TOPIK Guide 2026: Levels 1–6, Test Structure, Cutoff Scores, Fees (₩40,000–95,000), Remaining Dates and What Each Level Unlocks for Visas and Work

TOPIK — the Test of Proficiency in Korean, 한국어능력시험 (Hangugeo Neungnyeok Siheom) — is the one exam that touches every part of a student's life in Korea: it sets how many hours a week you may work, how many points you score toward a residence visa, whether a scholarship waives your language year, and whether a university will admit or graduate you. It comes in two written papers (TOPIK I for levels 1–2, TOPIK II for levels 3–6), a computer-based IBT version with a different points scale, and a separate Speaking test that Immigration does not count. Results are valid for 2 years. In Korea the 2026 fee is ₩40,000 (TOPIK I) or ₩55,000 (TOPIK II) on paper, ₩70,000 / ₩95,000 on the IBT, and ₩80,000 for Speaking. The tool below shows what a given level does for you.

TOPIK I and TOPIK II: what is on the paper

The written test is run by NIIED, 국립국제교육원 (Gungnip Gukje Gyoyugwon), the National Institute for International Education. You choose one of two papers; there is no single exam that spans all six levels.

Paper	Sections	Time	Max points	Levels awarded
TOPIK I	Listening 30 questions (40 min) + Reading 40 questions (60 min)	100 min, one sitting	200	1–2
TOPIK II	Session 1: Listening 50 questions (60 min) + Writing 4 tasks (50 min); Session 2: Reading 50 questions (70 min)	180 min	300	3–6

TOPIK I is multiple choice throughout. TOPIK II adds the writing section — two short completion tasks, a short descriptive piece and a longer essay — which is where most candidates lose the points that separate level 4 from level 5.

The IBT (internet-based test) uses the same two papers on a computer at designated centers, with results in about three weeks instead of five or six, but it is scored on a different scale (below). The Speaking test, 말하기 (malhagi), is a separate 30-minute, six-question computer test with three sittings a year.

Level cutoffs: PBT, IBT and Speaking use different scales

This is the first thing to get right, because a "191" on the IBT and a "191" on paper are different levels.

Level	PBT (I: 200 · II: 300)	IBT (I: 400 · II: 600)	Speaking (200)
1	80–139	121–235	20–49
2	140–200	236–400	50–89
3	120–149	191–290	90–109
4	150–189	291–360	110–129
5	190–229	361–430	130–159
6	230–300	431–600	160–200

One consequence: a TOPIK II candidate scoring below 120 of 300 on paper gets no level at all — the paper does not award levels 1–2, so a weak TOPIK II attempt is worth less than a strong TOPIK I. Universities and Immigration read the level, not the raw score.

Fees, validity and the 2026 calendar

Test	Fee in Korea (2026)	Overseas example
TOPIK I, paper	₩40,000	US$ 40 (United States)
TOPIK II, paper	₩55,000	US$ 55 (United States)
TOPIK I / II, IBT	₩70,000 / ₩95,000	IBT available in 17 countries in 2026
Speaking	₩80,000	Korea and selected centers

Overseas fees are set in local currency and vary widely (about HK$500 / 600 in Hong Kong, ₹1,200 / 1,500 in India, RM120 / 170 in Malaysia for TOPIK I / II), so check the Korean Education Center for your country. A result is valid for two years from the date results are published, not from the test date, and there is no renewal — you sit again.

Korea ran 6 PBT, 6 IBT and 3 Speaking sittings in 2026 (15 total). As of September 19, 2026, this is what is left:

Sitting	Test date	Registration (Korea)	Results
108th PBT	Oct 17–18	closed (Aug 4–10)	Dec 10
15th IBT	Oct 24	closed (Aug 18–24)	Nov 13
12th Speaking	Oct 24	closed (Aug 18–24)	Nov 16
109th PBT	Nov 15	closed (Sep 1–7)	Dec 22
16th IBT	Nov 28	open Sep 15–21	Dec 18

If you need a certificate before a spring 2027 admission or a work-permit application and you are in Korea, the 16th IBT is the only door still open in 2026. The 2027 schedule has not been published; the 2026 plan came out on October 10, 2025, so expect the 2027 plan around October 2026 on topik.go.kr. Demand keeps rising — about 360,000 candidates worldwide in 2022, 490,000 in 2024, and more than 550,000 in the first nine months of 2025 — so seats in Korea fill quickly once registration opens.

What each level actually unlocks

The level you hold is read by four different systems, and they do not agree on what "enough" means.

Level	Part-time work	F-2-7 points	GKS	KIIP placement	Universities
1	—	3	—	stage 2	—
2	D-4-1 requirement (20 h)	5	—	stage 3	—
3	D-2 year 1–2 requirement (25 h)	10	+3% screening	stage 4	typical undergraduate admission; certified-university new-student benchmark
4	D-2 year 3–4 and graduate requirement (25 / 30 h)	15	+4%	stage 5	typical graduation and graduate admission; enrolled-student benchmark
5	—	20	+5%, language year waived	stage 5	Ewha: half tuition
6	—	20	+5%, language year waived	stage 5	Ewha: full tuition

Run the tool with level 4 and "D-2 undergraduate, year 3–4" and you get: 25 hours a week on weekdays (30 with a merit record), no cap on weekends and vacations, 15 F-2-7 points, a 4% GKS bonus without the language-year waiver, KIIP stage 5, and both certified-university benchmarks met. Change the status to "D-4-1 language student" and level 2: 20 hours (25 with merit), weekend hours inside the cap, 5 points, no GKS bonus, KIIP stage 3.

Three footnotes. The part-time requirement can also be met with the equivalent stage of KIIP, 사회통합프로그램 (Sahoe Tonghap Peurogeuraem), the free government integration course, or a King Sejong Institute, 세종학당 (Sejong Hakdang), certificate (Part 4). The certified-university target for new students with level 3+ rises from 40% in 2026 to 60% by 2030, so admission bars will drift up. And permanent residence (F-5) does not accept TOPIK at all; it wants KIIP stage 5.

How the tool works

1. Your status maps to a Korean requirement: D-4-1 → level 2, undergraduate years 1–2 → level 3, years 3–4 and graduate → level 4.
2. If your level meets it, the weekday cap is the "met" figure (20 / 25 / 25 / 30 h) and the "merit" figure (25 / 30 / 30 / 35 h) is shown for students with a strong grade and attendance record; if not, the "unmet" figure (10 / 10 / 10 / 15 h) applies.
3. Weekends, public holidays and vacations are uncapped only for D-2 degree students who meet the requirement; otherwise those hours count toward the cap.
4. F-2-7 language points: 3 / 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 20 for levels 1–6. GKS bonus: 3% / 4% / 5% for levels 3 / 4 / 5+, and level 5+ waives the language year. KIIP placement: level 1 → stage 2, 2 → 3, 3 → 4, 4–6 → 5.

Common mistakes

• Sitting TOPIK II too early. Below 120 points you get nothing; a level 2 from TOPIK I at least satisfies a D-4-1 work permit.
• Counting the Speaking test for a visa. Immigration, the F-2-7 card and KIIP read the written level only.
• Assuming three-year validity. It is two, from the results date. A level 4 from a June 2024 sitting expires before a spring 2027 application.
• Waiting for a 2026 PBT date. Registration in Korea is over; only the November 28 IBT (register by September 21) remains.
• Reading an IBT score against the paper table. 291 on the IBT is a level 4; 291 on paper would be level 6.

Next: the scholarship that pays for the whole thing — GKS 2027, where the TOPIK level you just checked decides whether you skip the language year. If you are already planning your visa file, jump to the D-2 student visa and the part-time work rules.