Korean level test

How the test works

Part 1: words. You see 16 Korean words, one at a time, and choose the meaning of each. There is an “I don’t know” option: use it instead of guessing. We ask for the meaning, and not a simple yes or no, because research on Korean vocabulary tests found the yes/no format unreliable for beginners.

Part 2: grammar. 12 sentences with a gap and four options: particles, verb endings and connectives. In Korean, the levels are defined by grammar as much as by vocabulary.

If you cannot read Hangul yet. You get a shorter check instead: 12 everyday words and phrases written in Latin letters, the way they sound, like the ones people pick up from K-pop, series and games. It tells you how much Korean you already know by ear. It does not give a TOPIK level, because TOPIK is written in Hangul from level 1.

The test adapts as you go: after each answer it picks the next question close to your current estimate, so you spend your time on the questions that say the most about you.

Each word and each question belongs to a level. Your result is the highest level where you know at least half of the words and grammar, which goes together with knowing about 80% of the level below. We chose this rule because it matches the published vocabulary sizes for each CEFR level. The range shows how sure the test can be with this many questions.

What the levels mean

TOPIK is the official Korean proficiency test, with levels 1 to 6. The letters in brackets follow the official TOPIK–CEFR table published in 2023; they are approximate.

TOPIK 1	Beginner (about A1). You know basic everyday words and the basic sentence patterns: introducing yourself, buying things, ordering food.
TOPIK 2	Elementary (about A2). You can handle everyday tasks such as phone calls and using shops and public places, and you tell formal from informal speech.
TOPIK 3	Intermediate (about B1). You manage daily life without much difficulty and can talk about familiar topics in connected sentences.
TOPIK 4	Upper intermediate (about B2). You follow plain news and can deal with social and more abstract topics.
TOPIK 5	Advanced (about C1). You can deal with unfamiliar topics and use Korean for study or work to a good degree.
TOPIK 6	Near-fluent (about C2). You use Korean fluently for study or work. With this few questions the test cannot separate the top levels reliably.

What this test can and cannot tell you

• It measures reading vocabulary and grammar. It does not measure speaking, listening or writing.
• It is short. Expect the result to be right to within one level either way; that is why you get a range.
• The levels of the questions come from published graded lists and syllabuses. The test has not yet been checked against the results of people who took an official exam.
• For an official level, take an exam such as TOPIK.

Questions about the test

Sources

• TOPIK level descriptions, National Institute for International Education (NIIED)
• NIIED (2023), TOPIK–CEFR linking table: levels 1 to 6 correspond to A1 to C2
• National Institute of Korean Language (2003), 한국어 학습용 어휘 목록 (vocabulary list for learners of Korean)
• Isbell, Park & Delaney (2024), Korean vocabulary levels tests, Vocabulary Learning and Instruction
• Chang, Ahn & Kim (2025), “LexKO”, Behavior Research Methods