20 questions · 25 minutes · 50 points · audio played once
20 multiple-choice questions, 25 minutes, 50 points. Audio through headphones, each item played ONCE only, then a few seconds to answer and the next item starts automatically — no pausing or replaying. That makes Listening the harder section for most people: lose one item and you risk missing the next. Questions are also from the open bank.
(1) Hear a word, choose the matching picture. (2) Hear a sentence, choose the matching picture or situation. (3) Short dialogue — choose the next line (e.g. "사장님, 내일 쉬어도 돼요?" → reply). (4) A question about the dialogue: where, who, what they intend, what time. (5) A short announcement or instruction (a foreman's words, a safety briefing) — the main point. Numbers (time, date, price, quantity) and place names are asked most often.
The official textbook audio (free on the HRD Korea site and app) is the main source; for each lesson listen to the dialogue first without the text, then with it, then without it again. Go through the audio version of the question bank at least three times in full. Twenty to thirty minutes of Korean speech a day — the EPS textbook audio or simple Korean YouTube vlogs — trains your ear to real speed. Do not practise with slowed-down audio: the exam speed is natural. Practise catching numbers separately: the 한, 두, 세 (hours) versus 일, 이, 삼 (dates, prices) systems.
Before the audio starts, look at the picture and options on screen — then you know what to listen for. While listening, focus on the key word (number, place, action); do not try to understand every word. Mark an answer immediately and move on; there is no going back to a missed item, so do not lose time regretting it. Check the headphone volume at the start — if there is a problem tell the invigilator AT ONCE; once the test has begun, the fault is yours.