The Korean College Scholastic Ability Test was held on November 16th, and contrary to expectations, it brought about unexpected changes.

Renowned as one of the most challenging tests globally, the KCSAT holds significant influence, particularly in the realm of Korean private education.

A few months ago, the Korean Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation made a surprising announcement.

They revealed plans to exclude “killer problems,” known for being extremely difficult to distinguish the top-rank students.

This decision aroused widespread confusion among many students and parents, who grappled with uncertainties during their preparation.

Given KCSAT’s pivotal role as a gateway in students’ lives, every word from the Institute carried immense weight.

Private education platforms were quick to analyze trends in anticipation of the modified exam.

However, Mr. Ju Eun Son, the CEO of Megastudy, one of the biggest platforms of Korean private education, sought to allay concerns during a live session hosted by the Korean Broadcasting Company (KBS) on the 27th.

He emphasized that the elimination of killer problems should not be a major worry for parents and students.

These problems were originally designed for top-tier students, and Mr.Son saw this as an opportunity for ordinary students to achieve better scores.

Also, the eradication of killer problems was viewed as a positive attempt to placate the craze in private education.

After the KCSAT was finished, a survey conducted by the Korea Educational Broadcasting Corporation (EBSI) revealed that 85.9% of 2,764 respondents found the test difficult.

Mr. Moon Sung Jung, the Chairman of the KCSAT test preparation committee and a professor at Gyeongin National University of Education remarked that while the killer problems did not appear on the test, the overall difficulty level did not significantly differ from the previous year.

The teachers of the EBS platform observed that the exam aimed to maintain a similar difficulty level, contrary to expectations.

Notably, the English section considered an absolute evaluation test, saw few students achieving the highest rating compared to the previous year.

Despite concerns and controversies surrounding the absence of killer problems, it appears that the difficulty stemmed from slightly challenging problems replacing many easier ones, rather than solely due to the exclusion of the notorious questions.

There are positive evaluations regarding the breakdown of problems that upper-middle or middle-ranking students may face.

However, the controversies surrounding the elimination of killer problems don’t seem to have soothed.

Many parents experienced confusion due to the abnormal situations surrounding the KCSAT, leading to sudden changes in their exam strategies.

Some of them even strongly claimed that it would have been better not to declare the exclusion of the killer problems.

The Korean Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation is set to determine the final grade by November 28th, but the controversies surrounding this unusual KCSAT are expected to persist until the final correct answer is confirmed.

Dooyoung Nam

Grade 10

Salisbury school