By Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-soo
Korean is losing popularity in the SAT II college entrance exam after major U.S. universities changed their admission requirements.
A total of 1,712 students took Korean as a SAT subject test this year, down 9 percent from 1,891 in 2016, according to the U.S. College Board, the SAT’s producer. Korean was added to the SAT II subject test in 1997. On average, 3,000 students took the test each year in the early 2000s, with the peak in 2009 at 4,625.
Experts and local reports said the continued decline can be blamed on the widespread belief among high school seniors that the Korean subject test doesn’t have as much weight on college acceptances compared to the past.
The SAT subject test’s decline is another culprit. In 2017, 219,000 students took subject tests, down 30 percent from 2011, according to a U.S. College Board report. The fall could be blamed on an increasing number of students opting for the ACT, another college entrance exam that is said to be more convenient to take than SAT II.
Major universities also have made SAT II scores optional.