Samsung GSAT Exam in South Korea

Samsung had a recruitment for foreigners living in Korea in the fall of 2019 and I applied. After passing the document screening, I was given the opportunity to take the Global Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT) in English. In this blog post, I will share my experience from the beginning to end as well as how to prepare for the GSAT. 

Applying for Samsung

Samsung's application goes through 4 different stages.

A) Document Screening

B) Global Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT)

C) 1st Round of Interview (General Round)

D) 2nd Round of Interview (Management)

Applications are done through their website either on the regular page for Koreans, or the global one for foreigners. After you pass, they send you an email asking you to check the details of your test date, location and other information on their website. Upon confirmation, you may start to prepare for the test. One thing that I was really unsure about was the entire process of the exam as well as what was to be expected when taking the exam. Here are some things about my experience that I can share with you. 

Upon logging into their website and checking your details, you'll see that they provide you with a slip with a QR code, your name, details of your test venue and the time, etc. You will have to print this out, sign it and bring it along with a computer pen (markets designated for exam use), correction tape, and your identification card. Although these were the only things mentioned, I saw that other people were allowed to bring in water bottles, pencils, pens, and erasers so I guess they're not too strict as to what else was allowed. 

One thing that is definitely not allowed though: electronics. There will be no calculators, electronic watches or similar items allowed during the exam.

Going to the Examination Venue

On the day itself, I took the train since it's mentioned in the instructions that no parking space will be provided so it's better to be taking public transportation. Upon arrival, I saw people in suits standing next to signboards with the words "Global Samsung Aptitude Test" and an arrow pointing toward the direction participants should be heading towards.

I followed the signboards (even though I knew the way) and arrived at the school where I would be taking the exam. More people in suits were here and they greeted me as I made my way to my test location on the 4th floor. 

I was not able to take more photos around the classroom and especially not of the notices and the seating arrangement. So I sat quietly in my chair and snuck a photo of the proctor as well as how a high school classroom looks like in Korea. Although the exam was stipulated to be from 9am ~ 11:30am, we were asked to arrive and be seated before 9am.

Truth be told, it did not start exactly at 9am. While waiting, classical music was played throughout the entire time which honestly made me more nervous than I already was. Instructions were given out through the PA system from 9am all the way through 9:50am where proctors would check our identification, have us write on the answer sheet and thereafter double-check our identification with our answer sheet. At roughly 9:45am, we were given the question booklet and were told to begin at 9:50.

Preparing for the GSAT Exam

On to preparing for the examination. Let me break it down for you. There are a total of 3 different sections in the exam.

1. Quantitative Reasoning (20 questions, 30 minutes)

2. Logical Reasoning (30 questions, 30 minutes)

3. Visual Thinking (30 questions, 30 minutes)

Yes, it's more or less 1 minute per question, and this actually means that you're not supposed to be solving every single question. Time management is key, and knowing which questions can be solved easily and which you should skip is extremely crucial during the exam. I feel that there were a few questions designed to make you waste time as it required a rather exorbitant amount of steps for a one-minute question.

With regard to preparation, you will need to buy the book, preferably. There's a reason why students in Korea spend 6 months to 2 years preparing for the exam and interviews just to get into the company. Buying the book (although it's in Korean) would definitely help you a lot in your preparation as it gives you a sense of what type of questions come out, and how would it be presented and what you should expect when going into a time crunch. If you do not read nor understand Korean, at least doing the questions on Visutal Thinking would help a lot.

The books cost roughly $20 each and there are 2: One goes through all the types of questions and teaches you how to solve them, and the other one holds 5 mock tests.

1. Quantitative Reasoning

This is basic math, middle school and high school math that you can do really well in if you were in middle or high school. Right now, you've probably forgotten everything. There're questions such as: If Mary could paint a wall in 2 hours, and Joe could paint the same wall in 5h ours, how long would both of them take to paint the wall together? Of course, the style of questions would be different from other tests like the GMAT so having the book (which is a direct representation of questions that would appear in GSAT) would be of great help.

2. Logical Reasoning

This area is the hardest and takes a lot of quick thinking as well as understanding the question. An example would be 6 people: A, B, C, D, E, and F. They're all employees in a company, where A and B are managers, C and D are secretaries and E and F are clerks. Then you are given a set of rules such as A does not arrive at work earlier than E, or D and F come into work at the same time. Then, based on the question, you will either have to pick the option that would likely NOT happen, or the one that is true. Again, learning it from the book would help a lot. 

3. Visual Thinking

This one has many variations across different examinations. However, the ones that you would need to practice are very unique to Samsung's exam. There are different sections on comparing shapes, finding the dice (it's a die that has different faces, not one of numbers) that is different, visualizing the back of origami folded in various directions. 

The good thing about this exam is that there is no need for writing of any sort. Everything is multiple choice so at the end of the day, you know one of them is your answer. Be warned, though, as wrong answers deduct points off your total score. This is to discourage people from making a guess and answering every question in the paper with guesses. You will need to make sure that the question you answer is correct with at least 95% confidence. 

That's the most information I can give you from my experience taking the exam. Good luck to those who are taking it. If you have any question, feel free to contact me through any of my social links on the right!