Pre-Med Cutoff Scores Expected to Surge,
But Seoul Universities Remain at Last Year's Levels
Top Grade Cutoff Drops Amid Increased Exam Difficulty
The 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test, held on the 13th, is evaluated as being generally more difficult than last year, with the Korean and English sections considered as challenging as the 2024 test, which was known as a "killer test." As a result, it is now being analyzed that the admissions cutoff scores for pre-med programs at SKY universities, which were expected to rise sharply due to the freeze in medical school enrollment quotas at pre-expansion levels, will remain the same as last year. The cutoff for the top grade is also expected to be up to 6 points lower than last year's test.
Admissions Cutoff for Pre-med Programs at Eight Seoul Universities, Expected to Remain Unchanged Despite Predictions of a Sharp Increase
According to Jongro Academy's projected raw score cutoffs for major universities for the 2026 academic year, released on the 14th, the admissions cutoff for pre-med programs at eight Seoul universities is expected to be between 285 and 294 points, which is the same as last year. In the Gyeongin region (four universities), the cutoff is projected to be 285 to 292 points, with the highest score potentially rising by about 1 point compared to last year. In contrast, in regional areas (27 universities), the cutoff is expected to be between 275 and 292 points, with the lowest score falling by 1 point and the highest score rising by 3 points.
The projected cutoff for the pre-med program at Seoul National University is 294 points, estimated to be at last year's level. This is followed by Yonsei University at 293 points (up 1 point), Sungkyunkwan University at 292 points (up 1 point), Catholic University at 292 points (up 1 point), Ulsan University at 292 points (up 1 point), and Korea University at 288 points (down 2 points).
Im Seongho, CEO of Jongro Academy, stated, "Although this year's test was difficult, it does not seem to have had a significant impact on the very top tier of students." He added, "While the medical school quota was reduced by about 1,500 compared to last year, leading to expectations of fiercer competition and higher cutoffs, various factors such as elective subject variables meant that the impact was not as pronounced." The overall consensus is that the increased difficulty of the test compared to last year had an effect.
Universities where the projected regular admissions cutoff is lower than last year include, in the humanities: Seoul National University Business Administration and Political Science & International Relations (down 1 point), Chung-Ang University School of Public Human Resources (down 4 points), Ewha Womans University Humanities (down 1 point), and Kyung Hee University Business & Accounting (down 5 points). In the natural sciences: Seoul National University Advanced Convergence (down 3 points), Chemical & Biological Engineering (down 2 points), Chung-Ang University Medicine (down 1 point), Kyung Hee University Pre-med (down 1 point), and Ewha Womans University Natural Sciences (down 5 points).
The projected minimum cutoff for the top 10 universities is 244 points (down 1 point) for humanities and 248 points (unchanged) for natural sciences.
On the morning of the 13th, when the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test was conducted, examinees were preparing for the exam at Yongsan High School in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps
Top Grade Cutoff Expected to Drop by Up to 6 Points Compared to Last Year
According to EBSi, Jongro Academy, Megastudy, and Etoos Edu, the projected raw score cutoff for the top grade in the 2026 test is: Korean (Speech & Composition) 88-89 points; Korean (Language & Media) 85-87 points; Mathematics (Probability & Statistics) 89-92 points; Mathematics (Calculus) 86-88 points; Mathematics (Geometry) 87-89 points.
With the main subjects on this year's test assessed as being overall more difficult than last year, the admissions industry has lowered its projected top grade raw score cutoffs. Last year's cutoffs were: Speech & Composition 95 points; Language & Media 92 points; Probability & Statistics 94 points; Calculus 88 points; Geometry 90 points. The difference between this year's projected cutoffs and last year's ranges from as little as 1 point to as much as 6 points.
The proportion of students achieving a top grade in English, which is graded on an absolute scale, is also expected to decrease from last year's 6.2%. Jongro Academy estimates that the proportion of top-grade English scores in this year's test will be 3.8%, a decrease of 2.4 percentage points from last year.
The "highest standard score," an indicator of test difficulty, has also risen compared to last year's test. Jongro Academy estimates the highest standard score for the Korean section at 147 points and for the mathematics section at 141 points, up from last year's 139 and 140 points, respectively. In particular, the Korean section is considered to have been a "killer test," comparable to the 2024 test, which had a highest standard score of 150 points.
In a survey on perceived difficulty of the 2026 test released by EBS on the same day, 8 out of 10 respondents said the test was "difficult." Of the respondents, 44.6% answered "very difficult," and 40.8% said "somewhat difficult" (out of a total of 4,019 respondents as of 8 p.m. on the 13th). By section, in Korean, 54.1% said "very difficult" and 30.0% said "somewhat difficult." In mathematics, 24.8% said "very difficult" and 27.3% "somewhat difficult." In English, 36.2% responded "very difficult" and 33.8% "somewhat difficult."
Yoon Yoonkoo, a teacher at Seoul Hanyang University High School and head of the EBS on-site teachers' group for the test, stated at the "2026 Test Trend Analysis Briefing" held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 13th, "The overall difficulty is similar to last year, but the details for differentiating the top tier have been strengthened," and added, "The perceived difficulty for test-takers is expected to have been higher."
The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation will accept objections to test questions and answers until 6 p.m. on the 17th, review them, and officially announce the final answers at 5 p.m. on the 25th. Test scores will be released on December 5.
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