TOPIK I is the Korean-language exam for the beginner range. It assesses Listening and Reading, while the official facts on this page supply the structure and score boundaries for the format named in your session.
1. Who TOPIK I is for
Choose TOPIK I when the receiving organization asks for a result in the beginner range. You register for the exam, not for a promised outcome; the official total determines whether an awarded level is reached.
A practice result is useful for planning study, but it is not an official result and does not establish that a university, employer, or other organization will accept it. Check that organization’s current requirement separately.
- Confirm that the beginner range meets the external requirement.
- Keep the session format visible when choosing materials.
- Expect Listening and Reading, not a Writing section.
2. What the exam assesses
The current TOPIK I formats assess Listening and Reading. Vocabulary and grammar support work in both sections, but the reviewed materials do not define them as separate exam sections on this page.
Use the fact panel for the awarded-level scope and the current IBT effective date. Details such as a complete official task taxonomy, vocabulary minimum, or grammar list need separate verification in current official material.
- Awarded level scope
- 1–2
- Writing section
- No separate Writing section
- Current IBT effective date
- 22 February 2025
- Listening practice can reveal missed words, details, and relationships.
- Reading practice can reveal comprehension gaps, sentence links, and pace.
- Do not present a trainer’s diagnosis as an official result.
3. Keep the PBT and IBT structures separate
The table draws its item counts, section time, totals, and maximum score from the central fact registry. Read only the row for the format explicitly named in your local session notice.
The time shown is examination-section time. Arrival, identity checks, seating, instructions, and other local arrangements are set by the organizer and may be separate.
| Format | Sections | Section time | Totals | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PBT | Listening: 30Reading: 40 | Listening: 40Reading: 60 | 70 · 100 | 200 |
| IBT | Listening: 26Reading: 26 | Listening: 30Reading: 40 | 52 · 70 | 400 |
On a narrow screen, scroll the table horizontally.
A separate maximum or passing boundary for each section is not established by the cited overall-format facts; interpret the official total within its named format.
Current TOPIK regulationOfficial NIIED TOPIK overviewNIIED notice on the current IBT specification
4. See the section flow for your format
Use this visual to keep the order, timing, and total for the paper or computer format together. It is a study-planning aid, not confirmation that either format is offered at your location.
- Listening30 items · 40 minutes
- Reading40 items · 60 minutes
- maximum200
- Listening26 items · 30 minutes
- Reading26 items · 40 minutes
- maximum400
5. Read score bands only within the named format
The table uses the published total-score bands for each format. Find the exam name and format on the result before reading a row.
Level decisions use the published total score.
| Format | Maximum | Level | Total-score band |
|---|---|---|---|
| PBT | 200 | 1 | 80–139 |
| PBT | 200 | 2 | 140–200 |
| IBT | 400 | 1 | 121–235 |
| IBT | 400 | 2 | 236–400 |
On a narrow screen, scroll the table horizontally.
The bands are official score boundaries for the named format. They do not guarantee admission, employment, visa status, or acceptance by another organization.
Current TOPIK regulationOfficial NIIED TOPIK overviewNIIED notice on the current IBT specification
6. Use a focused study cycle
Start with a complete practice attempt for the confirmed format. Record unanswered, guessed, and incorrect responses, then separate Listening difficulties from Reading difficulties and distinguish understanding from pace.
Use the review to choose one recurring difficulty, practise it with feedback, and return to a full attempt under the same format conditions. This is an editorial study method, not an official rule about tasks, grammar, or vocabulary.
- Take a diagnostic attempt in the confirmed format.
- Sort evidence by section and recurring difficulty.
- Practise one limiting skill with reviewed material.
- Repeat a complete attempt under comparable conditions.
To put this sequence into practice, you can choose TOPIK I in TopikLab, start with Listening or Reading, and then move on to an available full test.
7. Confirm the local session before registering
General specifications show that paper and computer formats exist, but they do not show which one an organizer will offer in a particular place. Treat the local organizer notice as the availability check.
Before choosing a structure, score table, or practice timer, trace the notice from country to session, then to TOPIK I and the stated format. Recheck the notice if it changes.
- Confirm the country named by the organizer.
- Confirm the specific session.
- Confirm that the notice names TOPIK I.
- Confirm the stated paper or computer format.
8. Final preparation check
Keep the goal, local notice, format, structure, timer, and score scale aligned. A practice score helps identify a next step, but it cannot certify a level or replace an organizer’s instructions.
Before the exam, reopen the current organizer notice for registration status, location, arrival guidance, documents, and any new message. Use official sources for official facts.
- The beginner-range goal matches the receiving requirement.
- The local notice confirms the session and format.
- The practice set, timer, and score table match that format.
- Listening and Reading feedback has informed the next practice cycle.
- Organizer instructions have been checked again.
9. Frequently asked questions
Which levels can TOPIK I award?
TOPIK I awards the levels in its beginner range. The official table on this page supplies the published total-score bands for the paper and computer formats; use only the row that matches the named format.
Does TOPIK I include Writing?
No. The current TOPIK I formats assess Listening and Reading only. Do not infer a separate Writing section, task rule, vocabulary minimum, or grammar list from this page.
How do I know which format to prepare for?
Use the current organizer notice for your country and session. It must identify TOPIK I and the offered format before you select a structure, timer, or score table; general availability does not promise a local offering.