"In 2026, Company A's employees increased by 20% compared to last year, while Company B's decreased by 10%. If the combined total of the two companies in 2025 was 2,400 and remains the same in 2026, how many employees does Company A have this year?"
Though it appears to be simple arithmetic, this question — requiring test-takers to derive an accurate equation in an instant — is seen as symbolically representing the "logical thinking and quick judgment" Samsung demands from its future talent. As the Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT), the first gateway for aspiring Samsung employees and Korea's largest-scale recruitment exam, wrapped up over two days on the 25th and 26th, this year's test drew attention for featuring a large number of "applied questions" that went beyond simple mathematical and reasoning logic to incorporate the latest business trends such as large language models (LLMs) and next-generation form factors.
Questions on Next-Generation Edge Devices and Industrial AI Trends
According to employment communities and industry sources on the 27th, GSAT test-takers this year collectively noted that "the overall difficulty was similar to commercial mock exams, but questions heavily reflecting actual industrial contexts stood out."
What drew the most attention were the convergence conditional reasoning questions directly tied to Samsung's future growth drivers. Complex questions featured conditions including "methods to improve LLM computational efficiency," currently the hottest topic in the information technology (IT) industry, and the "tri-fold (three-fold) screen division method," considered a next-generation form factor.
Additionally, concepts fundamental to the semiconductor and home appliance businesses appeared, such as "comparison of properties of metal materials including molybdenum and tungsten" and "inferring daily sales conditions for home appliances." Other practical conditions included classification of business cards by color and shape. The questions were more approachable for those with a strong understanding of advanced industries in general and Samsung's business ecosystem.
Math Requires "Accuracy and Speed," Reasoning Requires "Fundamentals"
Perceived difficulty varied somewhat by section. Test-takers commonly assessed that "the math section was a battle against time, while the reasoning section was a battle of fundamentals."
In the math section, beyond the equation on Company A and B's employee increases and decreases mentioned earlier, data interpretation questions featured numerical calculations using Country A and Country B settings. One applicant to the semiconductor (DS) division said, "Many questions required direct calculations rather than simple numerical comparisons, making it quite challenging," adding, "Ultimately, the accuracy and speed of calculations will be the key variables determining pass or fail."
The reasoning section, on the other hand, was generally considered manageable. Logic puzzles such as one asking test-takers to select always-true statements after presenting three assumptions in "a tournament soccer competition with eight participating teams" had few tricks, with many reviews noting they could be solved intuitively by those with solid fundamentals.
Hiring Enthusiasm Rises on Semiconductor Tailwind, Interviews in May
This year's first-half open recruitment is expected to generate more enthusiasm among job seekers than ever. The recovery of the global semiconductor industry and Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) delivering surprise first-quarter earnings have significantly raised hiring expectations.
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee's strong commitment to "talent management" has added fuel. At a business leaders' meeting at the former presidential office in February, Chairman Lee said, "As our performance is rising significantly, we have some additional capacity to hire this year," signaling aggressive talent acquisition. In the first half of this year, GSAT textbook sales at major education companies such as Eduwill surged by about 40% compared to the previous year, while students for related paid courses and live special lecture attendees also recorded all-time highs.
Meanwhile, 18 affiliates, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, participated in this GSAT, which has been administered online since 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Samsung plans to conduct interviews and health screenings in May for those who pass this written exam before finalizing its first-half new hires.
