How the Grade 9 written score and interview combine to decide passers

The Grade 9 civil service exam does not fix a public written-to-interview percentage split. Instead, candidates who clear the written pass mark move to an interview graded as outstanding (우수), average (보통), or insufficient (미흡), and candidates who receive an outstanding interview grade are placed first in line for final selection, ahead of written score alone.

Is there a fixed ratio between the written score and the interview?

No official fixed weighting, such as “written counts for 70 percent, interview for 30 percent,” is published for the Grade 9 exam. Instead the process works as a sequential gate followed by a grade-based tiebreaker: clear the written pass mark first, then be scored in the interview on a three-tier grade, and let that grade determine priority in the final selection. This is a genuinely different mechanism from a blended percentage score, and misunderstanding it is a common source of confusion among candidates comparing Grade 9 with other countries’ entry-level exams.

How is the interview graded?

Interview panels assess candidates against four standard criteria: communication and empathy, commitment and passion, creativity and innovation, and ethics and responsibility, drawing on a roughly five-minute prepared presentation plus questions about the candidate’s own experience and hypothetical situational-judgement scenarios. The panel then assigns one of three overall grades: outstanding (우수), average (보통), or insufficient (미흡).

What happens if I get an outstanding interview grade?

Candidates who receive an outstanding grade are placed first in priority for the final pass list, ahead of candidates who scored higher on the written paper but received only an average interview grade. This means the interview is not a simple pass or fail hurdle added on top of an already-decided written rank. A strong interview genuinely changes a candidate’s position relative to peers with a stronger written score, which is different from how some other countries’ civil service exams treat the interview stage as a small percentage add-on.

Can a bad interview undo a strong written score?

Yes, in the sense that an insufficient interview grade places a candidate at a disadvantage regardless of how well they did on the written paper, since the interview outcome factors directly into where a candidate sits on the final pass list, not just whether they clear a minimum bar. This is one reason interview preparation matters as much as written revision in the final stretch before the pass list is set, even though the written exam is what most candidates spend the bulk of their preparation time on; see our explainer on the exam subjects and format for how the written stage itself is scored before a candidate ever reaches interview.

Does the written score still matter once I reach interview?

Yes. Written score and interview grade are combined to set the overall pass list, with the interview grade acting as the dominant sorting factor at the top tier (outstanding candidates first) and written score continuing to matter within and below that tier. A candidate should not treat clearing the written pass mark as the end of the competitive part of the process; the interview stage still meaningfully affects the final outcome. If you are also weighing how many times you can retake the exam if this cycle does not work out, see our guide on retake strategy.

Does the process differ for the correctional track?

The correctional and protective services track adds a physical fitness test between the written exam and the interview, so a candidate must clear that stage before being scored on the interview criteria described above. See our explainer on the correctional service track for the specifics of that additional stage.

FAQ

Is there a published written-to-interview weighting for Grade 9? No fixed public percentage split is published; the process instead uses the written exam as a pass or fail gate followed by a three-tier interview grade that determines final priority.

What are the three interview grades? Outstanding (우수), average (보통), and insufficient (미흡), assigned by the interview panel based on four standard criteria.

Does an outstanding interview outrank a higher written score? Yes. Candidates graded outstanding at interview are placed first in the final pass order, ahead of candidates with only an average interview grade regardless of their relative written scores.

How long is the Grade 9 interview? It includes a roughly five-minute prepared presentation plus follow-up questions on experience and situational judgement; total interview length varies by panel and candidate.

Can I fail the exam at interview even after passing the written test? Yes. An insufficient interview grade places a candidate at a significant disadvantage in the final pass list even after clearing the written pass mark.