"Utilizing Various Difficulty Levels... Ensuring Appropriate Discriminative Power"
The June mock exam for the 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) was conducted on the 4th. Under the government's policy of excluding 'killer questions,' the exam was analyzed to have been set at a difficulty level similar to or easier than the previous CSAT. However, it was also noted that the inclusion of questions with a high perceived difficulty ensured sufficient discrimination.
Yoon Yoon-gu, a teacher at Hanyang University High School for the Gifted, stated during the EBS briefing on the exam trends that afternoon, "Overall, the exam was somewhat easier or similar to last year's CSAT," adding, "While maintaining the trend of excluding killer questions, a variety of difficulty levels were utilized, securing appropriate discrimination." Jongno Academy, in a press release, commented, "Although killer questions were excluded, the exam was likely perceived as quite burdensome by students," and analyzed, "At the June mock exam level, there should be no particular issues with discrimination in the top-tier score range."
Korean Language: Easier than Last Year's 'Difficult CSAT'
On the morning of the 4th, the day of the June mock test for the College Scholastic Ability Test, a student is taking the Korean language section exam at Bangsan High School in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps
Looking at each subject, the first session Korean language section was generally considered somewhat easier than the previous CSAT, which was rated as an exceptionally difficult exam. Choi Seo-hee, a teacher at Jungdong High School, explained, "It appears to have been set somewhat easier than the 2024 CSAT," adding, "In the common subjects of reading and literature, so-called 'killer questions' (ultra-high difficulty questions) were excluded, and questions were designed based on core content and concepts of the curriculum, practically linked to EBS CSAT-related textbooks, resulting in high discrimination within public education." The number of EBS-linked questions in the Korean language section was 23, with a linkage rate of 51.1%.
Academies also evaluated the difficulty as lower or similar to last year's CSAT. Jongno Academy stated, "It was somewhat easier than the difficult last year's CSAT," and explained, "Balanced discrimination was secured across literature and reading without bias toward specific areas in the common subjects." Etoos Edu commented, "Last year's CSAT did not have the highest difficulty questions per se but placed several similarly difficult questions consecutively, causing students difficulty; this June mock exam seems to have been set along the same lines."
Both EBS and the admissions industry pointed to question 16, which dealt with 'moral sentences,' as a difficult question. Kim Won-jung, head of the admissions strategy office at Daesung Academy, analyzed, "The concepts and various perspectives in the passage were complicated, and it likely was not easy to determine the true or false for questions 15 and 16." EBS also identified question 27 (literature, modern novel) as a question with high discrimination.
Mathematics: Mixed Difficulty Evaluations... Some Say 'Difficult'
In the second session mathematics section, opinions generally suggested it was easier than last year's CSAT, but some interpretations indicated it was more difficult.
First, EBS analyzed, "The mathematics section appears to have been set at an easier level than the 2024 CSAT," adding, "Although there were no so-called 'killer questions' (ultra-high difficulty questions), questions capable of discriminating top-tier students were included." Of the 30 questions, 15 were linked to EBS materials, resulting in a linkage rate of 50%. Twelve questions were from common subjects, and three questions each from elective subjects were linked.
Admissions academies offered interpretations roughly similar to EBS. Jongno Academy stated, "There were no questions that could be specifically identified as killer questions," and added, "The exam was set with discrimination at about last year's level." Daesung Academy explained, "It was set at a slightly lower difficulty than the 2024 CSAT. The difficulty of 3-point and 4-point questions generally appears to have decreased." On the other hand, Megastudy evaluated, "Overall, it was set slightly more difficult than last year's CSAT."
Questions with high discrimination, commonly pointed out by both EBS and academies, included question 22 (Mathematics I) and 15 (Mathematics II) in the common subjects, and question 30 in Probability and Statistics, Calculus, and Geometry. In particular, question 22 was interpreted as potentially unfamiliar to students since it was a type usually found in Mathematics II. Megastudy commented, "(Question 22) requires checking various cases one by one using the 15th term to find the first term, involving verification of 14 terms, and the unfamiliarity with the position of the number likely increased the perceived difficulty."
English: Similar to Last Year's CSAT but High Discrimination
On the morning of the 4th, the day of the June mock test for the College Scholastic Ability Test, a student is filling out an answer sheet at Bangsan High School in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps
The third session English section appeared to be set at a level similar to last year's CSAT. EBS stated in the briefing on exam trends, "Compared to the 2024 CSAT, the types and arrangement of questions are identical," adding, "While excluding elements of so-called 'killer questions' (ultra-high difficulty questions), efforts were made to secure discrimination within public education." Of the 45 questions, 24 were linked to EBS materials, resulting in a linkage rate of 53.3%.
When asked whether this mock exam was difficult because last year's English section was rated as a 'difficult CSAT,' the response was, "Considering the question types, order, and the trend of excluding killer questions, the difficulty of the passages is similar," and "Since vocabulary, sentence structures, expressions, and familiar topics within public education were used, it is hard to say it was difficult."
Academies evaluated this English section as easier or similar to last year's CSAT. Megastudy stated in a press release, "Last year's CSAT had easier passages but very tricky answer choices, resulting in a low percentage of top grades," adding, "However, this June mock exam's passages and answer choices, except for blank 33, were not that tricky." Etoos Edu explained, "The difficulty was somewhat lower than the 2024 CSAT, where only 4.7% achieved the top grade," but also noted, "There were many tricky questions overall, and understanding the content of the passages was not easy, so this exam likely also had high discrimination."
EBS identified questions with high discrimination as question 21 (inference of implicit meaning), 24 (title inference), 34 and 36 (order of the text), and 39 (sentence insertion). Among these, the difficulty evaluation for question 36, which involves selecting the order of the text, was divided in the admissions industry. Jongno Academy said, "Question 36 was likely quite difficult to select the correct answer." In contrast, Megastudy commented, "Question 36 could be solved well by applying the flow of the narrative," adding, "If attention was paid to the flow of time, there would have been no major difficulty."
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