# TOPIK levels explained

> Test of Proficiency in Korean, maintained by National Institute for International Education (NIIED).

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.

## The 6 TOPIK levels

| Level | Name | Typical vocabulary | Study to reach it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [TOPIK 1](https://nativepal.app/levels/topik/topik-1/) | Beginner | About 800 words (commonly cited estimate) | 80-200 hours |
| [TOPIK 2](https://nativepal.app/levels/topik/topik-2/) | High Beginner | About 1,500-2,000 words (commonly cited estimate) | 200-400 hours |
| [TOPIK 3](https://nativepal.app/levels/topik/topik-3/) | Lower Intermediate | About 3,000-4,000 words (commonly cited estimate) | 400-800 hours |
| [TOPIK 4](https://nativepal.app/levels/topik/topik-4/) | Upper Intermediate | About 4,000-5,000 words (commonly cited estimate) | 800-1,200 hours |
| [TOPIK 5](https://nativepal.app/levels/topik/topik-5/) | Advanced | About 6,000-8,000 words (commonly cited estimate) | 1,200-1,800 hours |
| [TOPIK 6](https://nativepal.app/levels/topik/topik-6/) | Highly Advanced | 10,000 or more words (commonly cited estimate) | 2,000-2,600 hours |

## FAQ

### What is TOPIK?

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.

### How many TOPIK levels are there?

TOPIK has 6 levels, from TOPIK 1 to TOPIK 6, maintained by National Institute for International Education (NIIED).

### Which languages use TOPIK?

Korean only.

### Which TOPIK level should I start at?

If you have never studied the language, start at TOPIK 1. Otherwise pick the highest level whose can-do statements you can already manage comfortably. NativePal lets you set and change your level at any time.

## More

- [All proficiency frameworks](https://nativepal.app/levels/)
- [All supported languages](https://nativepal.app/languages.html)