From 2027, the common subject for the civil service Level 9 exam, which is Korean history, will be replaced by the Korean History Proficiency Test (Level 3 or higher). In addition, the Public Service Aptitude Test (PSAT) will be conducted as a separate exam for the National Civil Service Examination. The Ministry of Personnel Management noted on the 13th that it would announce a legislative notice for revisions to the 'Civil Service Appointment Enforcement Decree.'
First, in the Level 9 civil service exam, the Korean history subject will be replaced by a proficiency test. This is intended to reduce the burden on examinees and allow them to focus on subjects that are more relevant to their duties. Previously, the government introduced this in the Level 5 and Level 7 civil service exams in 2012 and 2021, respectively, and this will expand its application after six years. However, the Ministry of Personnel Management reported that considering the current requirement for Level 5 and Level 7 to achieve Level 2 or higher, the requirement for Level 9 is set at Level 3 or higher.
The PSAT is an aptitude assessment administered by the Ministry of Personnel Management, the National Assembly Secretariat, and the Court Administration for civil servant recruitment. Currently, it is included in the first stage of the civil service recruitment exams for Levels 5 and 7. The Ministry plans to separate this proficiency test to enable its use in various public sector recruitment exams, thereby expanding its application not only for civil service Levels 5 and 7 but also for the court administrative examination and municipal recruitment.
Sohn Mujoo, director of the Talent Recruitment Bureau at the Ministry of Personnel Management, said, "Despite the PSAT's versatility, there were limitations in its application outside of that exam."
The PSAT to be conducted from 2027 will be divided into advanced and basic levels based on difficulty. The basic exam will assess language reasoning, data interpretation, and situational judgment, while the advanced exam will include constitutional law. The number of questions will be 40 questions per domain for the advanced exam (25 questions for constitutional law), and 25 questions per domain for the basic exam.
The Ministry of Personnel Management plans to conduct the advanced exam once a year in February or March. The scores from this exam can be utilized for the civil service Level 5 recruitment, the selection of diplomatic candidates, the court administrative exam, and the selection of regional talent probationary staff.
The basic exam is expected to be held once a year in July. The scores can be used for the Ministry of Personnel Management and the municipal civil service Level 7 recruitment exam.
Yeon Wonjeong, the Minister of Personnel Management, remarked, "With this restructuring, the compatibility of recruitment exams within the public sector is expected to increase, and the burden on examinees will be alleviated." He added, "We will continue to strive for a more reasonable improvement of the civil servant recruitment system in the future."