Curious about Suneung?
Here’s what Suneung is, why it’s so important, what happens, and how it compares to the SAT.
Quick Summary
- Suneung (CSAT) is an annual, national exam that every 12th grader takes in South Korea.
- Suneung is a way to top universities, which leads to prestigious jobs, social networks, and lifelong professional success in Korea.
- The entire country takes measures to ensure a quiet environment for test-takers to focus, including no flights, no military drills, and delaying the stock market opening.
- Suneung is one of the hardest exams in the world.
1. What Is Suneung (CSAT)?
Suneung or the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) is an annual, national exam in South Korea that most 12th graders take.
As a make-or-break test, Suneung covers subjects, including Korean language, mathematics, English, Korean history, social studies, sciences, and optional second language/Chinese characters.
Lasting about eight grueling hours, it tests academic ability, stamina, and speed to get everything filled in the OMR or Scantron sheets.
This year, Suneung will be held on November 14, 2024, and results will be released on December 6, 2024.
2. Why Is the Suneung Exam So Important?
Suneung is the first and most influential exam Korean students take.
In Korea, academic success is highly valued, and college entrance is competitive, so Suneung scores carry a lot of weight.
Top universities are the gateway to prestigious jobs, social networks, and lifelong professional success.
High-scoring students gain the most advantages, while lower scores can limit academic options and career opportunities.
3. What Happens During Suneung?
In recognition of this pressure, the entire country takes measures to ensure a quiet environment for test-takers to focus.
For example:
- No airplanes! Nothing can take off or land during the English listening test.
- Delayed stock market opening! Stock markets open one hour later at 10 AM to reduce traffic.
- No military drills! No guns and grenades going off this day.
- Emergency transportation on standby! Test takers who are running late can call 112 or 119 to get police cars, motorcycles, and fire trucks to arrive on time, as seen on YTN.
4. Is Suneung Harder Than the SAT?
According to this BBC News article, Suneung is one of the hardest exams in the world.
Unlike the SAT, which focuses on core subjects like mathematics, reading, and writing, Suneung covers a broader range of topics and includes complex questions.
The competitive environment and the overwhelming pressure make Suneung feel even more challenging than the SAT.
Here is one example of the Suneung English test from the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation.
Q. Choose what best fits the blank below.
There have been psychological studies in which subjects were shown photographs of people’s faces and asked to identify the expression or state of mind evinced. The results are invariably very mixed. In the 17th century the French painter and theorist Charles Le Brun drew a series of faces illustrating the various emotions that painters could be called upon to represent. What is striking about them is that ___________________________________. What is missing in all this is any setting or context to make the emotion determinate. We must know who this person is, who these other people are, what their relationship is, what is at stake in the scene, and the like. In real life as well as in painting we do not come across just faces; we encounter people in particular situations and our understanding of people cannot somehow be precipitated and held isolated from the social and human circumstances in which they, and we, live and breathe and have our being. [3 points]
① all of them could be matched consistently with their intended emotions
② every one of them was illustrated with photographic precision
③ each of them definitively displayed its own social narrative
④ most of them would be seen as representing unique characteristics
⑤ any number of them could be substituted for one another without loss
For the English test, we get 45 questions like this to finish in 70 minutes. That’s less than two minutes to finish each.
Suneung is a pivotal moment for South Korean students, influencing future opportunities, careers, and social dynamics.
Many students who perform poorly retake the exam the following year after a whole year of studying.
