With 71 days remaining until the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the latest September mock exam saw a noteworthy participation rate in 'social inquiry,' which was the highest in 15 years. It is expected that the advantages and disadvantages of social inquiry and science inquiry subjects in this year's CSAT will become more pronounced. An admissions expert advised, "I recommend absolutely not making a decision about 'social inquiry run' (the phenomenon of selecting social inquiry, which has a relatively lower study burden than science inquiry) after the September mock exam."

A briefing on the 'trends in the September mock evaluation for the 2026 academic year college Scholastic Aptitude Test' takes place at the Government Sejong City Hall on the 3rd. Yoon Yoon-gu, a teacher from Hanyang University's College of Education, who oversees the EBS field teacher group, attends. /Courtesy of News1

Yoon Yoon-gu, a teacher at Hanyang University's College of Education, who oversees the EBS field teacher group, assessed during the 'September mock exam trend analysis briefing' held at the Government Sejong Office on the 3rd, "This mock exam was set at a difficulty level similar to last year's CSAT overall."

In particular, Teacher Yoon emphasized regarding the deepening 'social inquiry run' phenomenon in the September mock exam, "I believe the participation rate in social inquiry will increase further in the CSAT," and noted, "In reality, the success rate for those using the social inquiry run strategy is very low. I strongly recommend not making a decision about the social inquiry run after the September mock exam."

This September mock exam saw 391,449 participants in social inquiry, accounting for 61.3% of the total (515,900). This is the highest level in 15 years, following the 2012 academic year (60.9%). The number of social inquiry participants surged by more than 100,000 compared to last year. In contrast, the number of students selecting science inquiry drastically decreased, resulting in a participation rate of only 38.7%.

Teacher Yoon remarked, "As the population of social inquiry participants increases and the number of students scoring 1st to 2nd grade in social inquiry rises, I think it will naturally be more common for those in the humanities field to meet the minimum scores required for the CSAT," adding, "On the other hand, the number of students in the natural sciences meeting the minimum score will decrease. The amount of study for students studying science inquiry needs to increase."

This year's CSAT will be conducted on November 13. Teacher Yoon said, "I recommend focusing on what you've studied in the remaining 10 weeks," adding, "I will cheer you on to achieve the best results in the CSAT."

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