In last year's 2025 college scholastic ability test (CSAT), the average scores in Korean and mathematics for so-called 'N students' were found to be 12 to 13 points higher than those of current 12th graders. The rate of students achieving the top grade in English was also more than double.
The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, the organization administering the CSAT, released the analysis of the 2025 CSAT results on the 8th.
According to this analysis, the average standard score for N students in Korean was 108.9 points, which is 13.1 points higher than that of current 12th graders (95.8 points). The average standard score for N students in mathematics (108.4 points) was also 12.2 points higher than that of current 12th graders (96.2 points).
The average standard score for test-takers of the high school equivalency exam was 99.2 points in Korean and 95.7 points in mathematics.
In the absolute evaluation for English, the percentage of top grade (scores above 90) among N students was recorded at 9.6%, double that of current 12th graders (4.7%). The percentage of top grade among high school equivalency exam test-takers was 5.1%.
The strong performance of N students in the CSAT has continued since the integrated CSAT was introduced in the 2022 academic year, demonstrating a gap of 12 to 13 points each year.
Previously, in the 2022 CSAT, the average standard score of N students in Korean was 13.2 points higher than that of current 12th graders. In mathematics, it was 12.3 points higher.
However, this gap has been slightly narrowing each year. In the 2023 CSAT, the gap between N students and current 12th graders was 12.9 points, and in mathematics, it was 12.4 points. In the 2024 CSAT, it was 12.8 points in Korean and 12.1 points in mathematics.
By region, schools located in Seoul had the highest average standard scores in Korean and mathematics nationwide.
The average standard score in Seoul was 101.7 points for both Korean and mathematics. Seoul was the only area where the score exceeded 100.
Within the region, the average score gap between schools was smallest in Korean in Daejeon, at 28.6 points. In mathematics, it was 29.7 points in Gwangju, indicating the smallest score gaps among subjects in those areas.
In Seoul, the score gap between schools in Korean was 53.1 points. This was the third largest after Chungcheongnam-do (55.9 points) and Gyeonggi Province (54.8 points). In mathematics, the gap was 59.1 points, the largest nationwide.
By gender, the average standard score in Korean was higher for female students (100.8 points) than for male students (99.1 points). In contrast, male students scored higher in mathematics (102.7 points) than female students (97.1 points).
The ratio of students achieving the top grade in English was similar between female students (6.3%) and male students (6.1%).