Gwageo exam versus CSAT
CHO HYUN-SOOKThe author is a business news reporter of the JoongAng Ilbo.
What scene comes to your mind when you think of the gwageo exam during the Joseon Dynasty? You probably would think of Confucian scholars sitting neatly in line and carefully writing answers in the court yard. It is how gwageo is depicted in period dramas in Korea.
The reality was, of course, different. Nanjangpan, or mess, is a word originated from the gwageo exam site. Joseon period painter Kim Hong-do’s “Gwageo Site on a Spring Morning” provides an accurate depiction.
There are large parasols here and there, and several scholars sit together, writing the answers. Not only the test takers but also sasu, a person good at handwriting, geobyeok, a person good at composing sentences, and sujong who watch over the seats and belongings, are also there. The site of gwageo itself was a scene of cheating.
The gwageo exam of the Joseon Dynasty was a combination of today’s College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), employment test and various civil exams. In the times of population of 6 to 7 million, more than 100,000 people applied to take the gwageo. Every year, there were 40 to 50 finalists. Since the yangban class, or aristocrats, did not have career choices other than public office, they would rather get through this narrow gateway by cheating.
Even then, people took private classes and learned in advance. Rather than carefully reading the Confucian texts, they picked and memorized questions that are likely to appear on the test. People secretly shared past exam questions, model answers and answer sheets of previous finalists. There had also been a cheating method of bribing the official to get the exam questions in advance.
Park Je-ga, a realist Confucian in the late Joseon Dynasty, criticized the gwageo exam system, pointing out every flaw and the root of the problem. “All ways are blocked, and only one door is left open. A mistake of a moment determines the course of the entire life. Even if the exam is administered in water or fire, most would jump to it.” The gwageo system in the Joseon period and today’s college admission structure are not different.
After President Yoon Seok-yeol’s remark to remove so-called “killer questions” not covered in public education from the CSAT, the chaotic college admission system has become even more noisy. It is not a scene that can be changed by removing a few questions unless the reality of Korea — where one college admission result determines the entire course of life for test takers — changes first.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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