The Seven-Year-Old Exam: A Quick Recap
In my previous post, I introduced the “Four-Year-Old Gosi” (4세 고시)—an entrance exam for elite English kindergartens—and the “Seven-Year-Old Gosi” (7세 고시), a placement test used by top-tier English academies just before children begin first grade.
These aren’t just any English classes. We’re talking about academies that believe a child who has completed three years of English kindergarten can follow the curriculum of a third-grade American elementary school. Yes, at age seven.
Welcome to Daechi-dong: Seoul’s unofficial Olympic Village of academics.
The Big Three
In Daechi-dong, there are three English academies collectively known as the “Big 3.” One of them, the prestigious PEAI Academy, gained additional fame when Sharon Choi—the interpreter for Parasite director Bong Joon-ho—was revealed to be a graduate.
Their reputation? Fierce.
Their standards? Unrelenting.
Why do parents start so early?
Sure, there’s the belief that early exposure leads to faster language acquisition. But more importantly, it’s about access—getting into these elite academies sets the tone (and pace) for everything that follows.
How Early Is Early?
Here’s a typical English study roadmap from Daechi-dong Simulation, written by a mother who raised three children in the system:
- Grades 1–4: Perfect score on Junior TOEFL
- Grades 5–6: Perfect score on the University Entrance Exam
- End of Grade 6: English is done—time to pivot to math
Yes, you read that right.
In Daechi-dong, English education is front-loaded and often completed by age 12. Why? Because middle and high school are reserved for what really matters: math.
The Shift: Shut Up and Do Math (a.k.a. “Dak-Su,” 닥수)
After English, the race turns to math. Lots of it.
From fourth grade onward, the focus sharpens on the all-important university entrance exam. This is when the phrase “닥수 (Dak-su),” short for “닥치고 수학 (Dakchigo Suhak)”—literally “Shut Up and Do Math”—becomes the dominant mantra.
In Daechi-dong Simulation, the math roadmap shows how children are now expected to complete middle school math by the end of elementary school. In 2019, starting middle school math in fifth grade was considered fast. By 2024, fourth grade is the new baseline among top-tier students.
And the numbers are staggering.
Thinking Bull (생각하는 황소) is one of Korea’s most elite math academies, with five directly operated centers and 75 franchise locations nationwide. Each winter and spring, over 10,000 children—including 2,500 in Daechi alone—compete for admission.
Although Thinking Bull offers classes beginning with 4th-grade content, the students who pass the entrance exam are typically only in 2nd grade. That means students need at least two years of advanced preparation just to be eligible for the test.
At Thinking Bull, students complete the entire elementary math curriculum by Grade 4. From there, they move on to middle and high school math while preparing for the Korean Mathematical Olympiad (KMO). Parents often purchase additional workbooks and solve them together with their kids to keep motivation high.
Meanwhile, English takes a back seat. It becomes focused on grammar and reading comprehension for school exams and the Suneung (university entrance exam). Ironically, English textbooks may get easier—because the real sprint has begun in math.
A “Normal” Day for a Daechi-dong Fourth Grader
To understand the intensity, here’s a peek into the weekly life of a 4th-grade student, as described in Daechi-dong Story (written by journalists):
The parents describe their child’s performance as “average”—placing him in the top 50% of Daechi-dong.
Here’s his after-school schedule:
- Monday & Friday: Taekwondo academy → Math academy (he’s already learning 5th-grade material). His mom says this pace is “slow” compared to others.
- Wednesday: After-school baseball → Korean essay writing academy (논술).
- Tuesday & Thursday: Swimming academy → English academy.
Between these academies?
Homework. Usually more than 40 minutes per day just to keep up.
As English homework becomes harder, many parents hire university students as “homework helpers”—charging about 30,000–40,000 KRW/hour ($25–30 USD).
Monthly tuition? Around 1.55 million KRW, or about $1,200 USD.
Again, this is considered average.
The Pressure Keeps Building: Middle School
It doesn’t let up in middle school.
Here’s the daily life of an 8th-grade girl in Daechi-dong, from Daechi-dong Story:
She ranks at the top of her class in one of the area’s most competitive all-girls middle schools.
- Starts her day at 7:30 a.m., listening to English conversation audio.
- Gets a ride to school from her parents.
- During breaks, follows a “5-minute question + 5-minute review” routine.
- After school at 3:10 p.m., she grabs a snack in the car and heads straight to academies or a managed study café.
- Returns home around 10 p.m. and continues studying via online lectures until midnight.
She also takes vitamins, drinks Chongmyeongtang (총명탕, a traditional herbal tonic for mental clarity), and receives physical therapy to relieve the strain of sitting all day.
High School: Becoming a Test Machine
Now enter high school. The intensity goes into overdrive.
School ends at 4:30 p.m., followed by 3.5+ hours of academy classes.
Then it’s off to a managed study room or café where phones are surrendered at the door. If a student dozes off, the staff wakes them up.
These places offer meal service, enforce customized study plans, and keep students focused until midnight.
During test season, academies offer special prep classes for specific high schools.
Weekends aren’t breaks—they’re packed with Korean, math, and science classes. Some students bounce between classes with barely enough time to eat, so Daechi-dong is lined with fast eateries that cater to this exact lifestyle.
The Finish Line: University Admission
The goal is singular: a top-tier university.
From birth, it feels like every child in Daechi-dong is placed on a high-speed track toward that finish line.
High school is the final sprint.
Math is the ultimate gatekeeper.
No one waits until senior year to begin studying for the math section of the Suneung (Korean University Entrance Exam). Instead, most students complete core math concepts by the end of sophomore year.
The final two years? Those are dedicated to endless problem sets and mock exams.
Not All Korean Kids Live This Way…
Let me pause and say this clearly: this is not how all Korean children live.
Korea’s education gap is widening. And expensive private education like this is out of reach for many families.
I plan to write more about what school looks like for kids who don’t have access to this high-speed academic train. In future articles, I plan to delve deeper into this growing inequality and explore what school looks like for kids who don’t have access to this high-speed academic track.
Coming Next: Why So Intense?
Why are Korean parents—especially in places like Daechi-dong—so afraid of falling behind?
Why does this race feel even faster now than when I was a child?
There are many theories. I’ll take you through them, one at a time.
Next up: Korea’s 1997 financial crisis—also known as the IMF era—and how it reshaped a generation.
Stay tuned.
This article refers to the following sources:
- This Is How Daechi-dong Kids Study: The Ultimate Strategy for Going Straight to SKY Starting at Age Four – Gloria Teacher, 2024 (『대치동 아이들은 이렇게 공부합니다 – 4세부터 SKY로 직행하는 초등 공부 최강의 전략』, 글로리아쌤, 2024)
- Daechi-dong Story: An In-Depth Analysis of Korea’s No.1 Private Education District – Korea Economic Daily Special Reporting Team, Kang Yeon-yeon, Lee Hye-in, Kim Young-ri, 2025 (『대치동 이야기: 대한민국 사교육 1번지 심층 분석』, 한경미디어 특별취재팀, 강연연, 이혜인, 김영리, 2025)
- Daechi-dong Elementary Roadmap – Son Areum, 2022 (『대치동 초등 로드맵』, 손아름, 2022)
- Daechi-dong Simulation: Exploring the Realities of Korea’s Top School District – Can My Child Reach the Top Tier? – Lee Garden, 2024 (『대치동 시뮬레이션 – 학군지 실전탐고: 우리아이도 최상위가 가능할까?』, 이가든, 2024)
