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September 10, 2025

Inside the digital hagwons: High-stakes reading test preparation in Korea

Key Points

Test preparation practices emphasized reading component abilities and reading strategies over vocabulary instruction.
Vocabulary knowledge was often taught in isolation, focusing on breadth rather than deep understanding.
Test-taking strategies—such as management and deviousness strategies—were taught using both implicit and explicit methods.
The narrow instruction scope within TOEFL preparation may impact learners' long-term development and skills.

Abstract

High-stakes reading tests significantly influence one’s future success, leading many second language learners to engage in intensive test preparation. This study examines nine TOEFL reading preparation lectures from two popular cram schools, or 학원hagwons, in Korea, with a total duration of five hours and thirty-nine minutes. Test preparation activities were analyzed using Messick’s (1982) types of test preparation and Cohen’s (2022) types of test-taking strategies. The findings indicate that, unlike previous studies on writing test preparation, construct-relevant content such as reading component abilities and reading strategies were predominantly taught. However, vocabulary knowledge was often instructed in isolation from context, with a focus on breadth rather than depth. Test-taking strategies, including reading strategies, test-management strategies, and test-deviousness strategies, were taught both implicitly and explicitly. The potential effects and limitations of instructions within the narrow scope of TOEFL on learners’ long-term development are discussed.

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