TOPIK : Korean Language Proficiency Test. I will explain “TOPIK,” the test that foreign students must get a certain level of score and submit to school before graduation, and give some personal tips. TOPIK : Korean Language Proficiency Test stands for Test of Proficiency in Korean and is a test to evaluate Korean language proficiency.
First, let’s take a look at the outline of the test!
TOPIK : Korean Language Proficiency Test Purpose
Presenting the direction of learning Korean for overseas Koreans and foreigners who do not speak Korean as their first language and expanding the spread of Korean
Measure and evaluate Korean language proficiency and utilize the results for studying at domestic universities and employment
TOPIK : Korean Language Proficiency Test target
As overseas Koreans and foreigners who do not speak Korean as their first language
Korean language learners and those who wish to study at domestic universities
Those who want to work at Korean companies and public institutions at home and abroad
an overseas Korean who is attending or graduated from a foreign school
TOPIK : Korean Language Proficiency Test expiration date
Valid for 2 years from the date of the grade announcement
Key applications for TOPIK testing
Admission and graduation of foreigners and overseas Koreans to domestic universities (graduate schools)
Employment at domestic and foreign companies and public institutions
Obtaining a permanent residency/employment visa, etc
Foreign scholarship student program and academic management invited by the government
Credits and graduation requirements for Korean language-related departments in foreign universities
to sum up briefly
The purpose of the test is to certify that you are good at Korean when studying abroad and getting a job.
The candidates are those who do not have Korean nationality.
If you take a test once, it is only valid for two years, so you have to take it every two years for your life to live in Korea.
Once you get a TOPIK, it’s quite useful to extend your visa, and if you get a score-based visa, the higher the score, the better.
TOPIK : Korean Language Proficiency Test schedule is as follows.
TOPIK : Korean Language Proficiency Test Current applicant status
In Korea, it is implemented six times a year in January, April, May, July, October, and November, and only a part of it is implemented overseas, but it is conducted two to five times depending on the region. As of 2019, 101,617 people applied for TOPIKI, 82,562 people applied, 74,828 people passed, and 274,254 people applied for TOPIK II, 217,506 people applied, and 133,645 people passed. It has become one of the language qualification tests with considerable international recognition.
You can take the exam not only in Korea but also abroad. Tests are being conducted in 323 regions in 87 countries, including South Korea. There are two types of questionnaires: Type A and Type B, which are conducted on Saturdays in regions other than Asia, and Type B is conducted on Sundays in Asia.
the Asian region
China, Taiwan, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkiye, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Jordan
the European sphere
United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Greece, Finland, Austria, Czech Republic, Belarus, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Poland
the Americas
United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia, Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru
the African region
Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Nigeria
Oceania Region
Australia, New Zealand
With TOPIK level 5, international students can take classes at universities to some extent in Korean, and with level 6, they can easily take difficult classes. Level 3 can make it difficult to take classes at university. However, in the actual educational field, many international students with insufficient academic performance are coming in because only TOPIK level 3 can be admitted. However, students with similar language grammar to Korean grammar, such as Mongolia, Japan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, tend to take classes well even if they are level 3.
It is said that speaking evaluation will be newly established from 2023.
It is said that it will be recognized in the Hong Kong University Entrance Examination from 2025.
