Currently, first-year high school students will take the second half of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) mock examination in August. This is moved up from September. Additionally, the early application period, which previously took place around the second week of September, will be postponed to mid to late September. As a result, examinees will be able to check their mock exam results and devise their university admission strategies.
On the 15th, the Ministry of Education announced a plan to change the schedule for the 2028 academic year fall CSAT mock examination.
This change applies to current first-year students. These students will prepare for university admissions under the integrated CSAT system and a five-grade system for internal assessments, according to the university entrance exam reform plan announced at the end of 2023. In relation to this, the Ministry of Education provided relevant information on the same day to prevent anxiety among students and parents regarding the application of the new university admission system.
The main guidance points announced by the Ministry of Education are three in total: notification of the adjusted schedule for the fall CSAT mock examination starting from the 2028 academic year, guidance on example questions for the 2028 academic year CSAT, and early notification of the subjects to be reflected in the university admission process for the 2028 academic year.
First, the Ministry of Education, along with the regional education offices and the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, decided to conduct the fall CSAT mock examination in the fourth or fifth week of August starting in 2027. This measure reflects concerns that the application period for early admissions would close before the September mock exam scores are reported, reducing predictability for university admissions, and that anxiety could be exploited by private educational institutions.
A representative from the Ministry of Education said, "It is expected that students will be able to establish reasonable university application strategies after thoroughly considering their fall mock exam scores when applying for early admissions." The mock examination held in June will remain unchanged.
The Ministry of Education also released example questions for the 2028 academic year CSAT to assist current first-year high school students in their preparation. The subject areas included are Korean, mathematics, social studies, and science, structured in the same format as the actual CSAT exam. The Ministry of Education stated, "We developed the questions at an accessible level to help students and teachers understand the integrated CSAT for the 2028 academic year."
All elective subjects will be eliminated. The number of questions and exam duration for the Korean and mathematics sections will remain the same as the current system. The Korean section will consist of 45 questions, with an exam duration of 80 minutes. The mathematics section will have 30 questions and an exam duration of 100 minutes.
In contrast, the social studies and science inquiry sections will consist of integrated social studies and integrated science. Each subject will have 25 questions, with an exam duration of 40 minutes. Previously, there were 20 questions per subject with an exam duration of 30 minutes.
Additionally, the Ministry of Education and the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) plan to announce ahead of time the subjects to be reflected in the university admission process for the 2028 academic year, in collaboration with universities, to support the selection of subjects under the high school credit system.
Normally, the subjects to be considered for each university's admission unit are announced through the university's admission implementation plan 1 year and 10 months prior to the admission year (in the case of the 2028 academic year, this would be April 2026). However, considering that the introduction of the high school credit system makes subject selection an essential factor in university admission, relevant information will be provided around August this year.
Choi Eun-hee, director of talent policy at the Ministry of Education, said, "We will provide accurate and timely admission information so that the 2028 admission reforms do not lead to increased burdens and demand for private education," and added, "We will actively identify matters that can alleviate the burden of university admission preparation for students and parents through institutional improvements, such as changes to the mock exam schedule."