01 / Evidence grades
PrepSignal adopts VSCALE; it does not own it.
The V1–V5 definitions were created by Hakwon Scale in July 2026. PrepSignal uses those labels as a source-quality shorthand and links back to the original definition.
Press-confirmed facts, 30+ public reviews, and three or more dated metrics with denominators.
Press confirmation or substantial academy disclosure, plus 20+ public reviews.
At least 10 reviews on a third-party platform.
Information is primarily published by the academy itself.
Too little public information for stronger verification.
02 / Inputs
What enters a profile
Included
- Official academy program and format disclosures
- Dated press coverage with attributable figures
- Google Maps rating and review-count snapshots
- Naver Place visitor, blog and public keyword-count snapshots
- Founding dates and locations that can be traced to a source
Not treated as proof
- Anonymous community claims
- “Best” or “No. 1” language without a denominator
- Admissions logos without a dated cohort
- Star ratings without the review count
- Possible Naver name matches that lack identity confirmation
Naver Place matching uses the academy name and disclosed region. Counts are published only for high-confidence matches. Possible matches retain a status but their counts are withheld, and unrelated same-name results are rejected. Review text and reviewer identities are not stored.
03 / Matching logic
Constraints first, evidence second.
The finder removes the wrong program, then scores location and format fit. The chosen priority adjusts the order: evidence grade, public review sample, access breadth or subject breadth. A paid relationship cannot raise a result.
04 / Limits
What this dataset cannot tell you
Academy-level data cannot guarantee teacher quality, class chemistry, availability, current fees or individual outcomes. Public metrics may originate from academy-supplied figures even when a news outlet reports them. Naver counts cover an entire branch profile and are not SAT- or IB-course-specific; they are sample-size signals, not quality rankings. Families should treat every shortlist as the start of verification.