TOPIK
All about TOPIK and preparing you for TOPIK examination in Singapore
All About TOPIK Singapore
If you are learning Korean in Singapore, then you have to know about the TOPIK guidelines. Let us share what they are and how our Korean language classes can prepare you for the exams.
TOPIK 2026 Schedule
The application fees are as followed:
| Level | Fee (SGD) |
|---|---|
| TOPIK I (Grade 1 and 2) | $100* |
| TOPIK II (Grade 3 to 6) | $120* |
* The application fees listed are subject to change. Please verify the latest costs with the Singapore Korean International School.
TOPIK General Information
Overview of TOPIK
- To guide those studying Korean as a second language and promote widespread use of the Korean language.
- To assess test taker’s level of Korean language proficiency and to allow them to use their test results when applying for jobs, colleges, etc.
Overseas Korean or non-Korean whose first language is not Korean and who:
- Is currently learning Korean or wishes to study at a Korean college;
- Wishes to work for a Korean company or public agency based in or outside Korea.
- Korean national who is currently studying at or has graduated from a school abroad
- TOPIK results are valid for two (2) years from the time of test result announcements.
- Serving as admission and graduation standard for universities in Korea.
- Applying for companies and public institutions in Korea and abroad.
- Obtaining Visa for qualifications of permanent residency and employment, etc.
- Taking courses under Global Korean Scholarship (GKS) Program
- Serving as substitute credits and requirements of graduation for Korean majors in overseas universities.
Details of TOPIK
- Type and Level
- Testing Sections Breakdown
- Evaluation of Written Test Items
- Linguistic Competence for Each TOPIK Level
- Test Type(level): TOPIK I(novice), TOPIK II(intermediate and advanced)
- Level: Level 1 ~ Level 6(from basic to advanced)
The level is determined by the total scores achieved in the respective test type, and range of total scores for each level is as follows:
| Type | TOPIK I | TOPIK II | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Fail | Level 1 | Level 2 | Fail | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | Level 6 |
| Score Range (ponits) | 0 ~ 79 | 80 ~ 139 | 140 ~ 200 | 0 ~ 119 | 120 ~ 149 | 150 ~ 189 | 190 ~ 229 | 230 ~ 300 |
| Test type |
Test period |
Test section (duration) |
Test item type | Number of test item |
Range of score |
Total score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOPIK I | 1st | Listening(40mins) | Multiple- choice |
30 | 0~100 | 0~200 |
| Reading(60mins) | Multiple- choice |
40 | 0~100 | |||
| TOPIK II | 1st | Listening(60mins) | Multiple- choice |
50 | 0~100 | 0~300 |
| Writing(50mins) | Supply type | 4 | 0~100 | |||
| 2nd | Reading(70mins) | Multiple- choice |
50 | 0~100 |
※Test Item Type Description
- Multiple-choice : Selecting 1 answer among the 4 choices.
- Supply type question(writing part)
- Sentence completion type : 2 questions total
- Essay type
- I descriptive essay ranging from 200-300 letters (including spaces) for intermediate level.
- I argumentative essay ranging from 600-700 letters(including spaces) for advanced level.
| Questions | Evaluation Category | Evaluation Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Sentence completion (2 test items) |
Content and Task Achievement |
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| Language Use |
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Essays (1 test item) |
Content and Task Achievement |
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Coherence and Cohesion |
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| Language Use |
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|
Test Type |
Level | Linguistic Competence |
|---|---|---|
| TOPIK I |
Level 1 |
|
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Level 2 |
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TOPIK II |
Level 3 |
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Level 4 |
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Level 5 |
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Level 6 |
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What are the benefits of taking the TOPIK exams?
Possessing a TOPIK certificate not only improves your chances of enrolling in a top Korean university or landing your dream job in Korea, but it also reduces the cost of your Korean language classes. That’s right; we incentivise our students to score well on their TOPIK exams by offering special rewards based on their obtained grades.
ONLYOU REWARDS SUMMARY
| TOPIK grades | Reward amounts | |
| Grade 2 | ──── | $50 discount |
| Grade 3 | ──── | $60 discount |
| Grade 4 | ──── | $80 discount |
| Grade 5 | ──── | $100 discount |
| Grade 6 | ──── | $150 discount |
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Students must meet the following eligibility criteria to qualify for the rewards:
- Students are required to participate in our lessons for more than 6 months prior to their exam dates.
- Current ONLYOU students as of the result announcement date.
- Students can apply for their rewards a second time when they receive a higher grade in future exams.
- Students can only claim the rewards twice.
- The reward must be redeemed within 6 months from the result announcement date.
- The reward can be split over consecutive terms.
- Grade 2: $25 discount for two consecutive terms
- Grade 3: $30 discount for two consecutive terms
- Grade 4: $40 discount for two consecutive terms
- Grade 5: $50 discount for two consecutive terms
- Grade 6: $50 discount for three consecutive terms
Hear from our students as they share how they prepared for the TOPIK exams
Priscilla Lee
TOPIK Result: Grade 6
Were ONLYOU Korean lessons helpful in preparing for TOPIK?
My Korean lessons at ONLYOU were very helpful! The topical structure of the lessons helped me to learn a variety of vocabulary and grammar that covered everything from everyday conversational topics, to Korean history, and even idioms and metaphors that were great additions to my writing (쓰기) skills.
We would also have mini exam sessions once every few months, and that especially helped me to train my time management skills, especially for writing (쓰기) and reading (읽기) sections.
Besides attending lessons, did you do anything else to prepare for TOPIK?
- I did the official online copies of past-year TOPIK papers, albeit starting on them only a week before the TOPIK exams. I don’t recommend doing this at all, but I was very grateful to have been able to fall back on my lesson notes from ONLYOU lessons to fortify my revision!
Tan Ching Ying
TOPIK Result: Grade 5
Were ONLYOU Korean lessons helpful in preparing for TOPIK?
Korean lessons were very helpful in my preparation for TOPIK.
Each lesson chapter comprises a good combination of vocabulary and grammar (3-4 grammar) which makes it easier for students like me to learn Korean at an appropriate pace.
My teacher at ONLYOU also helps a lot in the improvement of my Korean skills by teaching us in a fun way that relates to everyday life and giving useful homework and assignment feedback.
Besides attending lessons, did you do anything else to prepare for TOPIK?
- I like watching Korean dramas since young and also watch Korean variety shows once in a while which I believe help with learning Korean.
- I enjoy listening to K-drama OSTs and some K-pop songs.
- I also find that reading and revising through past essay writings/assignments completed through the course of studying Korean helps in my preparation for TOPIK.
Tan Yun Lin
TOPIK Result: Grade 6
Were ONLYOU Korean lessons helpful in preparing for TOPIK?
Yes, ONLYOU lessons were very helpful in my preparation for TOPIK.
Focus on grammar: Examples of usage, how to form a sentence, compare/contrast with similar grammar, detailed explanations even for slight differences in grammar usage. Time was given for us to form our own conversation with the grammar learnt.
Writing assignments similar to TOPIK and a wide range of topics were covered. Homework feedback is also fast and efficient. 🙂
ONLYOU term test and TOPIK test have similar formats so it was good practice for me.
Besides attending lessons, did you do anything else to prepare for TOPIK?
- Practice past year TOPIK papers.
- Watch Korean drama and variety shows with Korean subtitles (to train listening and also learn new words/spelling)
- Talk to Korean friends.
- Read Korean books, starting with novels for elementary school students.
Anisha Pillai
TOPIK Result: Grade 5
Were ONLYOU Korean lessons helpful in preparing for TOPIK?
Korean lessons were helpful to prepare for TOPIK, especially since each chapter is broken down to a theme with related vocabulary so it was easier to memorise vocabulary based on a topic rather than memorising words randomly.
It was also helpful that each chapter had only 3-4 new grammar rules that allowed me to familiarise myself with new grammar patterns at a steady pace and not be too overwhelmed while learning.
Besides attending lessons, did you do anything else to prepare for TOPIK?
- Besides Korean lessons I found practising past TOPIK papers that I found online as well as memorising words from a TOPIK Vocabulary Handbook to be helpful in understanding some of the harder questions.
Adithi Surya
TOPIK Result: Grade 4
Were ONLYOU Korean lessons helpful in preparing for TOPIK?
Yes, very helpful 😀 Personally, learning through the lessons is much more effective for me than to do self-learning.
The clear class structure made it so that I consistently made progress with every lesson. It also helped me to keep track with what I was learning so that practice and revision would be a lot easier to do.
I was able to ask the teacher questions, and she could correct me when I made a mistake, so that I wouldn’t make the same mistake during the exam. If I were to learn Korean by myself, I wouldn’t know where to start/what I would need to know/what I didn’t know.
Of course, the classes were fun and interesting so I didn’t get bored and it was easier to pay attention.
Besides attending lessons, did you do anything else to prepare for TOPIK?
- I practiced with my Korean friends by messaging them in Korean almost everyday.
- I watched a lot of KBS/SBS programmes and vlogs (with subtitles) to see how people conversed in real life.
- I also tried to read books and Instagram posts just to practice my reading as well.
Chong Jun Yan
TOPIK Result: Grade 5
Were ONLYOU Korean lessons helpful in preparing for TOPIK?
The TOPIK practices and frequent speaking opportunities during lessons have helped prepare me for the TOPIK exam.
In addition, my teacher gives good advice and always explains clearly whenever i made a mistake.
Besides attending lessons, did you do anything else to prepare for TOPIK?
- I always watch Korean shows and read articles once awhile so I think that has helped maintain me in an environment that constantly uses the Korean language.
Ma Zi En, Joy
TOPIK Result: Grade 2
Were ONLYOU Korean lessons helpful in preparing for TOPIK?
Yes! Onlyou Korean lessons were definitely helpful in my preparation for the TOPIK test. Attending lessons allowed me to have frequent listening, reading, writing, and speaking practices which I believe are key in picking up language skills.
The learning materials provided are also easy to understand and great for revising.
Furthermore, our frequent exams every few months encourages me to revise and serves as good practices.
Besides attending lessons, did you do anything else to prepare for TOPIK?
- Apart from watching Korean Dramas and Variety shows almost daily, I have done multiple past exam papers from the Topik website to practice time management and to get used to the exam format.
Ei Leen
TOPIK Result: Grade 2
Were ONLYOU Korean lessons helpful in preparing for TOPIK?
Definitely! Korean lessons at ONLYOU were especially helpful in my preparation for TOPIK; the grammar points and vocabulary taught each week helped me build up my Korean language skills and were also language points which were tested in the TOPIK exam.
The end-of-term tests also gave me a taste of how the TOPIK test would be like as they were of similar format – listening, reading and writing.
Besides attending lessons, did you do anything else to prepare for TOPIK?
- Yes I did. I purchased a book containing a compilation of TOPIK-like test papers and did a test paper each week within the exam time limit. This helped me familiarise myself with the exam format as well as the various question-types which would be tested in the TOPIK exam.
Zekiel Perez
TOPIK Result: Grade 2
Were ONLYOU Korean lessons helpful in preparing for TOPIK?
ONLYOU’s teaching style helped me improve naturally. The vocabulary lists were relevant to real-life situations and stuck through frequent class use. Because the environment was comfortable and supportive, I stopped fearing mistakes. This allowed teachers to correct me often, helping me improve faster and build confidence for TOPIK.
Besides attending lessons, did you do anything else to prepare for TOPIK?
- I prepared for TOPIK by using mock exam books… I recreated exam conditions in my room and completed full practice tests within a time limit.
- I identified my weaknesses such as slow reading speed or limited vocabulary and focused on improving them.
- I also developed a strong interest in Korean baseball… most of the content I consume related to it is in Korean.
- Watching baseball almost every day naturally exposed me to Korean… made learning Korean fun and helped me prepare for TOPIK.
Thu Hoang
TOPIK Result: Grade 5
Were ONLYOU Korean lessons helpful in preparing for TOPIK?
Yes. Reading and writing exercises in class and homework were particularly helpful for the Reading Section and Writing’s final essay question (Q54). The topical vocabulary from each lesson is beneficial when it comes to more difficult questions in the Reading Section. There are occasional practices on graph descriptions in the text books, however, teacher May’s material on graph questions was the most helpful in my final preparation for Q53 of the test.
Besides attending lessons, did you do anything else to prepare for TOPIK?
- Books: I used “TOPIK II 한권이면 OK” for techniques, but found consistent practice and vocabulary building more effective.
- Mock Exams: I performed mock tests under timed conditions to simulate the real exam.
- Social Media: I watched clips on TikTok for specific hacks, like common grammar for Writing (Q51-52) and speed-reading tips.
Desmond Kan
TOPIK Result: Grade 4
Were ONLYOU Korean lessons helpful in preparing for TOPIK?
The lessons were highly effective for TOPIK prep, offering a balance of reading, writing, and speaking with relevant themes and grammar. My teacher provided valuable feedback on essays and clarified any questions I had. Post-exam, we have observed clear improvements in my conversation quality, word choice, and listening confidence.
Besides attending lessons, did you do anything else to prepare for TOPIK?
- Practise past year TOPIK papers
- Obtain a practice book for TOPIK, practise writing essays and let your teacher provide feedback.
- Watch K-Drama without subtitles and check your understanding with subtitles afterwards.
- Follow the local news of your favourite genre in Korea via social media channels, for e.g., YouTube etc.