The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education proposes phasing out Suneung as part of admission reforms.
About Suneung
As the ‘most decisive factor’ in the college/university admission process, students in Korea undertake a standardised test, the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), referred to as Suneung. The exams take place on the third Thursday of November and are an ‘8 hour marathon’ where students answer questions in 5 different subjects: Korean Language, Mathematics, English, Korean History and Inquiry, and a either classical Chinese or a Second Foreign Language. Within these subjects there are some mandatory elements for all students and some options to choose from. For example, for Korean language all students complete reading and literature questions and can then choose either speech and writing or language and media.
Students take the exams extremely seriously, preparing for them throughout their school lives. The impact is not only on whether and where they will go to university but their job prospects, income, where they will live and even their relationships. It’s not just students who take them seriously. The exams are known to bring ‘the country to a standstill’. Traffic is controlled, noise is managed and streets are quiet. Businesses delay their opening hours, plane take offs and landings are restricted and citizens are expected to maintain a quiet and peaceful atmosphere if outside of their homes. You may even see ‘police cars and motorcycles assist in the urgent transport of test-takers.’
Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s proposal
The department is proposing scrapping Suneung by 2040, introducing these measures in the meantime:
- Shifting (slowly) to an absolute grading system (grades given at fixed pre-determined standards rather than though student score comparison)
- Terminating the 2022 Ministry of Education recommendation that Seoul-area universities admit 30 to 40 percent of new students based on Suneung scores’.
- The expansion of ‘Regional Balance Admissions’ (prioritising students outside of the capital)
- Limiting early-admission eligibility for students attending autonomous private high schools, foreign language high schools, international schools, science high schools and schools for the gifted
For students entering university in 2033 Superintendent, Jung Geun-sik, envisions absolute grading being applied to all high school subjects and Suneung sections. He would also like more short answer and essay style questions introduced. He is also recommending a single system for both early and regular admissions and revisions to the curriculum to give high schools more flexibility and the opportunity to teach more career-linked content in the final semester for senior high school students.
By 2033, the Suneung would be a supplementary factor rather than the decisive factor in admissions and the grading would change from nine-tier relative scale to a five tier absolute grading scale. Additionally to ensure ‘fairness and objectivity’ the department is planning to develop an AI grading system, which ‘would score responses first, followed by verification from teachers. The AI will be programmed using test questions and class materials.’
Speaking on why the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is proposing these reforms, Jung explains:
“Excessive score-based competition, the burden of private education costs and an admissions-driven, ranking-oriented school system can no longer guarantee our children’s future. To revitalize high school classrooms and ensure the successful implementation of the high school credit system, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has prepared a set of admissions reforms, including changes to the school grading system.”
References
- Enkostay (2025) ‘What is ‘Suneung’? A to Z Guide to the Korean College Exam for Foreign Residents’. Available at: https://stay.enko.kr/blog/suneung-korean-college-exam-guide (Accessed: 16 December 2025)
- BBC (2025) ‘Suneung: The day silence falls over South Korea’. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-46181240 (Accessed 16 December 2025)
- Seung-ku, L. (2025) ‘Seoul education chief outlines proposal to scrap college admission exam by 2040’. Available at: https://asianews.network/seoul-education-chief-outlines-proposal-to-scrap-college-admission-exam-by-2040/ (Accessed: 16 December 2025)
