[CSAT D-10] ① “Check the questions you got wrong and live on time for the exam”

It is time for test takers to pay a lot of attention to not only study strategies but also physical condition management in order to demonstrate their skills to the best of their abilities at the CSAT test site.

This is because your CSAT score can vary greatly depending on how you spend the next ten days.

First of all, experts agreed that it is important for test takers to organize what they have studied so far rather than studying new problems.

Woo Yeon-cheol, director of the Entrance Exam Strategy Research Institute at Jinhaksa, emphasized that rather than learning new concepts or difficult problems, students should re-examine the problems they often got wrong, especially the types of mistakes they made repeatedly in mock exams and previous exam questions.

He pointed out, "As the CSAT gets closer, your shortcomings feel bigger, and it's easy to overextend your studying due to the anxiety of falling behind other test takers. However, it is realistically difficult to solve all your weaknesses in the remaining period, and it may even affect the areas you can do well."

Nam Yoon-gon, director of Megastudy Education's Entrance Strategy Research Institute, also said, "One of the study methods that should not be used when finishing preparation for the CSAT is solving new problems. If you make a mistake while solving a problem, the fear and anxiety that comes every time can lower your confidence."

He added, “We need to check the questions that were wrong in the mock evaluations in June and September and organize the wrong answers to find out why they were wrong and try to get them right.”

He advised that on the day of the college entrance exam, it is a good idea to bring organized notes to the test site so that you can understand what you have studied at a glance.

It is effective for test takers to make a detailed study plan focusing on subjects that are lacking or important during the remaining period.

Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongno Academy, said regarding the Korean language section, "We need to review EBS' non-literature-related learning once again until the day of the CSAT," and regarding the exploration section, he said, "We need to quickly review all areas of the test range as much as possible until the end."

For test takers in the middle or lower grades, the score increase can be relatively high through short-term memorization in the exploration area.

It is also important to check your time allocation strategy in advance during the CSAT.

Director Woo Yeon-cheol said, "In areas where time pressure is high, such as Korean and math, you need to be wary of situations where you get caught up in one difficult problem and miss out on solvable problems," and added, "If you don't have enough time on regular mock exams, you need to check which type took the most time."

He further added that in case of problems that cannot be solved within a certain period of time, it is a good idea to mark them in advance and practice moving on.

It may be helpful to practice marking OMR cards in advance, just like in practice.

Furthermore, test takers should think about ways to maintain good mental and physical condition on the day of the college entrance exam.

Experts suggested adjusting your study time and waking up time to the actual CSAT until the test day.

Director Nam Yoon-gon emphasized, “If possible, it is best to study by area according to the order of the CSAT and even take breaks according to the timetable on the day of the CSAT.”

CEO Lim Seong-ho also said, “We need to adjust to a life rhythm that allows us to maintain the best condition during the first period of the college entrance exam at 8:40 a.m.”

Director Wooyeon-cheol said, "It is important to create a clear state of mind in the morning so that you can concentrate from the Korean language section, which is the first test," and added, "It is best to keep your bedtime and wake-up time constant and eat breakfast and lunch at similar times to the day of the CSAT."

It is also recommended to maintain your usual rhythm of life by controlling tension through light walks and stretching.

If you suddenly reduce sleep to increase study time, it may actually become an obstacle to maintaining concentration or memory.

Test takers must be more careful than usual about their food intake.

It is advisable not to suddenly drink a lot of high-caffeine drinks or energy drinks and to refrain from eating unfamiliar foods.

In addition, it is good to be aware of items such as mobile phones, smart watches, smart glasses, and earphones that are prohibited from being brought into the CSAT test center.