CSAT (Suneung) Requirements & Prerequisites
Everything you need to know before registering for the CSAT (Suneung), eligibility, cost, format, and what to expect on exam day.
Cost
Free
Provider
KICE
Validity
Annual exam
Available
South Korea
Education
Check official exam requirements
Experience
3-5+ years of professional experience typically required
Specific Requirements
- There is no eligibility exam or qualification threshold. Any high school graduate, any student expected to graduate, and any holder of the equivalency certificate (검정고시) may register.
- Registration for the 2027 exam runs as online pre-entry at mycsat.re.kr from 20 August to 3 September 2026, followed by an in-person visit to the reception point from 24 August to 4 September 2026 to verify identity and collect the receipt.
- The reception point depends on your status: current students register through their school, graduates through the high school they attended or the district education office for their address, and equivalency-certificate holders through the district education office for their address.
- A physical photo identity document is required at registration and again on exam day. Mobile identity documents are prohibited items and cannot be used.
- The fee is 37,000 won for four areas or fewer, 42,000 won for five and 47,000 won for six, waived for candidates on national basic livelihood support, in the legally defined near-poor category, or receiving single-parent family support.
- Vocational Inquiry has a real prerequisite: you must have completed 86 or more credits of the specialised vocational curriculum, or 80 units for candidates who graduated before 1 March 2016.
- Candidates requesting testing accommodations, foreign nationals and candidates without a domestic identity verification method cannot use online pre-entry and must register in person with supporting documents.
Number of Questions
210 items for a candidate sitting all six areas: Korean 45, Mathematics 30, English 45, Korean History 20, two Inquiry subjects at 20 each, and the second foreign language or Classical Chinese 30.
Duration
Room entry closes at 08:10 and the last paper ends at 17:45. Actual testing time is 380 minutes for a candidate sitting all six areas, and 340 minutes for the common five-area entry that skips the second foreign language.
Question Format
Five-option multiple choice across every area, Short-answer numeric items in Mathematics, making up 30 percent of that paper's 30 items, Listening items in English, 17 of the 45, played within the first 25 minutes of the session, Item point values differ by area: Korean, English, Korean History and Inquiry items are worth 2 or 3 points, Mathematics items 2, 3 or 4 points, and second foreign language or Classical Chinese items 1 or 2 points
Passing Requirement
None. Suneung has no pass mark. The functional cut is whatever grade or standard score your target university requires, and those move each year with difficulty.
How It Is Delivered
Paper-based, pencil and OMR answer sheet, at designated centres nationwide with no more than 28 candidates per room. Korean, Mathematics, English and Korean History papers are printed in odd-number and even-number forms distributed by candidate number.
Languages Offered
Korean, except for the English paper and the second foreign language or Classical Chinese paper
Visit the official KICE certification page
Create an account and select your exam
Choose a test center or online proctoring option
Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
Score Scale
Standard score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 20 for Korean and Mathematics; mean 50 and standard deviation 10 for Inquiry subjects. Percentile from 0 to 100, and a grade from 1 to 9, accompany those. English, Korean History and the second foreign language report a 1 to 9 grade only, from fixed raw-score cuts.
Score You Need
None. Suneung has no pass mark. The functional cut is whatever grade or standard score your target university requires, and those move each year with difficulty.
How It Is Calculated
Raw scores in Korean, Mathematics and Inquiry are converted to standard scores against that year's candidate distribution, then grades are assigned sequentially down the standard score order. Because conversion is population-relative, an easier paper compresses the top and lowers the grade 1 standard score. English, Korean History and the second foreign language skip conversion entirely and use fixed raw-score bands. There is no negative marking anywhere, and Mathematics short-answer items award no partial credit.
When You Get Results
There are no unofficial results from KICE. Official score reports for the 2027 admissions-year exam are issued on 11 December 2026, 22 days after the 19 November exam, collected from the place you registered. Alongside them KICE publishes the grade-boundary standard scores and frequency distributions for every area and subject.
In raw terms: For the absolutely graded areas the raw cuts are published: English grade 1 at 90 out of 100 with 10-point bands below it, Korean History grade 1 at 40 out of 50 with 5-point bands, and second foreign language grade 1 at 45 out of 50. In the 2026 admissions-year exam those cuts produced 3.11 percent at English grade 1 and 15.23 percent at Korean History grade 1.
- Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo)
- Appointment confirmation email
- For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet
What are the prerequisites for the CSAT (Suneung)?
There is no eligibility exam or qualification threshold. Any high school graduate, any student expected to graduate, and any holder of the equivalency certificate (검정고시) may register.. Registration for the 2027 exam runs as online pre-entry at mycsat.re.kr from 20 August to 3 September 2026, followed by an in-person visit to the reception point from 24 August to 4 September 2026 to verify identity and collect the receipt.. The reception point depends on your status: current students register through their school, graduates through the high school they attended or the district education office for their address, and equivalency-certificate holders through the district education office for their address.. A physical photo identity document is required at registration and again on exam day. Mobile identity documents are prohibited items and cannot be used.. The fee is 37,000 won for four areas or fewer, 42,000 won for five and 47,000 won for six, waived for candidates on national basic livelihood support, in the legally defined near-poor category, or receiving single-parent family support.. Vocational Inquiry has a real prerequisite: you must have completed 86 or more credits of the specialised vocational curriculum, or 80 units for candidates who graduated before 1 March 2016.. Candidates requesting testing accommodations, foreign nationals and candidates without a domestic identity verification method cannot use online pre-entry and must register in person with supporting documents..
How much does the CSAT (Suneung) cost?
The CSAT (Suneung) exam costs Free. This includes the exam fee only, study materials are additional.
How do I register for the CSAT (Suneung)?
Visit the official KICE certification page → Create an account and select your exam → Choose a test center or online proctoring option → Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
What should I bring to the CSAT (Suneung)?
Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo). Appointment confirmation email. For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet.
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