TOPIK exam format: sections, questions and time

NIIED’s PBT introduction page states that TOPIK I runs only one session (1교시), and that session holds both listening and reading. Every TOPIK I PBT question is multiple choice with four options, according to NIIED’s PBT question-structure page. TOPIK I PBT has no writing section, so a TOPIK I candidate answers every question by choosing one of four options. TOPIK I PBT is scored out of 200, and NIIED’s operating rules turn that total into level 1, level 2 or no level. A search for “TOPIK 2” can mean two different things: level 2 is a TOPIK I result, while TOPIK II, written with the Roman numeral, is the separate test for levels 3 to 6. The score band for each level is on the TOPIK levels and scores page.

NIIED’s PBT introduction page gives the first TOPIK II session (1교시) 110 minutes for listening and writing, and the second session (2교시) 70 minutes for reading. TOPIK II PBT listening and reading questions are multiple choice with four options, the same answer format as TOPIK I PBT. TOPIK II PBT writing is the only PBT section with written answers (서답형), where candidates write their own sentences and texts instead of choosing an option. TOPIK II PBT is scored out of 300 across its three sections. TOPIK II PBT awards only levels 3 to 6, and a total below the level 3 minimum gets no level, per NIIED’s operating rules. NIIED’s PBT introduction page sets the level from the total score and states no minimum score for any single section.

Questions 51 and 52 are sentence-completion items that take short written answers, according to NIIED’s PBT question-structure page. Questions 53 and 54 are the two composition tasks: one intermediate-level expository text (설명문) of about 200 to 300 characters (자) and one advanced-level argumentative essay (논술문) of about 600 to 700 characters, the longest written task in TOPIK II PBT. NIIED’s page groups the two composition tasks as questions 53–54 without saying which number carries which task. NIIED gives both lengths as approximate ranges, using the word “정도” (about). All four TOPIK II PBT writing questions sit in one 50-minute writing section, scored out of 100, inside the first session with listening. TOPIK I PBT has no writing questions at all, and TOPIK II IBT has three writing questions instead of four.

TOPIK I PBT candidates in Korea must arrive by 09:20 for the single session. TOPIK II PBT candidates in Korea must arrive by 12:20 for the first session (listening and writing) and by 15:10 for the second session (reading). Each Korean time window matches the PBT section minutes: 100 minutes for TOPIK I PBT, 110 minutes for the first TOPIK II PBT session and 70 minutes for the second. TOPIK I PBT takes the morning slot in Korea and TOPIK II PBT takes the afternoon slot. Outside Korea, NIIED’s PBT introduction page gives no test times and tells candidates to ask the local test institution (현지접수기관) instead.

NIIED’s PBT question-structure page lists each booklet type with its regions and its weekday, and lists booklet B in an odd and an even version. The yearly TOPIK notice lists exceptions in both directions: the Ministry of Education’s 2026 notice puts part of Asia on the Saturday and part of Europe on the Sunday. The weekday for a given city therefore comes from the local test institution. NIIED’s page gives the pairing of booklet, region and weekday, but the sources behind this page give no reason for the Saturday and Sunday split, so none is offered here. The dates of each PBT sitting are on the TOPIK schedule page. Test times outside Korea come from the local test institution, not from the Korean timetable.

NIIED’s IBT question-structure page gives TOPIK I IBT 26 listening and 26 reading questions, and TOPIK II IBT 30 listening, 30 reading and 3 writing questions. Each TOPIK IBT section is scored out of 200, so TOPIK I IBT totals 400 points and TOPIK II IBT totals 600. The current TOPIK IBT structure applies from the 5th IBT, on 22 February 2025. NIIED’s IBT information pages give counts, minutes and points but no question types, and do not say which PBT writing task the three-question IBT writing section leaves out. TOPIK Speaking is a separate test of 6 questions in 30 minutes, from beginner to advanced level, per NIIED’s operating rules. NIIED’s Speaking page lists the six tasks: answer a question, role-play from a picture, tell a story from pictures, complete a dialogue, interpret data and give an opinion. The full comparison is on the TOPIK IBT vs PBT page.