The Oldest Suneung Candidate This Year is Grandmother Kim Jeongja Born in 1941
Entering the Exam Hall Amid Cheers from Ilseong Girls' Middle and High School Alumni
Kim Jeong-ja, a lifelong learner who appeared on tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' (hereafter You Quiz), has become the oldest test-taker for the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT).
On the 16th, as the CSAT was being held, about 10 juniors arrived in front of Seoul Girls' High School to cheer on the test-takers from Ilseong Girls' Middle and High School, who are lifelong learners ranging in age from their 40s to 80s.
The oldest examinee for the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test, Grandma Kim Jeong-ja, entered the exam hall on the morning of the 16th at Seoul Girls' High School in Mapo-gu, Seoul, receiving support from her classmates at Ilseong Middle and High School. Photo by Yonhap News
Ilseong Girls' Middle and High School is a two-year accredited lifelong school where lifelong learners aged from their 40s to 80s, who were unable to complete their studies on time due to various circumstances, study middle and high school courses.
The oldest test-taker at Ilseong Girls' Middle and High School is Kim Jeong-ja. Born in 1941, Kim Jeong-ja fled to Geoje Island around the time she was supposed to enter elementary school due to the outbreak of the Korean War.
Kim Jeong-ja, who appeared on You Quiz in August 2019, was born as the eldest daughter of eight siblings and said she had done every kind of work to make a living. While attending school, she also said, "Everything is enjoyable, and I like learning each and every thing."
Kim Jeong-ja, who earned a Chinese character certificate after appearing on the show
The oldest test taker for the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test, Grandma Kim Jeong-ja, entered the exam hall on the morning of the 16th at Seoul Girls' High School in Mapo-gu, Seoul, receiving support from her classmates at Ilseong Middle and High School. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Four years after appearing on You Quiz, Kim Jeong-ja not only learned Hangul but also boasts writing skills enough to compose a poem. Recently, she also obtained a level 7 Chinese character certificate.
Kim Jeong-ja, who is taking the CSAT this time, said, "I hope the young students show the skills they have learned over the past three years on the CSAT," adding, "It is a day when lives are at stake, so I hope all students enter the universities they want and become new workers who will carry our country forward."
Besides Kim Jeong-ja, other grandmothers at Ilseong Girls' High School also took the CSAT this year and began preparing for university admission. The grandmothers received encouragement rice cakes and were cheered on with witty banners saying, "Mom is going to college too" and "Honey, prepare the tuition."
Meanwhile, this year’s CSAT is being held at about 1,300 test sites across 84 test districts nationwide, with 504,588 test-takers, a decrease of about 3,500 compared to last year.
On the day of the CSAT, EBS will broadcast a live question analysis service. The Ministry of Education explained that an on-site teacher group composed of EBS’s representative instructors and authors of CSAT-linked textbooks will brief on the trends of questions by subject and key questions.
EBS will provide briefings on Korean language from 10:50 a.m., mathematics from 2:15 p.m., and English from 5:10 p.m. in sequence. The 'EBSi Preliminary Scoring and Grade Cut Service,' which offers detailed analysis information on perceived difficulty and key questions, will also be available from 7:30 p.m. on the day of the CSAT.
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