The September mock exam for the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) was completed, providing insights into the upcoming exam trends. According to analyses from education experts and the Korea Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), this exam successfully excluded so-called 'killer questions' that require mechanical problem-solving techniques often taught in private tutoring, while maintaining clear difficulty levels across subjects.
The Korean and math sections were notably more challenging than the June mock exam, putting pressure on test-takers, while the English section was significantly easier in comparison.
The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation conducted the September mock exam simultaneously at 2,162 high schools and 574 designated academies across the country starting at 8:40 a.m. on September 2.
This mock exam focused on excluding questions that favored students trained through private education, aiming to maintain discriminative power within the public education framework. The EBS linkage rate, based on the number of questions per subject, remained around 50%, and the agency actively utilized charts, graphs, and passages from linked materials to enhance students' perceived connection to the exam.
Korean Section Features Longer Passages and Choices, Increasing Difficulty
Experts agree that the Korean section was more difficult than the relatively straightforward June mock exam. According to JinHakSa, the passages and answer choices were generally longer, requiring deeper thinking, which likely added pressure on students regarding time management. Jongno Academy noted that more time was spent on the literature section compared to the reading section, and the introduction of different question types may have contributed to this burden. Etoos predicted that the variation in interpretive information in literature and the differences in students' learning levels affected the overall perceived difficulty.
EBS assessed this Korean section as being similar in level to last September's mock exam, noting that while the amount of information in the passages was appropriate, questions requiring precise understanding and inferential reasoning distinguished the test-takers. The most challenging questions were identified as number 7 and 8, which focused on humanities and philosophy, and number 13, which dealt with science and technology.
Math Section Shows Increased Difficulty with Unfamiliar Question Types
The math section was also deemed more difficult than the June mock exam, while being comparable to or slightly easier than last year's CSAT, demonstrating strict discriminative power. A notable feature was the relatively higher difficulty of the common subjects (Math I and Math II) compared to the elective subjects.
JinHakSa noted that while the 2-3 point questions were relatively straightforward, the unfamiliar question types in common subjects 14 and 15 may have confused some students. Etoos pointed out that the question type for number 22 changed from a sequence problem in the June mock exam to a graph of exponential and logarithmic functions, making predictions difficult. The highest difficulty questions identified by students included number 21, which involved differentiation, and number 22, which asked about the shape of exponential and logarithmic function graphs, along with number 14, a sequence problem.
In contrast, the elective subjects of probability and statistics, calculus, and geometry were all presented at a manageable level, suggesting minimal impact on students' choices. EBS evaluated that the exam avoided overly complex calculations and questions requiring too many concepts in one item, focusing instead on logically inferring basic concepts within the curriculum.
English Section Features Less Abstract Passages and Trendy Topics, Making It Easier
Unlike the Korean and math sections, the English section was significantly easier. Compared to last year's CSAT (with a top score rate of 3.11%) and this year's challenging June mock exam (with a top score rate of 4.13%), the difficulty was notably reduced.
Jongno Academy analyzed that the vocabulary, sentence structure, and passage length were all easier, potentially causing issues in securing discriminative power among high-achieving students. JinHakSa also observed a marked reduction in abstract content and difficult vocabulary, stating that the basis for understanding the main ideas and fill-in-the-blank questions was clear from the passage content.
Fresh and engaging topics in the passages also caught students' attention. EBS noted that trendy subjects such as 'the role of search engine autocomplete' and 'the function of dopamine' were included, helping to alleviate students' exam stress.
However, measures to maintain discriminative power were still in place. Etoos analyzed that attractive distractors were used to adjust difficulty, and test preparation companies commonly identified questions 33 and 34 (fill-in-the-blank inference), 37 (order of text), and 39 (sentence insertion) as likely to have high error rates.
Kim Byeong-jin, head of the Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute, commented on the September mock exam, stating, “Both Korean and math sections appear to have been set at a higher difficulty level than the June mock exam. Particularly, adaptability in the literature section of Korean and the common subjects in math likely played a crucial role in this exam.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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