2024 has been a remarkable year for South Korea’s education field. The number of students retaking the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT)--the South Korean naional college entrance exam─has reached its highest in 21 years. The term exam repeater refers to those who are now reattempting the CSAT, including high school graduates and those who earned their high school diploma through the General Educational Development test. The term jungsi is one kind of South Korea’s university admission policy that uses CSAT as a base. This article will focus on how recent changes in education policies have contributed to the surge in exam repeaters, especially in the field of jungsi.

Status Quo of Rising Number of Exam Takers

According to the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE), out of the total 522,670 CSAT test-takers, 181,893—or 34.8% of the total—were exam retakers. This figure surpasses last year’s record of 177,942 and marks the highest number since the 2004 CSAT. This phenomenon has been explained by various factors, particularly the recent shifts in admissions policies.\

Factors of the Rise: Increase in Admission for Medical Schools

The first factor driving this trend is the increase in admission to medical schools. Medical schools in South Korea are notable for their high proportion of exam retakers. According to an analysis by National Assembly Education Committee member Ahn Min-seok, out of 1,121 students admitted to 10 national medical schools via jungsi from 2021 to 2023, 911 were exam retakers—accounting for 81.3% of the total. This figure reflects the intense competition among students retaking the CSAT to enter medical school.

In 2024, the government, especially the Ministry of Health and Welfare decided to increase the quota of medical schools to address the physician shortage. According to Korea Economic TV, medical school enrollment for the 2025 academic year will increase by 1,469 spots compared to the previous year. As medical schools provide more slots, they are expected to attract more students—not only high school graduates but also those already attending universities—to retake the exam to gain admission.

Factors of the Rise: Change of the Education Policy

The second factor is the exclusion of highly challenging questions from the CSAT. In the past, the test used to include these questions to distinguish the highest-performing students. However, in 2023, the government considered those are the factors leading to excessive reliance on private education. The President directed government officials to make the exam manageable by following school lessons and these questions were removed as a result.

A similar approach is planned for this year’s exam. On July 1, KICE announced that the CSAT would maintain reasonable difficulty within the scope of public education. However, rather than reducing dependence on private tutoring, this measure is considered a factor contributing to the rise in exam retakers. This is due to a general expectation that the CSAT will be comparatively easier, reducing the psychological burden associated with reattempting the test.

Implications of the Rise: Impacts in the Education Field

The surge in exam retakers has several implications. First, because jungsi relies on relative grading, exam retakers, who generally score higher than current students, are at an advantage. For instance, according to the study Determinants of Retaking the CSAT and Analysis of Improved CSAT Scores and Admission Success at Top Universities, exam retakers scored higher on average: in the Korean language section,  the average rank improved from 4.25 to 3.44; in mathematics from 4.41 to 3.58; and in English from 4.20 to 3.45.

     As exam retakers increase in number, it may become harder to differentiate the scores between them. Due to the tendency of exam retakers to achieve higher scores to better differentiate between students and a central element of relative grading, the exam difficulty may also increase. This trend is especially important for colleges with competitive admissions, as it makes it harder to select truly high-performing students. Consequently, this would make college admissions more challenging for high school students and intensify competition for first-time test-takers.

The rise in exam retakers is also affecting students’ college application strategies. Experts note that as the number of high-achieving exam retakers aiming for medical school grows, competition among top students has intensified, making college admissions less predictable. Education experts discussed this phenomenon with Daegu MBC News explaining that some seniors are applying to highly competitive schools with plans to retake exams, while others are choosing less competitive schools to avoid fierce competition. This strategic shift adds uncertainty to the admissions process, as students face increased difficulty in selecting colleges that match their abilities. Experts emphasize the importance of clearly distinguishing the scores of top-performing students to ensure transparency in admissions.

Implications of the Rise: Impacts in Societal Field

Finally, the increase in exam retakers has heightened the psychological and financial burdens on students and their families. Since they do not attend school, all educational costs must be covered through private tutoring.  According to News1, the average cost for a year of preparing for retaking the exam is approximately 32 million won, which is a significant financial burden compared to the average annual salary of around 58 million won for South Korean adults in their 40s.

Exam retakers also experience significant stress due to their lack of institutional affiliation, which can lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection from society. Han Min-gyu, a student who entered Kyung Hee University Dept. of International Studies after retaking CSAT, said that he felt intense pressure to improve his scores and struggled with loneliness when preparing for CSAT after high school graduation.

     The rapid changes in education policy have caused instability in education and college admissions. The increased number of retakers affects not only admissions but also society, raising questions about stabilizing the status quo and combining impacts beyond college admissions. In line with this, an in-depth analysis of cause and effect is needed to develop effective proactive measures. As the current instability in education and admissions increases, there is a clear need for efforts to stabilize the environment.