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South Korea CSAT results show continued dominance of N-students
Analysis of the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) results shows a continued dominance of N-students (repeat test-takers) over current high school students. According to the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, N-students achieved significantly higher average standard scores in both Korean and Mathematics.
Specifically, N-students averaged 109.4 in Korean compared to 96.1 for current students, and 108.6 in Mathematics compared to 96.5. The proportion of N-students achieving top-tier grades (1st and 2nd grades) also remained notably higher across all major subjects, including English.
Despite this dominance, the performance gap between top-tier N-students and current students has narrowed to its lowest level in five years. Regional data indicates that students in Seoul and large metropolitan areas, as well as those from private schools, maintained higher average scores compared to the national average.
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- [● 2 SOURCES] In the 2026 CSAT, N-students (repeat takers) scored 13.3 points higher in Korean and 12.1 points higher in Mathematics than current high school students. biz.heraldcorp.com · www.hani.co.kr
- [● 2 SOURCES] Students in Seoul achieved the highest average scores in both Korean and Mathematics. biz.heraldcorp.com · www.hani.co.kr
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation released the 2026 CSAT score analysis results. biz.heraldcorp.com · www.hani.co.kr
- [● 2 SOURCES] In Mathematics, male students averaged 102.7 points, which was 5.7 points higher than female students' average of 97.0. biz.heraldcorp.com · www.hani.co.kr
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The gap in top-tier grades between N-students and current students reached its lowest level in five years. www.hani.co.kr