The College Scholastic Ability Test or CSAT (, ), also abbreviated Suneung (, ), is a standardized test which is recognized by South Korean universities. The Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) administers the annual test on the third Thursday in November. In 2020, however, it was postponed to the first Thursday in December (December 3), due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the CSAT was originally designed to assess the scholastic ability required for college, it is currently a national graduation test for high-school students. By determining the university a student can enter, it plays an important role in South Korean education. The test has been cited for its efficiency, emphasis on merit, and good international results. Of the students taking the test, 20 percent are high-school graduates who did not achieve their desired score the previous year.
On test day, the KRX stock market opens late, and bus and metro service is increased to avoid traffic jams and allow students to get to the testing sites more easily. Planes are grounded during the listening portion of the English section so their noise does not disturb the students. In some cases, students running late for the test may be escorted to their testing site by police officers via motorcycle. Younger students and members of the students' families gather outside testing sites to cheer them on.
Purpose
The CSAT is designed to test a candidate's ability to study in college, with questions based on Korea's high-school curriculum. It standardizes high-school education and provides accurate, objective data for university admission.
Schedule
All questions are multiple-choice, except for the 9 questions in the Mathematics section, which are short answer.
Sections
The CSAT consists of six sections: national language (Korean), mathematics, English, Korean history, subordinate subjects (social studies, sciences, and vocational education), and second foreign language/Chinese characters and classics. All sections are optional except Korean history, but most candidates take all the other sections except second foreign language/Classical Chinese.
In the mathematics section, candidates are made to take Math I (which consists of Logarithm, Sequences and Trigonometry) and Math II (which consists of Limits and Calculus on polynomials), and allowed to select one among Probability and Statistics, Geometry and Calculus.
The subordinate subjects is divided into three sections: social studies, science, and vocational education. Candidates may choose up to two subjects, but may not select from different sections at the same time; Physics II and Biology I may be chosen for the subordinate section since both are sciences, but World history and Principles of Accounting may notthe former is in the social studies section, and the latter in vocational education. Only vocational high-school graduates can choose the vocational education section.
In the second foreign language/Classical Chinese section, the candidate chooses one subject.
Most high-ranked universities require applicants to take two science subordinate subjects and Geometry or Calculus in the mathematics section if they apply for a STEM major, and do not accept subordinate subjects in the same field (such as Physics I and Physics II).
National Language
In the National Language section, candidates are assessed on their ability to read, understand and analyse Korean texts rapidly and accurately. Its 45 questions of the subject are classified into four categories:
Common topics
Questions 1-17: Reading
Questions 18-34: Literature
Elective topics (select 1 out of 2 options, Q35-45) Speech and Writing Language and Media
Common subjects
Reading
This category consists of four articles, from the topics reading theory, humanities/arts, law/economy and science/technology. Each passage has 3-6 questions. Candidates need to answer questions such as, "Of the five statements below, which one does not agree with the passage above?" or "According to the passage, which one is the correct analysis of the following example?"
Literature
This category consists of texts from five categories: modern poetry, classic poetry, modern novel, classical prose and play/essay. Candidates may be asked to summarise a single passage or outline a common theme between multiple texts (sometimes of different text types), among many other question types.
Elective subjects
Speech and writing
This category consists of 11 questions relating to three texts.