South Korea considers reducing the number of university entrance exams

South Korea's notoriously fierce college entrance exam will be reformed to reduce the number of subjects, integrate them, and include an advanced math course reserved for top candidates.

The Korean Ministry of Education announced on October 10 that it will adjust the content of the Suneung College Admission Test (CSAT). To give students and parents time to prepare for the orientation, the plan will take effect after the next 4 years.

With the new exam format, the number of subjects is reduced through the integration of many elective subjects. The university entrance exams will include National Language, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Vocational Education. The integration aims to avoid the situation where different subjects have different levels of difficulty, increasing fairness.

Students at Happo High School in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, study for college entrance exams, November 2021. Photo: Yonhap

Specifically, currently, in the Math exam, candidates have to go through two parts: general questions and optional questions. According to statistics, nearly half of the candidates taking the upcoming exam choose Analysis because this is considered an easier subject to score than Probability, Statistics or Geometry.

"Barriers between subjects will be removed and students will be assessed holistically to encourage critical thinking about general aspects of Natural and Social Sciences," said Lee Ju Ho, South Korea's Minister of Education.

Similarly, electives such as Speaking and Writing, Language and Media will be integrated into the National Language exam.

Textbooks and curricula including 17 elective subjects in natural sciences and humanities will also be integrated. The Ministry of Education will publish sample exams with the new structure in the second half of next year so that students can grasp the new exam method.

50% of the questions in the Suneung exam are content taught on EBS, a national education television channel, so that candidates can review on their own without having to rely on private exam preparation centers.

The ministry also proposed creating an advanced Mathematics subject including Calculus 2 and Geometry for the exam to discover and nurture talent for advanced industries.

Minister Lee Ju Ho said the university entrance exam reform aims to train human resources for the future in a rapidly changing society, helping students orient their career paths and develop their strengths.

Education Minister Lee Ju Ho at a press conference on changes to the college entrance exam, October 10. Photo: Yonhap

As part of the reform plan, high schools will also undergo a major change: from 2025, a five-point grading scale from A to E will be used, instead of the current nine-point grading scale.

The new grading system will be based on specific criteria at each threshold to help students achieve an A more easily. Currently, in each subject, the scores will classify students into 9 groups and only students in the highest group (group 1) are accepted into prestigious universities. Competition is very high with only 4% being classified in group 1, equivalent to A+.

Furthermore, in order to eliminate the situation of collusion between public teachers and the private education sector in exchanging and selling university entrance exam questions, the National Exam Council will only include people who have no connection to private educational institutions. They are randomly selected from a group of verified people.

The Ministry of Education will ask the National Tax Agency to provide tax information on these members, to see if they have other sources of income, such as from selling exam papers. Exam board members will also be banned from receiving benefits from the private education sector for five years.

The Ministry of Education plans to finalize the content of the College Entrance Exam reform by the end of this year, after further discussions with the National Education Commission and related parties.

Phuong Anh (According to Korea Herald, KBS )

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