[2025 CSAT] Admissions Industry: "Korean Language is Harder than September Mock Test... Easier than Last Year's CSAT"

1st Period Korean Language Section Entrance Exam Industry Analysis
"Not an Easy Korean Test" vs "No Killer Questions"
Most Agree on "Appearance of Unfamiliar Questions"

Regarding the difficulty level of the first session Korean language section of the 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the admissions industry analyzed that it was easier than last year's CSAT and similar to or more difficult than this year's September mock exam. In particular, many opinions noted the appearance of unfamiliar questions that had not been frequently asked before in the literature and language and media sections.

Jongno Academy stated in its analysis report on the 14th, "Although it was somewhat easier than last year's very difficult actual CSAT level, it was designed to secure basic discrimination ability," adding, "It cannot be evaluated as an easy Korean language test under normal circumstances." It continued, "Especially in the literature section, unfamiliar works that were not linked to the Korean Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) questions appeared in poems and novels, which may have felt unfamiliar," and "The grammar questions in the language and media section were somewhat difficult."

Last year's CSAT Korean language section recorded a highest standard score (perfect score) of 150 points, regarded as the most difficult level ever. In contrast, the highest standard score of the September mock exam was 129 points, the lowest since the September 2022 mock exam.

Yonhap News

Daesung Academy also interpreted that it was easier than last year's CSAT but more difficult than this year's September mock exam. Regarding the reading section, Daesung Academy said, "Except for reading theory, all areas were linked to EBS, but compared to last year's CSAT and this year's September mock exam, the perceived EBS linkage rate in the reading section was likely lower for students." About the literature section, it added, "For question 24 (literature), the interpretation difficulty of a non-linked modern poem was high, so students probably found it challenging." Regarding the language and media section, it said, "Materials that were not frequently covered by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation appeared with high information density."

Uway also gave a similar evaluation, explaining, "Some questions, such as number 7 (reading), could cause difficulties, so it does not feel that easy."

Etus Edu also analyzed similarly but believed the perceived EBS linkage rate was high. However, it analyzed that time management was important for some high-discrimination questions. In particular, in the speech and writing section, analyzing the answer choices was tricky, and in the language and media section, question 39 featured 'indirect citation,' which is rarely asked and may have felt unfamiliar.

On the other hand, Megastudy Education diagnosed that the level was similar to the September mock exam. Megastudy Education interpreted, "According to the principle of excluding killer questions, no particularly difficult questions were asked, and the test consisted of questions that students who have studied to improve thinking and reading comprehension skills could sufficiently solve." However, regarding the reading section, it said, "The form of the options was unfamiliar, which may have confused examinees," and also noted that questions 43 and 45 in the language and media section likely required some time to solve.