🧮 How TOPIK scores are calculated

Level table, section scores and how long results last

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Level table

TOPIK I (200 points): Level 1 = 80–139, Level 2 = 140–200.
TOPIK II (300 points): Level 3 = 120–149, Level 4 = 150–189, Level 5 = 190–229, Level 6 = 230–300.
Below 80 on TOPIK I or below 120 on TOPIK II, no level is awarded (the score report shows the points, but "등급 없음").

Total score only

TOPIK has no per-section minimum: the level depends solely on the sum of the sections. So someone scoring 30 in Writing and 95 each in Listening and Reading gets Level 5 with 220 points. That means a strong section can compensate for a weak one. Some universities and employers do look at section scores individually, however — they are listed separately on the report.

Points per question and penalties

In Listening and Reading, questions are not all worth 2 points — an item can carry 2, 3 or 4; the paper does not show which, but the distribution is almost identical every round. There is NO negative marking for wrong answers, so never leave a blank. In Writing, question 53 is worth 30 and question 54 is worth 50; if the two raters disagree significantly, a third rater is brought in.

Results and validity

Results are published on topik.go.kr roughly 4–5 weeks after the exam (the exact date is in each round's schedule). The certificate is valid for 2 years from the date results are announced — not from the exam date. The official score report (성적증명서) is downloaded as a PDF from topik.go.kr; universities and embassies usually want that document, not a screenshot from your phone.

There is no pass mark per section

This is the rule that changes how you should prepare, and it is the one most often misunderstood. Your level comes from the total score alone. There is no minimum in Listening, none in Reading, none in Writing.

So 100 in Reading, 100 in Listening and 30 in Writing is 230 — Level 6. And 80, 80 and 80 is 240 — also Level 6. The exam does not care how you assembled the number.

The bands

On the paper exam, TOPIK I: 80 to 139 out of 200 is Level 1, 140 and above is Level 2. TOPIK II: 120 to 149 out of 300 is Level 3, 150 to 189 is Level 4, 190 to 229 is Level 5, and 230 and above is Level 6.

The computer-based exam uses different totals, so a practice score from one format does not convert into the other. Compare like with like.

Where your next ten marks are cheapest

Because only the total matters, the right question before an exam is not "what am I worst at" but "where are ten marks cheapest". Those are rarely in the same place.

For most candidates sitting between Level 3 and Level 4, the cheapest marks are in question 53 of the Writing section — a fixed formula worth 30 points — and in the news-headline items in Reading, which respond to two weeks of daily practice. The hard Listening items at the end of the section are the most expensive marks on the paper, and they are usually where people spend their time.

Multiple choice, no penalty

Wrong answers cost nothing. With four options, a blank is worth zero and a guess is worth 0.25 marks on average. Leave no box empty, ever — and if time is running out in Reading, fill the remaining boxes before you go back to thinking.

Reading your result

Results are published on topik.go.kr on the announced date and show your section scores and your level. Keep the certificate: it is valid for two years from the announcement, and a university will check it against the NIIED database rather than take a photocopy at face value.

If the level is one band below what you needed, look at the section breakdown before booking the next sitting. The breakdown usually shows that the missing marks were not where you assumed they were.

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