Preliminary scores of college exam panic HS students

High schools nationwide panicked over the preliminary scoring results of the Collegiate Scholastic Aptitude Test Friday, a day after the university entrance exam was administered.

At certain schools, nearly half of students did not show up at school apparently due to disappointed over their test results. Students admitted to universities through early admissions looked relatively peaceful, however.

The scores for a mathematics section taken mostly by students specializing in natural sciences plummeted from last year. Even top-scoring students were expected to see their scores plunge.

MegaStudy, one of Korea’s top private academic institutes, forecast that the number of students with a perfect score will shrink to a third of last year`s figure in the math section and foreign languages.

Students said problems related to TV lectures of Educational Broadcasting System were too easy but that others were too difficult.

Experts say the idea of linking the test to the EBS lectures was adopted to reduce private tutoring expenses but that it added confusion among students.

“Now that students know that the problems came from EBS materials, they will likely flock to the private tutoring market looking for answers,” a high school teacher said.

The expected plunge in test scores has made university admissions guidance teachers at high schools busy. When the college exam is too difficult, repeat test-takers usually tend to perform better than high school seniors.

In addition, mid- to high-level students will likely set their sights lower when applying to universities, creating a chain reaction of applications to lower-ranked schools.

Private institutes project that the second round of early admission applications will likely show a record-high competitive rate. Mid-scoring students are also expected to go through fierce competition at the last minute in the regular admissions period.

kini@donga.com