The chief official overseeing South Korea’s high-stakes college entrance exam, the Suneung, resigned this week following widespread criticism of the English section, which many students and educators described as “insane” and “confusing.”

Controversial English Questions

Suneung, held annually each November, is a notorious eight-hour marathon that can determine not only university placement but also career prospects and income potential. Students face roughly 200 questions across multiple subjects, including Korean, mathematics, English, and the natural and social sciences.

This year, the English section drew particular ire. Among the most challenging questions were a passage on Immanuel Kant’s philosophy of law and another involving video game design terminology.

One question, worth three points, asked students to determine where a sentence should fit within a complex paragraph about avatars in video games:

“The difference is that the action in the game world can only be explored through the virtual bodily space of the avatar.”

The correct answer was option 3. However, students and online commentators criticized the wording as obscure and unnecessarily complicated, with some Reddit users calling it “fancy smart talking” and “awful writing that doesn’t convey a concept well.”

Student Experience

Students had 70 minutes to answer 45 questions. This year, only just over 3% of test-takers achieved the highest grade in English, compared to 6% last year.

“It took me a long time to figure out several questions. Some answers looked similar, so I was unsure until the last minute,” said Im Na-hye, a senior at Hanyeong High School.

Educators Weigh In

English language experts argue that the test’s difficulty is less about knowledge and more about confusion.

“The texts aren’t impossible, but maddeningly confusing. Teachers end up drilling test-taking hacks rather than teaching English,” said Jung Chae-kwan, a professor at Incheon National University. He noted that students can score well by mastering strategic shortcuts rather than fully understanding passages.

Some questions were also criticized for using passages taken out of context. For example, the video game passage was from Game Feel, a game design guide by Steve Swink, making comprehension harder for students without specialized knowledge.

Yet others defend the test’s rigor:

“It measures students’ reading comprehension and whether they can handle university-level material,” said Kim Soo-yeon, an English literature professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Resignation of the Suneung Chief

Amid the backlash, Oh Seung-geol, the chief of the Suneung, announced his resignation, accepting responsibility for what he called the “chaos” caused by the test.

“We sincerely accept the criticism that the difficulty of questions was inappropriate,” he said, acknowledging that the exam “fell short” despite multiple rounds of editing.

Only four of the 12 Suneung chiefs since 1993 have completed their full three-year terms. Mr. Oh is the first to step down specifically over a test’s difficulty level, rather than errors or technical mistakes in questions.

National Impact of Suneung

The Suneung is not only critical for students but also affects the entire country. On exam day, construction halts, planes are grounded, and even military training is suspended to create an optimal testing environment.

Many South Korean children begin preparation at private tuition centers, or “cram schools”, from as young as four, reflecting the immense pressure and cultural importance of the exam.