What is the TOPIK? Levels, tests and scores explained

NIIED’s rules state that anyone who wants their ability in Korean assessed may sit the test. The rule states no age, nationality or education limit. The only restriction in the rule applies to candidates who have been sanctioned for cheating. The TOPIK site (topik.go.kr) also describes the people the test is meant for: overseas Koreans and foreigners whose first language is not Korean, learners of Korean, people who want to study at a Korean university, people who want jobs at Korean companies or public bodies in Korea or abroad, and Korean nationals who attend or finished school abroad. The topik.go.kr list describes a target group, not a condition; the binding rule is article 6 of NIIED’s rules, which opens TOPIK to anyone.

“TOPIK 2” is ambiguous, so keep the two apart: TOPIK II is the test for levels 3 to 6, while level 2 is a TOPIK I result. TOPIK I has listening and reading sections and no writing section, and every TOPIK I PBT question is multiple choice with four options. TOPIK II has listening, writing and reading sections. The four TOPIK II PBT writing items are two sentence-completion items, one intermediate expository text of about 200–300 characters and one advanced argumentative essay of about 600–700 characters, per topik.go.kr. TOPIK II IBT has 3 writing questions, one fewer than TOPIK II PBT. The key-facts table above gives the question counts and times for each test, and the test structure page covers each section.

On TOPIK I PBT, a total of 80 to 139 out of 200 gives level 1, and 140 to 200 gives level 2. On TOPIK II PBT, level 3 starts at 120 out of 300, level 4 at 150, level 5 at 190 and level 6 at 230. TOPIK IBT uses a different score scale with the same six levels: level 1 on TOPIK I IBT starts at 121 out of 400, and level 3 on TOPIK II IBT starts at 191 out of 600. NIIED’s rules call these score bands “pass grades” (합격 등급). A TOPIK I score below the level 1 minimum, or a TOPIK II score below the level 3 minimum, gets no level. The levels and scores page covers the bands in full.

According to the TOPIK site (topik.go.kr), TOPIK IBT has the same standing and the same level system as the paper test. A TOPIK IBT candidate sits the test on a PC or tablet at a test centre, not at home, with no break. TOPIK IBT has fewer questions and a shorter test time than TOPIK PBT. The TOPIK overview page dates the start of TOPIK IBT to 2023. The TOPIK Speaking test has 6 questions in 30 minutes. Regular TOPIK Speaking sittings are held in Korea only; the Ministry of Education’s 2027 plan says a second pilot runs abroad in 2027 and regular sittings abroad are planned from 2028. IBT vs PBT compares the two modes.

The 2-year rule covers TOPIK I and TOPIK II, on paper and on the internet. The TOPIK site (topik.go.kr) gives the same validity, 2 years from the result date, for the TOPIK Speaking test. Result dates for each sitting are on the results page. NIIED’s rules state that TOPIK score certificates are issued through the TOPIK website and are not sent by post, fax or e-mail. A candidate who needs a certificate prints it from topik.go.kr. Outside Korea, NIIED’s rules allow the local test institution to receive one copy per candidate to hand out.

Candidates in Korea pay by virtual bank account or a Korean-issued credit card. NIIED’s fee rules give a full refund until 10:00 on the closing day of registration, a 50% refund from then until 7 days after closing, and a 40% refund after that until 13:00 on the day before the test. A candidate who does not show up gets no refund. Fees outside Korea differ by country. NIIED’s fee rules say overseas fees and refunds follow local rules, and the operating rules say NIIED’s president sets them based on the Korean fee, the country’s income level and the fees of other language tests. Candidates abroad should ask their local TOPIK operator. The registration page explains how to apply.

EPS-TOPIK (고용허가제 한국어능력시험, the Korean test of the Employment Permit System) is run by HRD Korea (한국산업인력공단), while TOPIK is run by NIIED for the Ministry of Education. HRD Korea’s site describes EPS-TOPIK as a test of foreign job-seekers’ Korean, used as a selection criterion when the foreign job-seeker roster is drawn up. EPS-TOPIK has 40 questions, 20 listening and 20 reading, in 50 minutes for 100 points, with no levels and relative ranking of candidates. HRD Korea’s site limits EPS-TOPIK to people aged 18 to 39, among other conditions. TOPIK, by contrast, is open to anyone under NIIED’s rules; TOPIK I and TOPIK II have 52 to 104 questions, depending on the test, and give a level from the total score. The comparison rests on both operators’ own descriptions.

Under NIIED’s rules, a TOPIK II candidate below 120 points on the paper test, or below 191 on the internet test, gets no level at all. Between TOPIK I and TOPIK II, level 2 comes only from TOPIK I.

TOPIK IBT is not a test taken at home, and a TOPIK IBT level is not a lesser result. The TOPIK site (topik.go.kr) gives TOPIK IBT the same standing and the same level system as the paper test.

The fees in the key-facts table are the fees in Korea, not the fees in every country. NIIED’s rules set TOPIK fees outside Korea country by country, so a candidate abroad should check the fee with the local TOPIK operator.