Author's Note

Chapter 1: Misconceptions about studying Korean

The Myth of Reading Past Questions N Times
The Shepherd's Trap
Finger hook
Background knowledge dance theory
Is Korean a subject that can be solved by feeling?

Chapter 2: How to Study Korean to Build Basic Strength

How have I been studying so far?
A cyclical Korean language study routine that turns reading comprehension into inevitable reading.

Chapter 3: The Art of Reading Non-Fiction: How to Read Any Text

How to Read Actively, Asking Questions
Reading while understanding the structure of the fingerprint
*Reading Inside - How to Create Reading Tips for Each Subject
Reading sentences, lines, and paragraphs properly
The flower of non-literature, substitution
Reading skills for reading text efficiently
Deepening reading comprehension
*Reading Inside - Understanding the difference between 'subtraction' and 'difference'
The art of problem solving to earn points

Chapter 4: Literature of Probability and Necessity

The plausibility of literature and the inevitability of testing
A Guide to Reading Literature by Genre

Chapter 5: Studying Past and Non-Previous Exam Questions to Build Real Skills

Studying Korean
Sell ​​as much as you can
How should I study for the non-past exams?

Chapter 6: How to Take Mock Exams

Checklist before taking the mock exam
Mock Exam Day Checklist
Things to keep in mind while taking the mock exam
Post-Mock Exam Checklist

Appendix 1: Speaking and Writing/Language and Media Study Methods
Appendix 2: Correct posture for listening to lectures
Epilogue
Experiences of students who read this book first

Considering the feelings of high school seniors and repeat test takers preparing for the Korean language section of the CSAT
The most practical and specific Korean language study guide!

“Read the fingerprint and solve the problem.
I give answers based on my 'feeling', but if I'm wrong, I don't know why I'm wrong, and if I'm right, I don't know why I'm right.
The scope of the test is not set, so it is difficult to know where to start and how to study.
So, I listen to other people's lectures, solve famous problem books, and solve past exam questions.
But my Korean language score is stagnant.
Sometimes I see it well, but other times I don't, so I don't know exactly how good I am.
“Is there any way to answer this with certainty?”

"Checkmate" is a very specific and practical Korean language study guide for high school seniors and repeat test takers who are struggling with the Korean language that they cannot grasp.
Author Yoon Ye-won (Choryeong) came to believe that nothing would change if she were just passively dragged along studying without direction after the 2019 CSAT, which is still remembered as the most difficult passage.
After that, I started analyzing past exam questions using a self-developed circular study routine for active study.
After consistently implementing this study method, which involves identifying and analyzing the gap between your current state of reading and solving problems and the examiner's intention, thinking of a solution, and implementing that method, ultimately aiming for a high score on the Korean language test on the CSAT, I have acquired a stable and solid Korean language ability that has never fallen below a 98th raw score on a private mock exam and a 99th percentile on the evaluation institute.


The author has organized a total of 170 pages of non-fiction reading techniques, including a circular Korean language study routine that allows you to read any text without fear, reading while questioning, problem solving, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, relationship, abstract-concrete, criticism, process and principle, reading while understanding the structure of the text, micro-reading, reading while substituting, reading one paragraph, abstraction, generalization, flattening, reading definitions, reading graphs, tables, and pictures, and reading the question's opening sentence.
In addition, it covers all aspects of studying Korean for the College Scholastic Ability Test, including how to solve literature problems, how to study past and non-past exam questions, shepherding, finger-crossing, and reading past exam questions N times, as well as the prejudices students have about studying Korean.
There are many ways to checkmate to win the game against the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) Korean language test.
Developing the basic physical strength, flexibility, and confidence to be able to forge those various paths on your own.
This is the goal of this book.


To win the game with the Korean language test of the College Scholastic Ability Test
The Path to Checkmate, Suggested by a Perfect Score Scorer in Korean on the College Scholastic Ability Test

01.
Get rid of prejudices and misunderstandings about studying Korean.

02.
Build your reading comprehension skills with a cyclical Korean language study routine.

03.
Practice reading comprehension skills in non-fiction, such as reading while asking questions, reading while understanding the structure of the text, reading while predicting how the text will develop in a single paragraph, and reading while substituting.

04.
If the right answer in literature is probable, know that the wrong answer is necessarily inevitable.

05.
Previous questions.
Sell ​​as much as you can.
But it's effective.
06.
Mock exam.
Try to approach the exam with the mindset of practicing for the real CSAT, watching yourself read and solve the problems.


In the epilogue

The 2019 College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) included Korean language passages that are still talked about to this day.
I vividly remember when I first encountered the problem.
Before that, I had never studied Korean separately.
Because it was our language, I didn't feel the need to study it separately, and even if I did study it, it was limited to basic literary concepts, vocabulary, and grammar.
At 10 o'clock, when the Korean language test for the College Scholastic Ability Test was over, I had a gut feeling that the thoughts I had been holding on to until then were completely wrong.


I decided to study for one more year to achieve my dream.
For the first time, I started studying Korean in a proper Korean way.
Since I didn't know anything, I had no choice but to rely entirely on my academy classes at first.
But while taking the class, I suddenly realized that if I wasn't proactive in everything, nothing would change.
I thought that I wouldn't be able to break through my limitations by just passively studying without any direction of my own.
So I started analyzing past exam questions.
That analysis of past exam questions changed my non-literature, changed my Korean, and changed the entire landscape of my exam preparation life.


At this point, it is pointless to mention how hard you studied.
Those times of effort were brilliant and beautiful, but now they are just in the past.
What's truly valuable are the facts I discovered there.


Reading is the foundation of the CSAT.
In other words, if there is one keyword that runs through the CSAT, it is ‘reading.’
Korean, math, and English flow in the same direction.
In the end, all three are just languages.
Korean is my native language, English is a relatively familiar foreign language, and math is a language with a slightly higher level of difficulty.
Ultimately, all I have to do is translate each different language into 'my language', determine what needs to be done through interaction, and translate the solution derived in 'my language' back into each language.
'My language' is not Korean.
It's just my own language that I'm familiar with.
'My language', which is prominent in Korean reading comprehension, can be combined with some of the world's languages, can react conditionedly to the world's languages ​​like setting shortcuts, or can completely throw myself into that world.
But I have the crucial clue.

So let's start from the beginning of language.
The beginning is spelling.
After that, you learn the grammar of the language and there are endless applications of it, but to do that, you have to read and think.
Let's substitute it with math.
The spelling of mathematics is axioms and definitions, and the grammar of mathematics is the processes of proof.
But we don't even memorize Korean grammar by heart.
The proof is the same.
The fundamental power that unravels unfamiliar grammar is the power to deconstruct the essence.
It is the power to observe and segment the blunt abstraction that appears as a single lump into things I know.
You just have to see the essence.
So the question that needs to be asked is why?
Why should we use the substitution method? Why should we use the integration by parts method? The questions then become: what is the substitution method? What is a derivative? What is an integral?
This is the concept.
The process of connecting definitions and axioms.
For this segmentation and observation, an object is needed.

That's the problem.
It's a problem, it's a fingerprint.
If you don't read the problem properly, whether it's Korean, English, or math, you're starting from the wrong place.
And for this, reading comprehension is required.
Just, as always, you shouldn't just roughly decide whether it's a negative or positive sentence and move on.
You must read it carefully.
The first step is to identify the question, conditions, and target, and then present a solution framework that fits them.
That's why reading is important.
Korean, a language that is written, even if only symbolically.
Understanding the national language must come first.
Coming back to it, if you are not proactive in everything, nothing will change.
I made this the main principle of my life as a test taker.
I actively read every passage, actively addressed every problem, and actively approached every task.


This book contains records of my active study during my exam preparation period, which was either short or long.
When I first encountered the need for proper study, I was at a loss as to where to go and had a vague fear about what to do.
I also remember the days when I was trembling with anxiety due to the uncertainty of whether there might be a cliff at the end of the road I was walking on and whether things would get better if I did this.
Giving me this book at that time wouldn't make it any less difficult.
Because that's how exam life is.
But at least you can have some confidence in the direction.
I hope that those of you who read this book will not try to take the easy way out.
The easy way may take less effort, but it's harder to sharpen yourself.
This doesn't mean that you should study hard and cut yourself short.
I hope you will ponder each story in this book, think about whether it is really true, and try to apply it.
I hope you can fully make the thoughts written in this book your own and add your own color to it.
Nothing changes just by reading books.
You have to experience it yourself.


So, I hope that at least this book can be a beacon for you.
When I feel adrift, with no one to rely on, I hope I can open a book and reaffirm that this path is at least not wrong, and when I feel lost and confused about where to go, I hope I can decide on my next destination.
I hope that you can learn the joy that comes from reading.

Recommendation

Most students in the lower and middle ranks do not know how to improve their Korean language scores, and when they see that their scores do not improve as much as they studied, they give up on Korean.
I was one of those students.
Having a habit of reading past papers over and over again and studying like a shepherd, I thought that Korean was a huge obstacle that I could not overcome, seeing my grades remaining at level 3.
However, after studying Korean with teacher Yoon Ye-won, I learned how to read 'properly' by trying to have a conversation with the text, and I began to see the patterns and principles of the texts and options from the previous exams.
Through microscopic reading, I was able to see the organic structure of words and sentences, and through macroscopic reading, I was able to see the framework and structure of the text. After that, I was able to break free from the meaningless repetition of past questions and directly experience the principles hidden in the text and options of the evaluation institute mentioned in this book.
This realization allowed me to move beyond superficial study and focus on studying with a deep understanding of the subject called 'Korean', which naturally led to improved grades.
Also, studying Korean no longer felt like an obstacle, but rather a time for conversation with writing.

This book explains how to read effectively by making the most of texts, problems, tables, and graphs, and it also provides advice on reading comprehension (non-literature) texts, which most students find difficult, as well as literary texts and study methods for each period.
I think that any student who is having even the slightest difficulty studying Korean must read this book.

- Lee*Ah (79th percentile in June 2022 ▶ 97th percentile in September 2023)

Originally, I was a student who had never studied Korean properly, and just read the questions and passages and solved the problems. My Korean test scores were also usually uneven.
During that time, my Korean language skills improved by leaps and bounds while taking the teacher's Korean language class, and I really received a lot of help from the 'homework' the teacher gave me.
The assignment was simple: after solving the given passage, we were to analyze why we could only read up to this point and how far we could read.
It is exactly like the 'cyclical study routine' in the book.


It was a really simple but difficult study method. When I first received this assignment, it took me three hours to study one passage.
At first, I was really at a loss as to what on earth I should be analyzing here.
But as I slowly looked through the text and checked the way I read it, a flood of things came to light that needed to be corrected.
For example, the habit of skimming the first paragraph and then continuing to read in a dazed state, or of drawing tables or organizing things in a formula, leaving aside the parts that are convenient for solving the problem, only to return to the text and reread it because you can't remember them...
Habits like this were stagnating my Korean language skills.


It took a lot of time, but by studying a set amount of material every day in the above manner, my reading ability improved a lot.
I remember that around the second week, I realized the importance of the first paragraph on my own, and wrote on my analysis sheet, “Next time, I will try to find a topic in the first paragraph and establish the flow of the writing.”
As I gradually read and corrected the problems I thought of, after about a month or two, I felt that the time it took to analyze a single passage had been drastically reduced and my skills had improved.

The great thing about a rotational study routine is that you can establish a reading style that works best for you.
Because I review and analyze my reading comprehension and find what I need to improve for the next reading, I leave the parts of my current reading habits that are fine and only fix the parts that need improvement, which improves my skills.
In my case, I followed my teacher's advice that completely changing my reading method would be risky, so I selectively accepted and modified what I needed from the lecture content and my own feedback process. I believe that was the key to improving my skills in a short period of time.
Also, one of the reasons why you should follow the above study method is that you will eventually have to find your own weaknesses.
Since only you know what frame of mind you had when reading the passage and what thoughts you had when solving it, the fastest way to overcome your weaknesses is to constantly reflect on how you should have read and solved the problem, even if it takes some time at the beginning.

The main chapter of this book is Chapter 3, which introduces the skill of reading non-fiction, which many students find difficult, but I encourage you to also read Chapters 1 and 5.
I have no doubt that Chapter 1's critique of misconceptions about studying Korean and Chapter 5's study methods based on past and non-past exam questions will serve as valuable guides for those who will be embarking on a long journey of studying for the exam.
- Lee*Min (2021 CSAT percentile 83rd ▶ 2023 CSAT percentile 95th)

Until my second year of high school, I didn't know what proper reading was.
And of course, I didn't even try to read the fingerprints any better.
The text was accepted as text itself, with little thought process present.
I started group tutoring in this state.
As I continued taking the class, the most helpful thing for me was 'analyzing past exam questions', which I had never done before and perhaps would not have tried properly without this class.
I still vividly remember the moment I gave a demonstration lesson.
It was Shin Chae-ho's Awa Bia fingerprint.
For me, like other students, the problem arose of 'wasting precious reading energy by reading less important parts more importantly, and failing to read more important parts.'
This book presents guidelines and reading methods to avoid making reading errors that include these problems.

The 'practice of asking questions about sentences and predicting the development of the text' explained in the middle of this book was difficult at first even though I tried to do it consciously.
It was also a process of realizing how much I had been reading without thinking.
The process of answering subjective questions and performing pre-analysis in the “View” questions was also not easy.
I was grateful that through repetition and correction, I was able to do them without difficulty in the final.
For reference, examples of this process are described in detail in the book.
Meanwhile, the sentence that was most helpful when solving literature problems was definitely 'Incorrect answers are probable, correct answers are inevitable.'
I practiced repeatedly to find the most inevitably wrong sentence (or part).
Thanks to that, I was able to get everything right in the literature section of the CSAT.

Among the words at the end of this book, the one that sticks in my mind the most is, "If you're not proactive, nothing will change."
This sentence reminds me that no matter how high-quality the instructor provides the class, it is entirely up to the student to embody the Korean language code of conduct, and that only by taking the initiative can one improve one's Korean language grades and establish a reading method.
It's difficult to do alone, but I think Korean is the subject that you have to do the most alone.
This book will serve as a compass for the arduous Korean language study for the CSAT.

- Han*bom (10 percentile increase)