Reading Section Stands Out as the Most Challenging in CSAT Korean: The Most Difficult Passage Revealed

Daekyo Analyzes Korean Language Passage Difficulty Using KReaD Index
Reading Passage on Surety Contracts Rated Most Difficult
Literature and Elective Sections Remain Relatively Moderate

The overall difficulty level of the reading passages in the Korean language section of the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test was found to be moderate. However, the perceived difficulty of the reading comprehension section was relatively high.

On November 14, Daekyo announced that it had analyzed the difficulty level of the Korean language section passages from the previous day's test using its Korean reading comprehension index, KReaD. KReaD is an index that quantifies the difficulty of a text and the reader's reading ability on a scale from 0 to 2000. A higher score indicates a more difficult text and a higher level of reading comprehension.

Daekyo analyzed the difficulty level of the Korean language section in the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test using its self-developed reading comprehension index, KReaD. Daekyo

The analysis showed that this year's Korean language section was generally similar in difficulty to last year's test and the mock exams held in June and September this year, with a moderate overall level and some medium- and high-difficulty questions used to differentiate test-takers. In particular, the perceived difficulty of the reading comprehension section increased, while the literature and elective sections remained relatively moderate.

In detail, the social studies passage on "Methods of Legal Interpretation and Surety Contracts" in the reading comprehension section had the highest KReaD index at 1820, while in the literature section, the modern novel passage "Scenes from Dokgachon" by Park Tae-soon had the highest index at 1522.

According to admissions experts, questions 8 (social studies), 12 (science), and 34 (literature) were the most difficult, and these were mainly based on passages with high KReaD indices. This indicates a moderate correlation between passage difficulty and question difficulty. Overall, the test was analyzed to have a well-balanced level of difficulty.

A Daekyo representative stated, "The increased difficulty in the reading comprehension section suggests that reading will continue to be a key differentiating factor in the future," and added, "For literature and elective subjects, understanding basic concepts is important, and it is essential to steadily build basic reading comprehension skills by practicing with passages appropriate to the student's reading level."