Every year, South Korean students sit for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), a standardized test that measures the educational eligibility of high school graduates for university admission. Young K-Pop idols, who manage to juggle school and their careers simultaneously, also often appear for this exam.
This year, 2006-born students are expected to appear for their CSATs the most, given that they will be completing high school. But many ’06-liner female idols are reportedly sitting it out.
According to Star News on November 7, the following girl group members have decided not to take the 2025 CSATs, scheduled on November 14.
NewJeans’ Haerin
NMIXX’s Kyujin
LE SSERAFIM’s Eunchae
TripleS’s Sion
FIFTY FIFTY’s Hana
All these idols have chosen to prioritize their careers at this moment instead of academics.
But there are some idols and actors born in 2006, who are confirmed to be appearing for the exam. This includes BOYNEXTDOOR’s Woonhak, Ampers&One’s Mackiah, and popular child actress Gal Sowon.
Idols sitting out the CSATs to focus on their careers is not exactly a rare phenomenon. Many big-name celebrities skipped the exam last year as well. You can read more about it here.