Korean Qualification Exam (Geomjeonggosi) Score Calculator

Overview

The Korean Qualification Exam (Geomjeonggosi) score calculator turns your subject scores into a total and an average, then tells you whether you pass. Geomjeonggosi is a criterion-referenced exam: every subject is out of 100 points and you pass with an average of 60 or higher across all subjects you sit, with no minimum score required in any single subject. Subjects scored 60 or above are certified as "subject passes" and can be exempted in a later session, with the old score carried into the new total. If some subjects are still untaken, the calculator works backwards to show the average score those remaining subjects need.

Formula

Geomjeonggosi pass decision (each subject out of 100)

Total = sum of scores for subjects taken or exempted
Average = total ÷ number of subjects
Pass = average of 60 or higher (i.e. total ≥ 60 × number of subjects)

[Subject structure]
Elementary level: 6 subjects = 4 required (Korean, Social Studies, Math, Science) + 2 electives
Middle-school level: 6 subjects = 5 required (Korean, Math, English, Social Studies, Science) + 1 elective
High-school level: 7 subjects = 6 required (Korean, Math, English, Social Studies, Science, Korean History) + 1 elective

[Pass-line totals]
6 subjects → 360 points or more
7 subjects → 420 points or more

[Score still needed]
Points still needed = (60 × total subjects) − points already secured
Per-subject average needed = points still needed ÷ untaken subjects

No subject minimum: a sub-60 subject does not fail you as long as the average clears 60.
Absence fails you: skipping any subject you registered for means failure regardless of the average.

How to Use

1. 1Choose the level you are sitting: elementary, middle-school or high-school equivalency (6, 6 and 7 subjects respectively).
2. 2Pick your elective subjects — two for the elementary level, one for the middle- and high-school levels.
3. 3Enter your estimated score for each subject out of 100.
4. 4For subjects you already passed with 60 or more in an earlier session, set the status to exempt; that score is added straight into the total.
5. 5Leave any subject you have not sat yet as unknown, and the calculator reverse-engineers the average score those subjects need.
6. 6Read off the total, average, pass decision and the list of subjects that qualify as subject passes.

Examples

Background

Geomjeonggosi is held twice a year, normally in April and August, under the Enforcement Rule of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the annual notices issued by each metropolitan and provincial office of education. The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation writes the papers according to a published yearly plan, while registration, administration and results are handled by the regional education offices. The elementary level has four required subjects plus two electives, the middle-school level five required plus one elective, and the high-school level six required plus one elective. At the middle- and high-school levels only Math has 20 questions at 5 points each while the rest have 25 questions at 4 points, so subject scores always land on multiples of 4 or 5. The 60-point average pass line is fixed rather than norm-referenced, and the subject-pass system lets candidates clear the exam across several sessions. Official guidance and applications are available from the National Institute for Lifelong Education's qualification exam centre (gumsi.or.kr).

Tips

• ✔There is no per-subject minimum, so a 48 in Math is survivable. Raising a subject you are already good at into the 90s moves the average more cheaply than rescuing your weakest subject.
• ✔Electives such as Ethics, Physical Education, Music and Art have a narrow syllabus and heavily repeated past questions, which is why many candidates use them to pull the average up. Aim for 90+ there.
• ✔Only Math has 20 questions (5 points each); every other subject has 25 questions worth 4 points. Scores therefore land on multiples of 4 or 5 — multiply correct answers by the per-question value when estimating.
• ✔Taking an exemption is optional. If a previous score only just cleared 60, re-sitting the subject may lift your average more than carrying the old score forward.
• ✔Clearing 60 on average is not enough if you skip a session. Any registered subject you fail to attend results in failure, so sit every period.

FAQ