Daechi-dong entrance exam consulting for 100,000 won?…AI finds your 'aptitude, career path, and future'

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The high school credit system, introduced starting with first-year high school students last year, is called the most significant upheaval in university admission policies in the past 30 years or so, amidst already ever-changing regulations. The direction of a student's academic advancement can change entirely depending on the subjects they choose and the projects they explore within those subjects. As a result, it has become necessary to have a design that is 'consistently managed' from the moment students enter high school.

Top-tier universities accessible solely through a 'one-shot CSAT performance' or 'in-school grade management' are disappearing. The three-year record left in the student's school life record book has become the most important key to university admission. Korea Education Partners aims to fill this gap, judging that despite such a major upheaval in the entrance exam system, the private education scene is still focused on the CSAT and in-school grades.

Kwon Jae-u (CEO) observed that "the demand for managing school life records is bound to surge, but the private education industry does not yet have the conditions in place to supply this." The role of schools is to assign tasks to students and evaluate them. The role of private education is to assist students in preparing for those tasks, but until now, personalized management was only possible through what is known as 'Daechi-dong consulting,' which requires paying high fees, according to his assessment.

To address this, Korea Education Partners has launched the AI (artificial intelligence) SaaS (Software as a Service) 'Hakjjong Pro.' It was developed based on the AI diagnostic and personalized career exploration topic recommendation service that its predecessor, 'Job Shopper,' conducted for 200,000 people from 2017. It enables one academy instructor to assist in conducting consulting for more than 100 students, a task previously performed by an 'entrance exam coordinator' holding students one-on-one, as depicted in the drama "Sky Castle." Continuous personalized management is possible at a cost of approximately 50,000 to 100,000 won per student per month.

Hakjjong Pro narrows down suitable majors to first through third priority based on an 'affiliation selection test.' It helps determine semester course selections accordingly and shows which universities a student can reach at their current level. It also supports overall school life, including performance evaluations and research reports, and organizes students' activity data in a format that academy instructors can review. Instructors only need to conduct final counseling and checks based on the materials already analyzed by Hakjjong Pro and the curated career information.

Kwon Gi-won (CEO) explained, "A method relying on human instructors has physical limitations, but there is also a large variance in instructor levels by region, and student management continuity breaks when the person in charge changes," adding, "We have built it to enable uniform management anytime and anywhere based on the system."

Korea Education Partners has signed contracts with approximately 400 academies nationwide to supply Hakjjong Pro, laying the infrastructure for 'AI personalized management.' However, providing only the solution had clear limitations. In frontline academy settings, AI-based personalized management was still an unfamiliar concept. Kwon Gi-won (CEO) recalled, "It was like explaining the advantages of a car to people who had only ever ridden in horse-drawn carriages," and added, "When we explained about the engine, we would receive requests asking if they could just attach a few more strong horses instead."

Therefore, last September, it entered the market as a direct player by acquiring Libera, the operator of the online academy 'Libera Entrance Exam Consulting.' The results of consulting innovation using AI were also reflected in the numbers. In the first quarter of last year, nine people generated 324 million won in revenue, while in the first quarter of this year, three people recorded 369 million won. This is approximately 3.4 times higher in per capita revenue. However, Kwon Gi-won (CEO) felt the limitations of a 'human-native academy' that relies on individual instructor capabilities during this process.

Kwon Gi-won (CEO) stated, "We are pushing forward with plans to directly acquire and transform offline academies or build them from scratch to create an AI-native academy from the beginning," predicting, "It will become a new concept academy where a small number of instructors can provide hyper-personalized education to all students."

While the current Hakjjong Pro aims at 'management for entrance exam preparation,' Korea Education Partners' ultimate goal does not stop at admission to prestigious universities. Kwon Gi-won (CEO) said, "If we conduct advanced counseling tailored to the child, the conclusion might be a 'junior college that fits their aptitude' or that 'they don't need to go to university.'"

Kwon Gi-won (CEO) revealed, "It is already too late to make such judgments after entering high school," adding, "We identify aptitudes early during middle school and recommend specialized high schools or Meister high schools if necessary. It may also be better for a child's future to spend the money previously used only for entrance exams on vocational training equipment."

Such arguments are gaining persuasiveness among parents due to the popularization of AI. The 'minimum standard' that was once guaranteed by attending specific schools has become uncertain. Therefore, Kwon Jae-u (CEO) believes that parents are now looking at job categories from a different perspective than in the past and voicing different opinions on their children's career design.

Kwon Jae-u (CEO) emphasized, "After entering high school, it is no longer time to test for aptitudes or career paths that fit oneself; it becomes a period when one must be verified at every moment and leave records to prepare for university admission," adding, "It is the mission of Korea Education Partners to make 'personalized management' that can find a fitting career path from middle school and elementary school accessible to everyone without burden."

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