The Korean College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), commonly known as 수능 (Suneung), holds tremendous weight in Korean culture, especially among students. The examination plays a large role in university applications. Some students in Korean education apply to universities with only their CSAT score, similarly to how IB students may apply with only their final IB score for certain schools. The culture surrounding Suneung is even recognized internationally; there are many videos on the internet about the closed flights on the day of the test and the heavy stress of Korean students.

This year’s CSAT took place on November 13th, and it immediately sparked reactions from students. There were numerous complaints of the multiple choice questions having no answer or more than one answer. The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation reported 467 total objections about the English subject, with Question 24 in the English exam having gathered the most complaints. Furthermore, university professors in Korean language claimed that question 3 and question 17 on the Korean test had errors present. 

There has also been an issue with the provided pens dripping ink or smudging, ruining students’ answer cards. The CSAT examination provides mechanical pencils and pens to mark the answer sheets with. The stationary is usually regarded as high quality, to the point where there is a significant second-hand market for the CSAT mechanical pencils. However, there was a problem this year: some of the pens would leak ink or smear during the exam. Although replacements were given to students who needed to redo their answer cards, the damage had been done. Since the exam holds immense importance to the students, they may experience heightened emotions during the test. Accidents such as the faulty pens could result in panic, and some students who experienced this say that they were not able to concentrate for the remaining subjects because of the mental impact. 

“Fire” and “water” are words used to describe the overall difficulty of CSAT each year. “Fire Suneung” refers to difficult exams, while “water Suneung” refers to exams that were easier. Because CSAT grades are relative with the exception of English, both cases imply trouble for students. Staff involved with the creation of the exams make efforts every year ensuring that the difficulty is balanced, but this rarely succeeds. The prevailing opinion this year is that it was a “fire suneung.”

Charlie Lee, a student in Korean high school who took the CSAT this year, was asked online if this year’s test was a “fire Suneung.”

“Yeah,” they responded, and they further clarified for those unfamiliar with the term. “By the way, fire as in a super hard test. Not fire as in very cool.”

When asked about the most difficult question in the controversial English test, they said, “I think the hardest question in the English test was number 34 or 24.” They also stated that only around 3% of people this year got a score of 90/100 or above, and that the number is drastically low compared to other years. 

Below is question 24 of this year’s English CSAT. It is asking for the most appropriate title for the following text.

The correct answer is number 2, but  over 400 complaints have been filed arguing that number 4 is more suited for the text or that all answers should be accepted.

Year by year, CSAT is challenging for many Korean students, both academically and emotionally. This year’s confusion on the multiple choice answers, paired with the trouble some students had with provided test pens, certainly made the experience a “Fire Suneung.” I applaud all students who have taken the CSAT. Regardless of scores, their efforts should be celebrated.

Sources

장구슬. “이의제기 쏟아진 수능…평가원, 오늘 최종 정답 발표.” 중앙일보, 24 Nov. 2025, www.joongang.co.kr/article/25384833.

“‘펜 번져 수능 망쳐’ 수험생 불만 쏟아진 ‘컴퓨터용 사인펜.’” 조선일보, 15 Nov. 2025, www.chosun.com/national/education/2025/11/15/XPYOPCLDCVBUHCA62SC7MAG6RA.

최아영. “‘수능 영어 24번 출제 원칙 어겼다’…수험생 이의신청 빗발.” 매일경제, 17 Nov. 2025, www.mk.co.kr/news/society/11470544.