[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] The movie "The Secret Behind the College Scholastic Ability Test" has confirmed its October release, 100 days before this year’s College Scholastic Ability Test.

The film “CSAT: The Secret of the Exam Questions” is a mission-based comedy about Maeng Bo-ram, a Korean language teacher from a small provincial town who unexpectedly joins the exam question headquarters—which is sealed off for 40 days to prepare the “CSAT questions,” a Level 2 state secret in South Korea—and goes through all sorts of mishaps in her quest to create “flawless questions” free of typos or controversy.
Actress Lee Sun-bin plays Maeng Bo-ram, a Korean language teacher who enters the exam preparation camp due to an administrative error; Yoo Jae-myung plays Moon Ju-yeol, the chair of the Korean language exam committee; Kim Young-min plays Park Kyung-tae, the chair of the review committee; and Jeon Seok-ho plays Ki Jun-su, an Evaluation Institute employee who actually runs the 40-day residential camp—marking the first time this cast has worked together. Joining them are Kim Kyung-min, Lee Jin-hee, Hwang Bo-ra, Jung Soo-young, Lee Jung-ok, and Ryu Kyung-hwan as exam committee members with diverse majors and personalities, filling the secret space of the CSAT exam preparation camp to capacity.
“The Secret of CSAT Question Creation” marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Lee Yong-jae, who previously reimagined the theme of education through character-driven storytelling in “The Mathematician in Wonderland.” Director Lee previously raised anticipation by stating, “I aim to explore the secrets behind the CSAT question-creation process—something every South Korean has likely wondered about at least once—and the thrilling story that unfolds over those 40 days.”

The launch poster, released to mark 100 days before the CSAT, fills the screen with a Korean language exam paper, atop which rests a CSAT-approved computer-based sign pen. The text is dotted with underlines, circles, and traces of erasures and rewrites, while light and shadows filtering through the blinds crisscross the exam paper, hinting at the atmosphere of the room. The title “Secret,” encircled in bold red pencil, captures the viewer’s attention and sparks curiosity about the hidden story.
The launch trailer released alongside the image opens with scenes from South Korea on the day of the CSAT. It stirs curiosity with the caption “Class 2 State Secret” superimposed over scenes of cheering crowds outside test centers, aircraft takeoffs and landings controlled to coincide with the listening section, police cars transporting test-takers, temples where prayers are offered, and a stock exchange that has delayed its opening.
This is followed by a bus loaded with suitcases, a baggage screening checkpoint reminiscent of an airport, a banner reading “We sincerely welcome the members of the College Scholastic Ability Test question-setting committee,” and a hand quickly highlighting the precautions in a confidentiality agreement—all accompanied by the caption “Top-Secret Project.”
The moment the phrase “The secrets of test creation unknown to the entire nation are revealed!” breaks the 40-day seal, the scene shifts to committee members grabbing each other by the collar over a single line of text, with Maeng Bo-ram (Lee Seon-bin) caught in the middle, her eyes wide with shock—building anticipation for the tension in the room and the laughter that’s sure to erupt.