[2025 CSAT] "Unpredictable Difficulty" Due to "Record-High Multiple Variables"... Forecasts of a 'Difficult CSAT'

Jongno Academy "Likely Harder Than June and September Mock Exams"
Top Repeaters Join in Large Numbers Due to 'Medical School Expansion'
Killer Questions in 2nd Year, Integrated CSAT in 4th Year
Expansion of Non-Major Fields, Relaxation of Elective Subject Restrictions, etc.

The 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) is just one day away. This year’s CSAT and college admissions are expected to be influenced by various complex factors, including a large influx of repeat test-takers (graduates or above) due to the increase in medical school quotas, the second year of excluding killer questions, the fourth year of the integrated CSAT, and the expansion of non-major (free major) admissions. The admissions industry predicts that the test may be set at a difficulty level comparable to a ‘bulssunung’ (extremely difficult test) to differentiate top-tier students.

According to the Ministry of Education on the 13th, the number of graduates participating in this year’s CSAT (excluding GED holders) is 161,784, the largest scale in 21 years. Additionally, the number of repeat test-takers who joined CSAT preparation after the first semester final exams is also at an all-time high. Jongno Academy analyzed, “Estimating the number of repeat test-takers by the difference between the June mock test and the actual CSAT registrants, it is 93,195, the highest ever.” This is interpreted as an increase in top-tier repeat test-takers due to the expansion of medical school admission quotas.

On the 12th, officials from the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education were moving the 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test question papers in front of a warehouse in Incheon. Photo by Yonhap News

The fact that this is the second year applying the policy of excluding killer questions is also considered a major variable. Since this is a new type of CSAT with some changes in question order and types of discriminative questions, there is not a large sample size yet. Furthermore, the issue of disparity between humanities and sciences due to the fourth year of the integrated CSAT is expected to continue.

Because of this, it is difficult to predict the difficulty level of this year’s CSAT. The June mock test and the actual CSAT last year, when the killer question exclusion policy was first applied, were difficult, but the September mock test this year was considered easy. Regarding the expected difficulty of this year’s CSAT, Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongno Academy, stated, “Korean and Math are expected to be as difficult as the June mock test, and English will be slightly more difficult than the September mock test. However, to ensure differentiation, it may be even more difficult than just simple difficulty, so test-takers need to prepare themselves mentally.”

Status of Applicants for the 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test. Provided by the Ministry of Education.

Various variables also apply in the process of setting college admission strategies before and after the CSAT. This year, the number of non-major admissions increased by about 28,000 from the previous year, totaling 37,935 students. Also, this year’s admissions have significantly relaxed restrictions on CSAT subject choices. At 17 universities including Kyung Hee University, Sungkyunkwan University, Yonsei University, and Ewha Womans University in the natural sciences track, students can apply for natural sciences even if they choose Probability and Statistics or Social Studies instead of Calculus or Geometry. However, additional points are given to those who take Calculus, Geometry, or Science Inquiry subjects in the regular admission process.

CEO Lim analyzed, “Due to the expansion of non-major admissions, it has become difficult to predict scores, and there are no related statistics. Also, the number of applicants taking social studies subjects in the CSAT has surged, while those taking science subjects have decreased, increasing the likelihood that many students will fail to meet the minimum CSAT score requirements and be eliminated due to these variables.”

The CSAT, conducted in 85 test districts nationwide on the 14th, will start at 8:40 a.m. and end at 5:45 p.m. Following this, objections to questions and answers will be accepted until the 18th, with final answers confirmed on the 26th. Score notifications will be issued on the 6th of next month.