S. Korean parents take CSAT to benefit their children’s score

/Park Sang-hoon

In South Korea, posts from parents signing up for the 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) to boost their children’s scores in Exploratory Science are gaining significant attention.

Since CSAT registration opened on the 22nd of last month, college entrance exam forums have been flooded with posts from parents claiming they’ve registered for science subjects.

On the final day of registration, Sep 6., a parent, identified only as A, shared, “A mom from the class of ‘95 is trying to help her child join the class of ‘25 by doing whatever she can, even if it’s just a drop in the ocean.” She added, “I felt a sense of urgency after seeing my child struggle, scoring 45 in Earth Science, which put them in the second tier. If you’re on the fence, just register.”

A even included a photo of her registration confirmation, showing that she had selected only the mandatory Korean History and two science subjects: Earth Science I and Life Science I.

The post was supported by other parents, some of whom admitted they had also registered for the CSAT science section. Comments like “Let’s make that drop bigger together” and “I signed up for Life Science I and Earth Science I, too” followed.

Earlier, on Aug 30., another parent, B, posted a picture of their CSAT registration, which showed selections for Korean History, Chemistry I, and Life Science I. B wrote, “The moms I was planning to take the test with backed out due to health issues, so I’m going solo. I’m determined to protect my child’s standardized scores in Chemistry I and Life Science I.” B also added, “Taking Korean, English, and Math felt like too much, so I’m only doing the fourth period. Securing time to focus and pray during periods 1 to 3 already feels like a relief. If you’re unsure, let’s do this together.”

A parent shares a photo, claiming they registered for the science section to boost their child's Exploratory Science score. /Naver's online community

Parents are taking the CSAT science section because if more people score lower in less popular subjects, the average score could drop, potentially raising the standardized scores of higher achievers. Standardized scores are calculated based on how far a student’s raw score is from the average, so a lower average could improve the scores of top performers.