National Institute for International Education (NIIED)
TOPIK levels explained
Test of Proficiency in Korean
National Institute for International Education (NIIED)
Test of Proficiency in Korean
TOPIK is the official Korean proficiency test for non-native speakers, administered by NIIED under South Korea's Ministry of Education and used for university admission, work visas and residency. It has six levels but only two papers: TOPIK I covers beginner levels 1 and 2 through listening and reading marked out of 200, while TOPIK II covers levels 3 to 6 through listening, reading and writing marked out of 300. You do not choose a level when you register; your total score decides the grade you are awarded, with cut-offs of 80 and 140 on TOPIK I and 120, 150, 190 and 230 on TOPIK II. NIIED does not publish a per-level vocabulary requirement or recommended study hours, so those figures below are widely cited estimates drawn from standard curricula rather than official data.
TOPIK has 6 levels, running from TOPIK 1 at the bottom to TOPIK 6 at the top. It is maintained by National Institute for International Education (NIIED).
| Level | Name | Typical vocabulary | Study to reach it |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOPIK 1 | Beginner | About 800 words (commonly cited estimate) | 80-200 hours |
| TOPIK 2 | High Beginner | About 1,500-2,000 words (commonly cited estimate) | 200-400 hours |
| TOPIK 3 | Lower Intermediate | About 3,000-4,000 words (commonly cited estimate) | 400-800 hours |
| TOPIK 4 | Upper Intermediate | About 4,000-5,000 words (commonly cited estimate) | 800-1,200 hours |
| TOPIK 5 | Advanced | About 6,000-8,000 words (commonly cited estimate) | 1,200-1,800 hours |
| TOPIK 6 | Highly Advanced | 10,000 or more words (commonly cited estimate) | 2,000-2,600 hours |
Korean only.
If you have never studied the language, start at TOPIK 1. If you have some background, pick the highest level whose can-do statements you can already manage comfortably, then work from there — starting slightly too low is much less costly than starting too high.
NativePal lets you set your level directly and change it whenever you like, so you can move up as soon as the material stops feeling like a stretch.
Each level page covers what it means, what you can do at it, how long it takes to reach, and how to practise there.
TOPIK
TOPIK Level 1 is the first grade of the Test of Proficiency in Korean, awarded for scoring 80 to 139 on the TOPIK I paper. You can carry out basic conversations about familiar everyday topics using around 800 words.
TOPIK
TOPIK Level 2 is the second grade of the Korean proficiency test, awarded for scoring 140 or more on the TOPIK I paper. You can use Korean for everyday errands and public facilities and tell formal from informal speech.
TOPIK
TOPIK Level 3 is the first intermediate grade, awarded for scoring 120 to 149 on the TOPIK II paper. You can manage everyday life and basic social relationships in Korean and express familiar topics in connected paragraphs.
TOPIK
TOPIK Level 4 is the second intermediate grade, awarded for scoring 150 to 189 on the TOPIK II paper. You can carry out general workplace tasks in Korean, follow the news, and understand common social and abstract topics.
TOPIK
TOPIK Level 5 is the first advanced grade, awarded for scoring 190 to 229 on the TOPIK II paper. You can function in professional or research settings, discuss unfamiliar political and economic topics, and adjust your register appropriately.
TOPIK
TOPIK Level 6 is the highest grade of the Korean proficiency test, awarded for scoring 230 or more on the TOPIK II paper. You can perform academic and professional tasks in Korean with near-fluent accuracy, though not quite at native level.
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