Passing Score for the Highest-ranking Departments at Seoul National University Is Expected to Be between 375 and 377 Scores

As the average score of exam takers in the upper 50 percent sharply dropped in the 2002 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), their test results may fall by 60-65 points while the test results of the average students may fall by 80 points.

Accordingly, the passing score for highest-ranking departments at Seoul National University is expected to between 375 and 377 points, and 361 to 365 points for high-ranking departments.

The passing score for high-ranking universities including Korea University and Yeonsei University is expected to be between 350 and 355 points for humanities, 345 to 353 for natural sciences, and 330-340 points for humanities and 330 to 345 points for natural sciences at middle-ranking universities. For metropolitan area universities, 240 to 250 points for humanities, and 250 points for natural sciences are expected to be the passing score.

Private institutes for college entrance exam, such as the Central Institute for Education Promotion, Jongro Hakwon, Daesung Hakwon, and Koryo Institute for Scholastic Ability Evaluation announced the analysis of the result of the tentative grading of 50,000 to 70,000 students of each institute yesterday.

Language area has shown a drop of 20 to 24 points, 12 to 18 point drop in mathematics, 10 point drop in social study, 5 point drop in science study, and 7 to 8 point drop in foreign language.

In terms of the nine-grades system first introduced this year, 328 to 329 in human sciences and 342 to 350 in natural sciences are estimated to be the first grade, 295 to 298 in human sciences and 320 to 330 in natural sciences are estimated to be the second grade. These grades will be used as the qualification for the successful candidate during the frequent recruitment and for the applicants during regular recruitment.

Private institutes for college entrance exam said that ``the range of the drop of points doubled than the anticipated points (16-37) by the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE). The biggest factor for this was that tests were made without considering the level of the current high school senior students whose scholastic ability has declined seriously.``

According to experts, there will be no one with a perfect score, only 10,000 students will record minimum 350 points which are necessary points for applying the high-ranking universities, much less than last year`s 160,000 students.

The second time test-takers who took the test last year are anticipated to advantageous at the regular recruitment, and the cross application will be affected greatly since the range of point drop is much bigger in human sciences than in natural sciences.

Daesung Hakwon anticipated that the average range of point drop among upper 50 percent of test takers would be 65.2 points in human sciences and 58 points in natural sciences.

Categorized by score of last year, 32 to 36 points fell in human sciences and natural sciences in 390 score range; 52-72 points in human sciences and 45 to 64 points in natural sciences in the score range between 380 and 360; 79 to 82 points in human sciences and 71 to 79 points in natural sciences in the score range between 350 and 333; 84 to 85 points in human sciences and 80 to 82 points in natural sciences in the score range between 320 and 300. Especially, the range of point drop was big in the score range between 300 and 320.

The Central Institute for Education Promotion forecasted that the average score of upper 50 percent would fall by 67.4 points in human sciences and 58 points in natural sciences. It also anticipated that the passing score for the highest-ranking departments at Seoul National University would be 375 points, and 343 to 358 for high-ranking departments at Korea University and Yeonsei University.

Meanwhile, Jongro Hakwon, which anticipated the biggest range of point drop, said that 79.1 points in human sciences and 59.8 points in natural sciences would fall, and Koryo Institute for Scholastic Ability Evaluation anticipated that 49.9 points in human sciences and 47.5 points in natural sciences.

inchul@donga.com