Average Grade of KSAT Seems to Drop 30-40 Points

The average grade of the Korean Scholastic Aptitude Test 2002 on Nov. 7 is anticipated to drop by about 30 points since the test was considerably difficult than previous years.

Consequently, the students of middle and low grades are likely to experience more difficulty in choosing their fields and schools.

Ahn Hee-Soo (professor of Seoul National University), the chairperson of KSAT, revealed at the press conference, ``As we notified in advance, the committee tried to make the average grade of the upper half of the students to be 77.7 with ± 2.5 deviation. Considering that the questions of the language and mathematic fields were relatively easy last year, the degree of difficulties was adjusted.`` Like the announcement of prof. Ahn, students and teachers evaluated that the test of language area at the first test hour was most difficult and the mathematics in the second session was also difficult.

The KSAT committee inserted 1-2 questions to each field that require of high intellectual power to solve to increase the distinctiveness of the students` scholastic aptitude.

Private prep schools anticipate that the average grades of this year would be lower by 30-40 points. For example, 18 points and 12-15 points will down in the language area and mathematic area respectively and the average grades of Social Research, Science Research, and Study, and Foreign language areas will go down a little bit as well.

Kim Young-Il, head of the Education Consultation of the Central Education Development Institute, said that the average grade is expected to approach closely to the goal set up by the KSAT committee. ``Considering that the students scholastic capability of K-12 this year, they might have felt that the test was considerably difficult.``

If the differences of the scholastic aptitude became distinctive, students of middle and low grades will suffer remarkable difficulties to select their proper schools during the application period from Dec. 10-13.

Particularly, the student rankings will not be released from this year rather classifying all examinees in 9 strata. Therefore, applicants will be confused when they apply because they cannot rank themselves.

Meanwhile, 739,129 students applied to take KSAT but 20,667 students were absent from the test, recording 2.8 percent absence rate which is a little higher than average.

inchul@donga.com