CSAT’s Verbal and Mathematics Sections to Become Easier Than Last Year

2003 academic-year College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which will take place on November 6, will be easier than last year. In order to settle students’ anxiety, 20,000 – 40,000 answer sheets will be processed through sample-grading immediately after the examination and the test information like section averages will be publicized the next day.

Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE, Director Kim Sung-Dong) published `2003 academic-year College Scholastic Ability Test Enforcement Plan` on the 27th, including such details.

Director Kim said, “2003 CSAT’s degree of difficulty will be adjusted at an appropriate level according to the results of 2001 and 2002 academic years. Last year’s CSAT held an appropriate level for Social Studies Inquiry, Natural Science Inquiry, and Foreign Language sections, but Verbal and Mathematics sections were exceptions.”

Therefore, this year’s degree of difficulty is to be halfway between that of 2001 and 2002, and last year’s difficult verbal and mathematics sections will become easier.

KICE expected the number of examination applicants to be reduced to 661,200, which is 77,600 lesser than last year, because of decreased enrolled students.

Meanwhile, KICE raised the application fee from 20,000 won to 22,000 won, and the application due date is also changed from Saturday to Tuesday, September 10.

inchul@donga.com