Defending the new exam system for college entrance

Chief admission officers at nine universities based in Seoul have urged the government to postpone the implementation of the "selective" College Scholastic Aptitude Test to be introduced this year. To be administered from Nov. 7 this year, the new test is divided into two categories. Type A is easier than the existing exam, while Type B maintains the level of difficulty. Students can take either of the two types before applying to the universities of their choice. Each university will give prior notice on which type it will accept for its screening process. High school teachers are generally negative toward the new test, warning of "a great deal of confusion" among applicants because of more factors to be considered for their applications. The admissions officers at the nine universities spoke for high schools and applicants who are fearful of the new system.

The new test is part of the outgoing Lee Myung-bak administration’s measures to normalize public education and reduce high spending on private tutoring by parents. If an easy entrance exam and a hard one are administered together, top-class universities will likely demand that applicants submit records of the more difficult one. Other universities will likely reflect the results of the easier test, so most applicants would not have to prepare more than necessary. Thus the new system is expected to reduce spending on private tutoring. The U.S. also has two types of tests -- the SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Tests. Different schools in the U.S. require different scores.

Back in Korea, high schools complain of difficulties in preparing for the new dual-test system, saying it further complicates the already-complicated system with more than 3,000 types of admission policies at different universities. Students could also grow confused over which of the two tests to take, particularly those whose scores are intermediate. Other high schools warn that the new system will create a hierarchy among them, depending on which school has more students taking the more difficult Type B. Universities will also feel pressure over being categorized as a “Type A” or "Type B" school.

Yet a more careful approach is needed to delay the new college entrance test from the perspective of ensuring predictability in the exam. The “selective” test was first put to public debate in September 2010 and underwent national public hearings, discussions with high school students and university admissions officers, and opinion polls before the draft plan was announced in January 2011. So the new system had a three-year grace period. More than a few students have prepared for the new system. Turning back the clock just 10 months before the test date could cause bigger problems and public distrust over education policy. In a country with high regard for education and where a university degree is directly linked with a person`s social status, predictability in the university entrance exam is most important. The government should implement the new system this year as planned before discussing it if issues are raised.