Jinhak PEN AI adds mock interview, academic planning features

'AI follow-up question' function analyzes student answers in real time

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education building [Busan Metropolitan Office of Education]
The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education building [Busan Metropolitan Office of Education]

The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education said Thursday it has added new features to Jinhak PEN AI, its AI-powered college admissions platform. The features support mock interviews and academic planning tied to prospective majors, in line with changes to the college admissions system. The upgraded service officially launched Sept. 1.

Jinhak PEN AI is a public college admissions support platform that uses students' school records and academic data to provide everything from admissions planning to mock interviews. Beyond admissions information such as analysis of successful early-admission applicants, it includes an "AI admissions simulator" that recommends majors based on cases of successful applicants matched to students' basic admissions information. It also offers an "AI mock interview" function based on application documents and interview prompts.

The most notable addition is the "AI follow-up question generation" feature. Previously, the system generated expected questions based on a student's school record. Now, AI analyzes a student's answers in real time and follows up with additional questions. This allows students to repeatedly practice in a way that more closely resembles an actual in-depth interview, helping sharpen their real-world response skills.

The platform also added a new academic planning feature linked to prospective majors. It matches the 2022 revised curriculum with the recommended courses for each university and department. When a student selects a target university and major, they can see which courses are recommended for that field of study. This helps students factor in their career path and intended major from the course-selection stage.

The platform has also prepared for an upcoming change to the high school grading system. Starting with the 2028 college admissions cycle, the high school grading system will shift from nine rating levels to five. The platform now allows five-level grades to be converted and viewed under the previous nine-level standard. This lets students and parents compare their results with existing admissions data based on the nine-level system as they plan ahead.

"Even as the college admissions landscape changes, we will continue to develop AI-based college admissions support so that students can prepare on their own without relying on private tutoring," said On Yoon-ju, director of the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education's Institute for Educational Achievement.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com