Students to Be Allowed to Choose Test Subjects

Beginning next year, high school seniors will be free to choose test subjects for the college entrance Scholastic Aptitude Test, and the will be given test scores based on each subject instead of lump sum.

A vocational part will be introduced for vocational high school students for the first time. Chinese characters and second foreign languages will be added as the fifth part of the test.

The classification of liberal art, science and art will virtually disappear, with students allowed to choose some or all of the five test areas – language, math, foreign language (English), society/science/vocation and second foreign language/Chinese characters – as required by colleges they apply for.

Given the growing number of subjects in the fourth part of the test, standardized scores will be given instead of raw scores to address the controversy on impartiality resulted from different levels of subjects.

The score paper will contain scores students earn for each part and subject along with percentage. It will also mark one of nine grades to indicate how well students did for each part.

Points set for math will be increased from the existing 80 to 100, and for every section, one to three points will be allocated to individual questions.

The ministry of Education plans to complete the year 2005 SAT plan including a timetable by the end of August and announce a detailed plan by December.

The evaluation board is set to conduct a mock test with second grade students in December this year so that students can adjust themselves to the new test. It plans to develop a final test plan by March next year.

In-Chul Lee inchul@donga.com