High School Equivalency Examination (South Korea)검정고시

Overview

The High School Equivalency Examination (고등학교졸업학력 검정고시, Godeunghakgyo Jorup Hangyeok Geomjeongsigeom) is a South Korean government exam that lets someone who did not complete regular high school earn a credential recognised nationwide as equivalent to a high school diploma. It is run not by the Ministry of Education directly but by each Provincial or Metropolitan Office of Education's own Qualification Examination Committee, with the question papers themselves commissioned out to the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE), the same body that sets the CSAT (Suneung). This exam is a separate, supplementary route into a high-school-equivalent credential for people outside the regular school system — dropouts, homeschoolers, and others who left formal schooling early — and is distinct from the mainstream 6-3-3 school system and its own CSAT university-entrance exam, covered in this site's kr-curriculum programme file.

South Korea also runs equivalent qualification exams at the elementary-school level (초등학교졸업학력검정고시) and the middle-school level (중학교졸업학력검정고시), under the same general framework. This file covers only the high-school-level exam; the elementary and middle-school versions are noted here for context but not detailed.

Who can apply

Eligibility is based on a candidate's educational history and current enrolment status, not on age as such. Two broad categories exist:

• General applicants: a middle-school graduate (or a holder of the middle-school-level equivalency exam credential) who is not currently enrolled in, and not progressing toward graduation from, a regular high school. In practice this covers people who never advanced from middle school into high school, and people who withdrew from a regular high school at least six months before the date a given exam round is officially announced.

• Vocational-track applicants: graduates or expected graduates of a three-year vocational/technical high school, and people who completed a recognised long-course vocational training programme, since their schooling already covers most general-education content. This group sits a shorter exam (see Exam pattern).

Someone who has already graduated from a regular high school cannot take this exam: it is a supplementary path for people who did not complete school through the normal system, not a way to retake or improve a diploma already earned. There is no minimum age restriction in current rules beyond already holding (or being eligible for) a middle-school-level qualification.

Exam pattern

All subjects are written, multiple-choice papers marked out of 100. Unlike the CSAT, the English paper has no listening component.

Marking and results

A candidate passes by scoring an average of 60 or more out of 100 across all the subjects they are registered for. There is no per-subject minimum ("fail-safe" cutoff): a weak score in one subject can be offset by stronger scores in others, as long as the overall average clears 60. Being absent from any registered subject, however, counts as an overall fail for that round, even if the average of the subjects actually sat would otherwise have cleared 60.

Scoring 60 or above in an individual subject is recorded as a subject-level pass. A candidate who does not pass overall can be exempted from retaking an already-passed subject in a later sitting, with that earlier subject score carried forward into the new overall average.

Important dates

The high-school-level exam is held twice a year: a first round in spring (around early April) and a second round in summer (around August). For the 2026 cycle, reported dates are: Round 1 — application window February 9-13, 2026, exam April 4, 2026, results announced May 8, 2026; Round 2 — exam August 11, 2026, results announced August 28, 2026. Each Provincial/Metropolitan Office of Education publishes its own exact dates and venues ahead of each round, so candidates should confirm the current round's schedule with their local Office of Education before relying on these figures.

How to apply

Applications can be filed online through the national NEIS Qualification Examination public-service portal (kged.go.kr), logging in with a certified digital identity method and submitting personal details, prior-education information, chosen subjects, and a preferred test site. Candidates can instead apply in person at their local District Office of Education Support, bringing a completed application form, two passport-style photos (3.5cm by 4.5cm, taken within the previous three months), a valid ID, and proof of the qualifying educational background (such as a middle-school graduation certificate). As of 2026, there is no exam fee for this test.

After the exam

Passing gives a certificate recognised nationwide as equivalent to high school graduation. Holders can apply to universities and junior colleges, including sitting the CSAT (Suneung) as an independent applicant outside the regular school-based track — the CSAT's own subjects, timing and scoring are covered in the kr-curriculum programme file. The credential is also accepted wherever a high-school diploma is required for employment or further study.

Preparation tips

• Confirm which applicant category applies before registering, since vocational-track applicants sit only 3 subjects against the general-applicant 7, and registering under the wrong category can mean sitting (and paying the time cost of) subjects that are not actually required.

• Because the pass rule is an overall average rather than a per-subject minimum, spend relatively more study time on subjects that feel weakest rather than spreading effort evenly, as a strong score elsewhere can offset one weak subject.

• If a first attempt falls short of the 60-point average, check which individual subjects already cleared 60: those can usually be carried forward and exempted from the next sitting, cutting the subject list for a retake.

• Treat the two annual sittings (spring and summer) as fixed planning points, and confirm the exact application window and exam date with the relevant Office of Education well ahead of time, since each round's dates are set and published separately.