Grades 5 and 7 and the diplomat exam.

PSAT (Public Service Aptitude Test)

📚 Education By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated October 26, 2026

The PSAT (Public Service Aptitude Test) is a Korean test of reasoning, data interpretation and problem solving used in the first stage of the grade 5 civil service exam, the diplomat candidate exam and, since 2021, the grade 7 exam.

Contents

1. Background
2. Sections
3. FAQ
4. References

Background

Introduced in 2004 to replace memorization-based first-stage subjects, the PSAT spread to experienced-hire exams and, in 2021, to the grade 7 civil service exam.

Sections

Verbal logic tests reading and argument analysis, data interpretation tests calculation and inference from tables and charts, and situational judgment tests applying rules to problems. Grade 5 has 40 questions per section; grade 7 has 25. Many question types overlap with NCS tests used by public enterprises.

FAQ

Where is it used?: Grades 5 and 7 and the diplomat exam.
Does it help with NCS?: Yes, many types overlap.

Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26

References

공무원임용시험령, 국가법령정보센터. https://www.law.go.kr
인사혁신처 사이버국가고시센터. https://www.gosi.kr
국가공무원법, 국가법령정보센터. https://www.law.go.kr

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

There are no materials dedicated to this theory yet, but you can search related reports in the CampusDown library (Korean).

Find more reports · Search 'PSAT' on CampusDown →

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This article was last updated on October 26, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.