It's almost time to register for the next Test of Proficiency in Korean [TOPIK, 한국어능력시험]. The 19th exam will be held on September 12, 2010, with registration open from June 30th through July 14th at 6:00 pm. Registration for the 20th exam on November 7th will be open from August 23rd through September 1st.
You'll need to register online and, as part of an unintentional, unironic test, figure out how to navigate the pages in Korean to first create a user ID, log in, and then register. As part of the process you will need a small photograph of yourself to upload when registering. The test is administered at thirteen locations around the country---the nearest one for most Jeollanam-do readers is the Language Education Center at Gwangju's Chonnam National University---and in select cities throughout the world.
I've posted about the TOPIK several times, and you'll find lengthy discussions on preparing for it and the merits of taking it in the following entries:
* January 12, 2010: Registration for February, April Test of Proficiency in Korean (한국어능력시험).
* July 9, 2009: Test of Proficiency in Korean [TOPIK] registration through July 15th.
You'll also find discussion on learning the language in the comments to this justifiably foul-mouthed post.
I took the test once, in April 2008, and earned Level 2 without high scores in reading, listening, and vocabulary, but with a C in writing. I've received several emails asking about how to prepare for it, and I don't really have an answer. Level 2, high-beginner, is pretty easily attainable for anyone who has studied the language and who feels pretty confident with basic vocabulary and sentence building. The jump to Level 3 is enormous, because the test combines both lower- and upper-intermediate problems, and though I studied briefly for it I never attempted it.
There are six levels, but three tests. A couple of years ago there were six separate exams, but now there are three. Those who take the beginner exam (초급) and score over 70% will finish with Level 2; those earning between 40% and 69% below will get Level 1. The same pattern follows for both intermediate and advanced levels. One result is that those who see themselves as a Level 3 will have to contend with questions on the higher level. A person who earns below the lower threshold---40% on the lower level, 50% on the upper---on any of the four portions will earn the lower level. The example given on page 5 says that a person who takes the beginner level test and scores 82% on vocab/grammar, 48% on writing, 76% on listening, and 80% on reading will have an average of 71.5%, but because the test taker scored below 50% on the writing portion, s/he will earn Level 1. There is a breakdown, in Korean, of expectations for each level here.
I receive emails from people sharing the TOPIK-preparation websites they've created, but none have survived very long. If you have one, please share it in the comments. And if you have any resources you'd like to recommend, please do so as well. As far as books go, I've enjoyed the two series by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Sogang University (서강대학교), the latter supposedly preparing you level-by-level for what's on the exam. Sogang also has a useful website for Korean learners. I'd also recommend looking through the previous exams and answers on the TOPIK website.
4 comments:
3gyupsal wrote, on the post just below this one:
Is there any advantage to taking this test? Is this the test that the U.S. State Department looks at when they consider hiring potential employees. I've looked into jobs with the F.B.I, and to become a language specialist, you need a certain level of proficiency in the language. I wonder if this is the test that they look at or, if there is some kind of test within the organization. If not, then I wonder if the test can open any other doors.
I can see an advantage to taking the test in that it would give somebody a reason to study Korean. I find it very hard to get motivated to study Korean. Korean language schools are few and far between. It seems the only place in Jinju to do so is at a center for foreign wives of Korean farmers. Since I have my own Korean wife I thought it would be fun to take some classes there, but all of the classes are held at one in the afternoon, while I'm at work. The universities aren't much help either.
I don't know if the State Department looks at this one. I imagine they'd have a test of their own, but I would have to check on that.
I was talking with a professor here who said that this is the test they use to measure proficiency for citizenship and visa purposes.
I wanted to take the test just to have something quantifiable. In Korea, it's not really important, because when you go out every day you have a series of tests: talking with the taxi driver, asking the secretary at school a question, ordering lunch, reading the flyer somebody stuck to your door, following a bus timetable, etc. I found that motivation enough to study . . . study a little, b/c after my first year I never became obsessed with it.
I took the last test in Busan and it was an interesting experience to say the least. One of the shocking things (or not, if you have looked at the website) is the fact that all of the instructions during the exam are also in Korean, making the true beginners in the class completely lost.
The one tip that the Korean Language instructor, that I met during the break, told me was to write a lot during the writing portion. I was lucky in the fact that what I wrote was good, but they score 2 point per line. So if you doubt your writing, write a lot.
Brian, the books that you mentioned are great. I studied mostly from the tests and that helped me a lot because honestly, the questions come from anywhere and on any topic. If you have an idea of what the tests are like, then you will feel comfortable writing them.
Post a Comment