June Mock CSAT Surpasses 500,000... "Chaos Expected for 2026 Admissions"

[Financial News] As the number of applicants for the 2026 academic year College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) June mock evaluation surpassed 500,000, the number of graduate registrants approached 90,000, setting a record high. Compared to last year's mock CSAT and main CSAT, the number of repeat examinees for this year's main CSAT is expected to be the largest in 22 years. In addition, the increase in examinees, the concentration on the social studies area, and the reduction in medical school quotas are expected to lead to the most chaotic admissions.
The Hanguk Gyoyuk Gwa Jeong Pyeong Ga Won announced on the 27th that 413,685 current students and 89,887 graduates and other examinees, totaling 503,572, registered for the June mock CSAT to be held on June 4. This year's examinees increased by 29,439 compared to last year, with 28,250 more current students and 1,189 more graduate examinees.
The number of graduates and other examinees recorded the highest since the announcement of the 2011 academic year evaluation institute's June mock evaluation.
Im Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy, expressed concern that the 2026 academic year admissions could be very chaotic. CEO Im predicted, "The reduction in medical school recruitment is expected to raise the acceptance line for top-tier medical schools and general departments." He added, "The fact that last year's admissions results, which saw a significant expansion in medical school recruitment, cannot be used as basic statistics, the unusual situation where graduates are increasing even amid the reduction in medical school recruitment, and the very intense 'sataem run' phenomenon are significantly increasing the burden on admissions."
In this June mock CSAT, 89,887 people registered, an increase of 1,189. Comparing last year's mock CSAT registrants and main CSAT registrants, the 2025 academic year graduate registrants were 88,698 in June, 106,559 in September, and 181,893 in the main CSAT. 93,195 examinees who did not register for the June evaluation but registered for the main CSAT are estimated to be repeat examinees.
Jongro Academy expects that the 2026 academic year will surpass last year's figures, which were the highest in 21 years, when considering the number of repeat examinees, the actual CSAT participation of last year's third-year high school students, and the number of applicants who failed to enter four-year universities last year. It is expected to approach 190,000, and if so, it will record the highest in 22 years.
Another cause of the chaos is the increase in social studies area selection.
Looking at the status of applicants by area, there are 503,343 in Korean, 500,667 in mathematics, 503,079 in English, 503,572 in Korean history, 368,018 in social studies, 248,642 in science, 7,283 in vocational studies, and 25,243 in the second foreign language and Chinese characters.
In particular, the number of social studies area applicants increased by 96,342 from last year's 271,676. On the other hand, the number of science area applicants decreased by 3,623 compared to last year's 252,265.
The social studies registration rate is 59.7%, significantly higher than last year's 51.9%, with the 'sataem run' phenomenon appearing very intensely. The social studies registration rate is also the highest since the 2013 academic year. Among current students, the social studies registration rate increased from 54.2% last year to 60.6%, and among graduates and others, it rose sharply from 41.6% last year to 55.5%, an increase of 13.9%p.
CEO Im Seong-ho said, "The 'sataem run' phenomenon is very intense, and in subjects where the number of science registrants is decreasing, a significant number of examinees may feel anxious, and very chaotic situations may arise in the final selection of CSAT subjects."
Another cause of the chaos is the increase in examinees. With the reduction in medical school quotas and the current third-year high school students increasing by 47,733 compared to last year, the number of repeat examinees and others has increased.
Jongro Academy analyzed, "The increase in repeat examinees is very intense due to the phenomenon of wanting to enter top-tier universities amid the employment crisis." Also, "With two years left until the integrated CSAT in the 2026 and 2027 academic years, there is a compulsion to retake the CSAT before the admissions system changes, and the number of students who drop out and take the GED to challenge the CSAT regular admissions is increasing." 

monarch@fnnews.com Kim Man-gi Reporter