If you have ever stared at a TOPIK score report and wondered how a number turned into a level, here is the short version: the levels are fixed score bands, and they are published. On TOPIK I, 80 points gets you Level 1 and 140 gets you Level 2. On TOPIK II, the ladder starts at 120 for Level 3 and runs to 230 for Level 6. Nothing is scaled, nothing is curved against other candidates.
Which means the most painful outcome in this exam is a score of 119 on TOPIK II. You did not get Level 2. You got no level at all.
The official cut scores
These come straight from the National Institute for International Education, which runs the exam under Korea's Ministry of Education. They apply to the paper-based test from the 35th sitting onward.
| Test | Level | Score needed |
|---|---|---|
| TOPIK I (out of 200) | Level 1 | 80 – 139 |
| Level 2 | 140 – 200 | |
| TOPIK II (out of 300) | Level 3 | 120 – 149 |
| Level 4 | 150 – 189 | |
| Level 5 | 190 – 229 | |
| Level 6 | 230 – 300 |
Look at the bottom rung of each test. TOPIK I asks for 80 out of 200, which is 40 percent. TOPIK II asks for 120 out of 300 — also 40 percent. The entry bar is proportionally identical. What changes is everything above it: on TOPIK II you have four rungs to climb instead of two, and the top one wants roughly 77 percent.
Why the 119 problem is real
TOPIK I and TOPIK II are separate tests, not two halves of one. If you sit TOPIK II and finish on 119, your report shows no grade. The same candidate sitting TOPIK I that day would very likely have walked away with a Level 2 certificate.
So the honest question before registration is not "how high can I aim" but "which test can I clear". If your target is a Level 2 certificate for a visa or a program requirement, taking TOPIK II to look ambitious is a bad trade. If your target is Level 3 or above, TOPIK I cannot give it to you at all — its ceiling is Level 2.
Where the points actually sit
Every section on the paper test is worth exactly 100 points. That sounds tidy until you count the questions.
| Test | Section | Questions | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOPIK I | Listening | 30 | 100 |
| Reading | 40 | 100 | |
| TOPIK II | Listening | 50 | 100 |
| Writing | 4 | 100 | |
| Reading | 50 | 100 |
Four writing items carry a third of TOPIK II. They are also the only questions on the whole exam that are not multiple choice — everything else is four-option select. On TOPIK I there is no writing section at all, which is part of why it finishes in a single 100-minute sitting while TOPIK II runs across two.
The arithmetic is worth sitting with. Abandon writing entirely and your ceiling becomes 200 out of 300. On paper that still reaches Level 5, but it means every single listening and reading item has to land, which nobody manages. In practice, skipping writing puts Level 4 at risk.
What the four writing items ask for
They are numbered 51 to 54 and they are not interchangeable.
- 51 and 52 are short-answer completions. A passage has blanks; you supply the missing clause so the whole thing reads correctly.
- 53 is an explanatory piece of roughly 200 to 300 characters, pitched at intermediate level. Usually you are given data or a prompt to describe.
- 54 is an argumentative essay of roughly 600 to 700 characters at advanced level.
The published rubric grades three things: whether you did what the task asked, how the piece is structured, and how accurately and richly you used the language. Structure only applies to items 53 and 54 — for those, the graders are explicitly looking at paragraphing, logical flow, and connecting expressions, not just correct sentences.
Practical details people get wrong
A few things worth knowing before you register:
- Your certificate expires. A TOPIK result is valid for two years from the date the score is released, not from the date you sat the exam.
- Your test paper depends on where you sit it. Type A papers are used in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Oceania, and those sittings run on Saturday. Type B papers are used across Asia, on Sunday.
- Fees, at the Korean rate, are 40,000 won for TOPIK I and 55,000 won for TOPIK II. Overseas test centres set their own local pricing, so check with the centre you are registering at.
- TOPIK II is a long day. The first session covers listening and writing and runs from 13:00 to 14:50, then reading runs from 15:20 to 16:30 after a short break. TOPIK I is a single session, 10:00 to 11:40.
One warning that comes from the exam board itself
The TOPIK website currently carries a notice about a surge in advertisements offering proxy test-takers, leaked questions, registration agents and guaranteed passes in exchange for money. The institute states plainly that impersonation and leaking questions are illegal, that offenders face bans from sitting the exam and criminal referral, and that the questions are kept confidential as a matter of policy.
If someone is promising you a Level 6 certificate for a fee, they are selling something that does not exist, and the person who loses is you.
Sources
All figures in this article come from the official TOPIK site run by the National Institute for International Education (topik.go.kr), checked on 21 August 2026 — specifically the exam overview, the level and cut-score table, and the question composition page for the paper-based test. Score bands and fees can change between sittings, so confirm on the official site before you register.
If you are still working out which sitting to aim for, our earlier post on the TOPIK dates still ahead in 2026 lays out the remaining registration windows.
