TOPIK REQUIREMENTS
The TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) measures Korean ability for non-native speakers
from absolute beginner all the way to advanced academic/business fluency — but it
doesn’t go beyond the level of an educated native speaker.
Here’s the breakdown:
TOPIK Approx.
Skill Coverage
Level CEFR Level
TOPIK I Basic greetings, introductions, daily activities, short sentences,
A1
Level 1 simple grammar (~800 words).
TOPIK I Can handle everyday situations, short conversations, and simple
A2
Level 2 past/future tense (~1,500 words).
TOPIK II Intermediate communication in work/school, expressing opinions,
B1
Level 3 explaining experiences (~3,000 words).
TOPIK II Can understand news articles, simple academic texts, debate
B2
Level 4 familiar topics, write short essays (~4,000–5,000 words).
TOPIK II Advanced fluency: understands professional/academic materials,
C1
Level 5 participates in debates, writes detailed essays (~6,000+ words).
Near-native comprehension of most topics; can read newspapers,
TOPIK II
C2 (high) research papers, and literature, but still may lack some native
Level 6
cultural nuance.
Key point:
TOPIK 6 is about the highest academic/professional fluency a non-native learner
usually reaches, similar to how advanced foreign learners of English might score C2
in IELTS/TOEFL — but it won’t make you identical to a native speaker in slang,
idioms, or speech patterns.
For casual conversation fluency, you’d only need around TOPIK 3–4. For working in
Korea or university study, you usually need TOPIK 4–5.
If you want, I can show you exactly what kinds of questions appear at each TOPIK
level so you can see how far it covers.
You said:
No I mean in a test
ChatGPT said:
Ah, got it — you mean in a single TOPIK exam session, how much of the full Korean level
range it can test.
It works like this:
TOPIK is split into two separate exams, not one giant test for all levels.
1. TOPIK I → Tests Level 1 & Level 2 (Beginner range).
You get one score, and depending on it, you’re assigned Level 1 or
Level 2.
2. TOPIK II → Tests Level 3 to Level 6 (Intermediate to Advanced range).
Same deal: one exam, your score determines whether you’re Level 3,
4, 5, or 6.
So, for example:
If you take TOPIK I, the highest it can say is “You’re Level 2.”
If you take TOPIK II, the lowest it can say is “You’re Level 3,” and the highest is
“You’re Level 6.”
You cannot go from absolute beginner to Level 6 in a single test sitting — you’d have to
choose the correct exam for your range.
If you want, I can give you the exact score-to-level chart for TOPIK I and II so you know
exactly what’s possible per test.
