"

"Overall Difficulty Not High... No Killer Questions"
"Reviewing Missed Parts Until Suneung Will Be Helpful"

An analysis has emerged that the difficulty level of the last nationwide joint academic achievement test (Hakpyeong), held about a month before the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), was lower compared to the September mock exam.

Students taking the October 2023 nationwide joint academic assessment for 12th graders.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 12th, Jongro Academy reported that although some math questions in this Hakpyeong were difficult, the overall difficulty was not high, and there were no 'killer questions.'

Jongro Academy stated, "In the September mock exam (Mopyeong), while the number of killer questions decreased, there were questions in the choices that were difficult to infer. However, in this Hakpyeong, the choices in Korean and English were not difficult," evaluating that this test was set easier.

In Korean, except for reading question 6 and literature question 31, there were no particularly difficult questions, and English was also easier than the September mock exam. In math, the difficulty was similar to or slightly harder than the September mock exam, with many questions requiring calculations overall. In particular, question 15 on sequences and question 22 on differentiation were reported to be difficult.

The Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute assessed that Korean was easier than the September mock exam, while math was slightly harder. Kim Byung-jin, head of the Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute, advised, "The October Hakpyeong is more of a rehearsal for the CSAT rather than having significant meaning for grades," adding, "From now on, rather than trying to learn new things, reviewing what you have studied but missed will be helpful."

Unlike the mock exams in June and September conducted by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, the Hakpyeong organized by the education office does not include repeat test-takers ('N-su students'), making it difficult to accurately assess one's standing based on Hakpyeong results. However, since the test is conducted in the same format as the CSAT, it serves as the last opportunity to practice time management and other strategies. Individual scores for the Hakpyeong held on this day will be available online starting from the 26th.