Students preparing for the exam. Yonhap News

The English section of the 2026 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), notoriously difficult to the point of being dubbed a "hellish CSAT," has garnered attention from British media, hailing from the "homeland of English."

Major British media outlets showed interest by directly presenting the CSAT English questions and encouraging readers to try solving them.

The UK's BBC reported on the 12th (local time) that the English section of South Korea's rigorous university entrance exam, the CSAT, has a bad reputation, with some students likening it to deciphering ancient texts and others describing it as "insane."

The BBC specifically featured questions 34, which dealt with the legal philosophy of German philosopher Immanuel Kant, and question 39, which used video game terminology as its subject matter, both highlighted as particularly difficult this year.

The BBC also shared reactions posted on the online community Reddit regarding question 39. The criticisms included "pretentious wordplay" and "terrible writing that fails to convey concepts or ideas properly."

The BBC stated that Korean students have 45 minutes to solve 45 questions, and the percentage of students who achieved the highest English grade this year decreased to around 3%, compared to approximately 6% last year.

It also explained that the CSAT, held every November, is an eight-hour marathon exam that can impact not only university admission but also future employment prospects, income, and relationships.

A moment of tension. Yonhap News

The British daily The Telegraph also published an article titled "Could you pass South Korea's 'insane' university entrance English exam?" introducing CSAT English questions 34, 35, and 39.

The Telegraph reported that while the English section of South Korea's university entrance exam is known to be difficult even in normal years, it was exceptionally hard this year, leading some students to describe it as "insane."

Reader reactions to the article varied. A satirical comment, "This university entrance exam might explain why South Korea has Samsung and the UK has Starmer (current prime minister) and 'Strictly' (a popular entertainment show)," received the most likes.

Other highly liked comments included, "It's very similar to the type of questions on the Harvard Business School (HBS) entrance exam today," and "Even though I consider my native language skills to be quite good, I couldn't understand the first question (number 39) at all. It's stretched out to seem intelligent, but it's essentially meaningless and has nothing to do with the real world."

The Guardian also reported on the resignation of Oh Seung-geol, president of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, due to the controversy surrounding the difficulty of the CSAT English exam. The Guardian reported that the CSAT is essential for admission to prestigious universities in South Korea and is considered a gateway to social mobility, economic stability, and even a good marriage.

It also stated that the extreme pressure experienced by students in the overly competitive education system is cited as one of the causes of the world's highest rates of adolescent depression.

Specifically, the coined word 'culturtainment' that appeared in question 24 caused significant confusion, and even the scholar who coined the term acknowledged the question's difficulty.