Acceleration of 'Sah-Tam Run' with Record Number of Repeaters... Next Year's Entrance Exam Will Be Shaken

As the number of applicants for the 2026 academic year College Scholastic Ability Test June mock exam exceeded 500,000, the number of graduate applicants approached 90,000, setting a record high.

Considering last year's mock and main exams, the number of repeaters taking this year's main exam is expected to be the largest in 22 years. In addition to the increase in examinees, the concentration phenomenon in the social studies area and the reduction in medical school quotas are expected to result in the most chaotic entrance exam.

The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation announced on the 27th that a total of 503,572 people, including 413,685 current students and 89,887 graduates and other examinees, registered for the mock exam to be held on June 4. Compared to last year, the number of current students increased by 28,250 and the number of graduate examinees increased by 1,189, totaling an increase of 29,439.

The number of graduate examinees has reached a record high since the announcement of the June mock exam registration by the Institute in the 2011 academic year.

Im Seong-ho, the representative of Jongro Academy, expressed concern that the 2026 academic year entrance exam could result in a very chaotic situation.

Representative Im predicted, "Due to the reduction in medical school recruitment, the acceptance cut-off for top medical schools and general departments is expected to rise."

He also expressed concern that "the inability to use last year's entrance exam results, where medical school recruitment was greatly expanded, as basic statistics, the unusual situation where graduates are increasing despite the reduction in medical school recruitment, and the very intense 'Sah-Tam Run' phenomenon are significantly increasing the burden on entrance exams."

In the June mock exam, the number of examinees increased by 1,189 to 89,887. Comparing the registration for last year's mock exam and the main exam, the number of graduate examinees for the 2025 academic year was 88,698 in June, 106,559 in September, and 181,893 in the main exam. The number of examinees who did not register for the June mock exam but registered for the main exam was 93,195, presumed to be repeaters.

Jongro Academy expects that the number for the 2026 academic year, considering the repeaters, the actual exam participation of last year's high school seniors, and the number of dropouts among last year's four-year university regular applicants, will exceed last year's record high for the first time in 21 years. It is expected to approach 190,000, and if so, it will set a record high for the first time in 22 years.

The point identified as the cause of the great confusion is the increase in the selection of the social studies area.

Looking at the status of applicants by area, there are 503,343 for Korean, 500,667 for mathematics, 503,079 for English, 503,572 for Korean history, 368,018 for social studies, 248,642 for science, 7,283 for vocational studies, and 25,243 for 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 registration rate for social studies is 59.7%, significantly higher than last year's 51.9%, and the 'Sah-Tam Run' phenomenon is appearing very intensely. The registration rate for social studies is also the highest since the 2013 academic year.

Among current students, the registration rate for social studies increased from 54.2% last year to 60.6%, and among graduates and others, it increased by a whopping 13.9%p from 41.6% last year to 55.5%.

Representative Im Seong-ho said, "The 'Sah-Tam Run' phenomenon is appearing very intensely, and in subjects where the number of applicants is decreasing in science subjects, a considerable number of examinees may feel anxious, and a very confusing situation may arise in the final selection of exam subjects."


monarch@fnnews.com Kim Man-gi Reporter