TOPIK Applications Open

Applications to take the Test of Proficiency in Korean opened Monday.

The TOPIK covers listening, reading, grammar and writing and takes place on April 20 in Africa, Europe and the Americas and April 21 in Asia and Oceania.

The test is available in three grades. Beginner (levels 1 and 2) and advanced (levels 5 and 6) exams take place at 9:30 a.m. The intermediate exam for levels 3 and 4 starts at 2:30 p.m.

Results of the previous test were made available Feb. 4.

Each test costs 40,000 won and lasts 3 hours.

Applications close on Feb. 25. To apply, or for more information, visit www.topik.or.kr.

TOPIK 2013

Yesterday, a lot of friends took TOPIK. It has been reported that more than 1 million people have taken the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) so far.

The Ministry of Education said a total of 18,702 people applied to sit the TOPIK at 18 test sites on Sunday, bringing the accumulated total to 1.02 million.

The TOPIK measures proficiency in grammar, reading, listening and writing of Korean of foreigners whose mother tongue is not Korean. The first annual test took place in four countries in 1997.

Some 2,692 people took the test in 1997, and after a decade the number increased 12 times to 34,028 in 2006.

This year, the TOPIK is sat in 62 countries.

The Ministry believes that the Korean Wave, the expansion of Korean businesses overseas and efforts to promote the language contributed to the jump in the number of TOPIK takers.