[2026 CSAT] EBS: "Mathematics Similar to Last Year... Questions Appropriately Included to Differentiate Top Scorers"

"Clear Differentiation Among Top and Highest-Scoring Students"

The mathematics section of the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) is assessed to have been set at a similar level to last year's exam. While the test aimed to strengthen differentiation among top-scoring students, it did not include questions that would favor students who have repeatedly practiced private education problem-solving techniques, questions covering content not addressed in public education, or questions that would require excessively long solving times.

At the '2026 CSAT Question Trend Analysis Briefing' held at the Government Complex Sejong on November 13, Sim Juseok, a teacher at Incheon Haneul High School and a member of the EBS field teacher group who analyzed the mathematics section from the second period, stated, "So-called 'killer questions' were excluded." He added, "Overall, this year's CSAT mathematics section consisted of questions that followed the achievement standards of the curriculum, maintained sufficient differentiation, and could be adequately prepared for through public education and EBS CSAT-linked textbooks."

On the morning of the 13th, when the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) was held, examinees were preparing for the exam at the testing site set up at Gyeongbok High School in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 251113. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Sim commented, "If the test had been set at exactly the same level as the September mock exam, it might have been difficult to distinguish between the top and the highest-scoring students. However, I believe this CSAT was well-calibrated to differentiate even among the very top scorers."

He further explained, "In the common subjects, Mathematics I and Mathematics II, questions aimed at distinguishing top students were appropriately included, and there were also many questions that students in the middle range could solve with ease."

He also noted, "As with the mock exams in June and September, the test included multi-answer and completion-type questions. Any student who has a precise understanding of the basic concepts within the curriculum would have been able to solve them without complicated calculations."

This CSAT is analyzed to have relatively high differentiation in question 22 of Mathematics I, question 21 of Mathematics II, question 30 of Probability and Statistics, question 30 of Calculus, and question 30 of Geometry. Sim stated, "In particular, question 21, which asked about the limit of a function, was likely the most difficult in this year’s CSAT. However, rather than relying on techniques learned in private education, a deep understanding of the concepts would have enabled students to solve it."

Following the test-setting direction to maintain the EBS linkage rate (over 50%) and linkage method while enhancing the sense of linkage, 15 out of the total 30 questions were linked to EBS materials.

In the common subjects, Mathematics I and Mathematics II, there were six linked questions each, totaling 12. In the elective subjects-Probability and Statistics, Calculus, and Geometry-there were three linked questions each. Sim explained, "The linkage was achieved through the application of concepts and principles, reduction, expansion, or modification of questions, and the use of data scenarios."