Why Do Predicted Grade Cutoffs for the September Mock Exam Keep Changing? What to Check Before the September 29 Final Results
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The grade cutoffs released immediately after the September mock assessment for the 2027 academic year are not final figures but estimates calculated from samples of preliminary scores. As of the evening of September 2, EBSi's predicted 1-grade cutoffs were 131 standardized-score points for Korean and 130 points for mathematics. However, actual grades will be confirmed when results are released on September 29, after the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation has graded all examinees' answer sheets.
As analyses emerged immediately after the exam suggesting that Korean and mathematics were more difficult than June, attention naturally shifted to the question: "So how many points do you need for each grade?" However, even grade cutoffs checked on the same day can differ depending on the institution or the time they are checked. These figures should therefore not be treated as final thresholds.
Why Do Predicted Grade Cutoffs for the September Mock Exam Keep Changing?
The biggest reason is that the sample of students participating in the scoring process continues to grow.
EBSi also estimates its predicted grade cutoffs using data from students who use its own scoring service. On September 2, EBSi announced that its rapid scoring service would become available at 6 p.m. and its predicted grade cutoff service at 8 p.m. In other words, the first figures released immediately after the exam are not the official scoring results for all examinees.
Initially, only some students who enter their scores quickly are included. As more students participate and the score distribution changes, the predicted standardized scores and grade boundaries may also be revised.
Differences in participant numbers and score distributions among college admissions institutions also explain why their figures vary. In fact, Jongro Academy announced that after launching its predicted grade cutoff service on September 2, it would update the figures on September 4 and incorporate the final results on September 29.
If Korean Is 131 Points and Mathematics Is 130 Points, Does That Mean the Raw Scores Are Also 131 and 130?
No. The 131 and 130 points mentioned here are predicted 1-grade boundaries based on standardized scores, not raw scores.
In the EBSi estimates released on the evening of September 2, the 1-grade boundary for Korean was presented as a standardized score of 131 points. Even within Korean, the predicted raw-score thresholds differed: 90 points for Speech and Writing and 85 points for Language and Media.
In Korean and mathematics, students take both common and elective sections, and their elective-section scores undergo an adjustment process. As a result, it is difficult to calculate final standardized scores accurately using raw scores alone.
Therefore, even if two students have the same raw score, it cannot be assumed that their final standardized scores will be identical, because the elective subject they chose and the distribution of points they earned across the common and elective questions may differ.
Should You Look at Predicted Raw-Score Cutoffs or Standardized-Score Cutoffs?
Immediately after the exam, the most practical approach is to use predicted raw-score cutoffs to estimate your approximate position, then check your finalized standardized score, percentile rank, and grade.
During preliminary scoring, raw scores are convenient because students can immediately calculate how many questions they answered correctly. On the actual score report, however, standardized scores, percentile ranks, and grades in Korean and mathematics become important factors in evaluating performance.
In particular, if your predicted raw score falls exactly on the 1-grade boundary, it is safer to regard yourself as being within the boundary range rather than concluding that you have secured 1 grade. This is because a shift of 1–2 points in the predicted cutoff could change the grade assessment.
English Grade Cutoff Predictions Change Differently
English has a different grading structure from Korean and mathematics. Because English uses absolute grading, the grade thresholds themselves are fixed, with raw scores of 90 points or higher receiving 1 grade and scores of at least 80 but below 90 receiving 2 grade.
Therefore, the important question for English is not "How many points has the 1-grade cutoff moved?" but rather what proportion of all examinees received each grade.
To assess more accurately whether the perception that English was easier is correct, it is necessary to examine the final scoring results, including the proportion of students receiving 1 grade. The actual distribution of students across grades cannot be determined solely from perceived difficulty immediately after the exam.
Do You Have to Wait Until September 29 to Know Your Grade?
For official grades, yes. However, there is no need to postpone every college admissions decision until then.
The official score notification date for the September mock assessment for the 2027 academic year, as announced by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, is 2026-09-29.
Before that date, the priority should not be obsessing over a single predicted cutoff point but identifying the range in which your score falls.
For example, a student whose score is comfortably above the predicted 1-grade boundary should not evaluate their situation in the same way as a student whose score falls exactly on that boundary. Particularly when a single grade can determine whether a student meets the minimum CSAT requirements for early college admissions, it is better to examine repeatedly updated estimates and check for errors in preliminary scoring rather than relying on one institution's initial prediction.
4 Things to Check First When Looking at Predicted Cutoffs
First, check whether the figure is a raw score or a standardized score. The two scores are not interchangeable.
Second, for Korean and mathematics, check which elective subject is involved. Predicted raw-score boundaries may differ by elective subject even within the same examination area.
Third, check when the predicted cutoff was last updated. The initial estimate released immediately after the exam may differ from later figures calculated after more sample data has accumulated.
Fourth, when making important decisions, such as determining whether you meet the minimum CSAT requirements for early college admissions, avoid drawing a final conclusion from a single cutoff point.
Ultimately, predicted grade cutoffs for the September mock assessment are tools for quickly estimating your current standing, not finalized results. Students near the 1-grade boundary in Korean or mathematics should pay particular attention to the distinction between estimates that will continue to be updated and the official results released on September 29, rather than relying on a single figure published today.
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이 포스팅은 쿠팡 파트너스 활동의 일환으로, 이에 따른 일정액의 수수료를 제공받습니다.