**Decide on Attending College-Specific Exams After Checking Expected Grades**
Make the Most of Three Opportunities to Apply in Regular Admissions (A, B, C Group)
“On the day after the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), on the 14th, students in a senior classroom at Jeonhwa Girls’ High School in Suseong-gu, Daegu, are doing an unofficial scoring of their exams.”
“The 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) successfully concluded on November 13th. The test was so challenging across all subjects, including Korean and English, that it could be dubbed the ‘difficult CSAT’, leaving many students in a state of so-called ‘mental breakdown’.”
“However, it is too early to despair or give up due to CSAT scores. The CSAT is just one of the many hurdles to overcome, with diverse college entrance examinations, such as rolling admissions essays and interviews, as well as regular admissions still ahead. Now is the time to reassess and refine your college application strategy to enhance your chances of success.”
**Reestablish Strategy Based on Preliminary Scoring Results**
“Students should confirm their expected grades for each subject based on preliminary test scores and prepare accordingly for the remaining rolling admissions schedule. Post-CSAT, educational agencies provide expected grades for each subject and college application data based on these preliminary scores. Once students identify the colleges they can potentially apply to based on these results, they can develop a continuing college application strategy.”
“If one determines that their preliminary scores are too low to apply for their desired colleges in regular admissions, they should focus all efforts on the remaining rolling admissions. Conversely, if the CSAT scores are favorable, focusing on regular admissions would be advantageous, negating the need to participate in remaining essay or interview exams for colleges already applied to in rolling admissions.”
“In cases where one needs to participate in essays or interviews after the CSAT, it is advisable to first understand the question types through past exams and sample questions provided by each university. The basic resources include past questions and example questions provided by the universities. Some universities even include English texts in humanities essay exams. Natural sciences essays typically involve math and science essays, and while many have shifted to math essays only, descriptive questions remain. Practicing writing under real exam conditions to fit the types of questions posed by the desired university will be most effective.”
“Recent essay questions have become slightly easier, as they are set within the high school curriculum, but crafting answers to match the given topics is not straightforward.”
**Utilize Favorable Standards Among Standard Score and Percentile Rank**
“In regular admissions, most universities select students primarily based on their CSAT scores. Some education and medical colleges conduct aptitude interviews, so thoroughly checking how each evaluation element is reflected in your score is crucial for formulating an application strategy.”
“The method of reflecting CSAT scores differs by university and even within departments of the same university. It is crucial to perform well in subjects with high reflection rates if there are differences in reflection ratios. Starting from the 2026 academic year, in addition to Seoul National and Korea University, Yonsei University and Hanyang University, as well as Sungkyunkwan University (College of Education), will include academic performance in regular admissions. Yonsei and Korea Universities undertake quantitative assessments of coursework, while Seoul National, Hanyang, and Sungkyunkwan Universities conduct qualitative assessments.”
“Since the introduction of the integrated CSAT in 2022, there is no distinction between humanities and sciences, and few universities require specific elective subjects in math and inquiry. However, some universities give weight to specific subjects. Near the cut-off lines within recruitment units, many applicants achieve the same scores, so understanding tie-breaking rules is essential.”
“English is relatively less influential in regular admissions as it’s graded on an absolute scale. Most universities assign points to English grades and then proportion them to the total score, with some universities adding or subtracting points from the overall score. Though universities like Seoul and Sogang offer very close point differences between grades, others like Kyunghee and Yonsei have larger gaps.”
“In regular admissions, universities may use either standard scores or percentile ranks for CSAT scores, and identifying which measure is advantageous is necessary. Generally, higher-tier universities utilize standard scores, while mid-to-lower tier institutions use percentile ranks. Some universities that employ standard scores use separate conversion standard scores for the inquiry areas, published by the universities themselves. Since these scoring methods will be finalized post-results announcement on December 5th, pinpointing the exact method is vital to strategizing applications. At some universities like Seoul National, the official standard scores on score sheets are used directly, which can significantly influence top-tier strategies based on how the distribution for certain science subjects is structured.”
“In regular admissions, students have three chances to apply across A, B, and C groups. With most top universities in Seoul being concentrated in the A and B groups, it is critical to secure at least one admissions offer from these, considering that while some universities participate in the C group, available spots and exam numbers are limited. Competition and cut-off scores tend to rise due to more applicants. Hence, C group applicants should consider the likelihood of higher cut-off scores despite possible dropouts from successful A and B group applicants.”
“Within the three application opportunities, it’s ideal to make one realistic application, one ambitious, and one safe choice.”
“Cha Sang-lo, Director of College Counseling at Songwon Academy, emphasizes, ‘After the CSAT, thoroughly review rolling admissions replenishment opportunities and regular admissions guidelines, understanding the weight of exam components, extra points, and methods of CSAT score application. If there are no pending essays or interviews, taking a few days off to de-stress would also be beneficial.'”
**Advice from Songwon Academy’s College Counseling Team**