Two students holding the same CSAT score report can get completely different answers to "how far can this score take me?" depending on which university they ask. The reason is that every university weights Korean, math, electives, and English differently, and calculates them differently too. Right now, as September mock exam results come in and students start sketching their jeongsi (regular admission) plans, deciding on target schools based on raw scores or a simple sum of standard scores can end up badly misaligned with the actual converted score.

What is a "converted score"

A converted score takes the standard score, percentile, and grade shown on your CSAT report and recalculates it using each university's own weighting ratios and formula. The CSAT report itself is standardized nationwide, but the way each university applies those numbers to admissions is designed differently, which is exactly why "my CSAT score" and "my score at this particular university" end up as different numbers. Skip checking the converted score while narrowing down jeongsi target schools, and a university that looked favorable based on raw scores often turns out to be the wrong choice in practice.

Universities that use standard scores, and ones that use percentiles

Most universities apply standard scores directly for Korean and math, but convert the elective (tamgu) percentile into their own separate converted standard score to reduce the difficulty gap between different elective subjects. Using standard scores as-is can create an advantage or disadvantage depending on how hard a particular elective was that year, so in subjects like tamgu where students choose from a wide range of electives, many universities apply their own separate correction method. Which metric a university uses, and how, is spelled out in that university's admissions guide under "CSAT weighting method" -- it has to be checked individually for every school under consideration.

English grade weighting -- the same Grade 3 can mean very different points

English is graded on an absolute scale, and each university keeps its own point table by grade -- and the gaps between tables are bigger than most students expect. The same English Grade 3 might earn near-full points at one university and a substantial deduction at another. Even students with similar Korean, math, and tamgu scores can end up eligible for very different sets of universities based on the English point table alone, which is why lining up English grade point tables side by side across universities is a non-negotiable step when narrowing down jeongsi targets.

Subject weighting ratios also differ by university

Universities that weight Korean, math, tamgu, and English all equally are actually the exception rather than the rule. Many universities set different weighting ratios by track -- higher Korean weighting for humanities, higher math weighting for STEM -- and some departments add a separate bonus point for specific subject areas. Top-tier STEM departments in particular sometimes award bonus points for having taken specific elective subjects, meaning which subjects a student chose can affect the converted score just as much as the weighting ratio itself. This weighting effect can be large enough to override differences in raw or standard scores entirely, so the same score can look very different depending on the department applied to.

Where to check your own converted score

Rather than working out the formula by hand, it's more reliable to use Adiga (adiga.kr), Korea's official college admissions information portal, or a converted-score calculator offered by your school or a private admissions service. Formulas differ slightly by university and are revised most years, so a hand-calculated number and the university's own published figure don't always match. Enter the standard score, percentile, and grade from your CSAT report and the tool calculates the converted score automatically based on each registered university's weighting method. Running the numbers now using September mock exam results gives you a first rough sketch of your jeongsi strategy.

This is a different calculation from CSAT minimum requirements

Calculating whether you meet a susi (early admission) track's CSAT minimum requirement and calculating a jeongsi converted score are two separate calculations serving different purposes. CSAT minimums often just check whether a grade sum or individual grade thresholds are met, while jeongsi converted scores incorporate standard scores and percentiles in much finer detail. Checking your CSAT minimum status doesn't mean you can judge your jeongsi converted score by the same standard.

What to check right now

First, check the admissions guide of any university you're considering for whether it uses standard scores or percentiles. Second, line up English grade point tables side by side across universities. Third, check for subject weighting ratios and bonus points by track and department. Fourth, use Adiga or a school jeongsi program to calculate your actual converted score and compare it against a raw-score-based judgment. September mock results are only a reference point for sketching your jeongsi range early -- your real application should be recalculated using the actual November CSAT score report.

Summary

① Check each target university's admissions guide for its CSAT weighting method (standard score/percentile, weighting ratio).
② Compare English grade point tables across universities.
③ Calculate your actual converted score using Adiga or an admissions-service tool.
④ Flag any university where the raw-score judgment and the converted-score judgment disagree.
Weighting methods can be revised at each university every admissions cycle, so before a final application, always reconfirm against that year's official admissions guide.