The English section of the 2026 college scholastic ability test (CSAT) September mock exam has been analyzed to be generally similar to last year's CSAT but more difficult compared to the mock exam in June.

Kim Ye-ryeong, a representative English instructor from the EBS field teacher group and a teacher at Daewon Foreign Language High School, noted at the 'Analysis briefing of the English section test trends' held at the Government Sejong Center on the morning of the 3rd, "The difficulty level is generally similar to last year's CSAT; however, it appears that some questions were designed to ensure differentiation. It is noteworthy that the overall difficulty was adjusted upwards by increasing the number of 'attractive' wrong answer choices compared to the June mock exam."

On the 3rd, students are solving problems in the 3rd-year classroom at Busan Samdeok High School in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, during the September mock evaluation for the 2026 college entrance examination. /Courtesy of News1

Questions that the examinees were expected to feel somewhat burdened by included ▲21 (Inference of implied meaning; related to basic music found in different cultures) ▲34 (Inference with a blank; related to lottery) ▲37 (Order of the text; related to mathematical writing) ▲39 (Sentence insertion; related to the significance of historical artifacts). Regarding these questions, Kim said, "They are expected to differentiate between middle and upper-level students."

The linkage rate between the EBS CSAT-linked teaching materials and the overall questions was 55.6%. Questions ▲1-5, 7, 9-11, 13-15 for listening and indirect speaking, and ▲18, 20, 22-23, 25-28, 30, 32, 43-45 for reading and indirect writing were linked. Kim mentioned, "Among the questions that were produced without linkage, there were many passages included that often used themes like the edibility of honey, perception bias, and the need for mentorship, which were familiar and commonplace in the EBS CSAT-linked materials."

Kim stated, "Students preparing for the CSAT need to diligently study essential vocabulary, including polysemous words, and practice deducing their meanings in context. Training to read passages thoroughly and grasp the main points independently is extremely important in the remaining 10 weeks until the CSAT."

Institutions evaluated this September mock exam as capable of ensuring differentiation among top-tier students. Jongno Academy remarked that it was set to be much more difficult compared to the June mock exam (19.1% for the highest grade) and relatively easier than last year's CSAT (6.2% for the highest grade).

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