About 25 questions in Hangul across two parts. The second part follows your first answers, and you get an estimated TOPIK level and which TOPIK paper fits it.
Engame's free Korean placement test estimates your TOPIK level (1, 2, 3, 4 or the combined 5–6 band) in about 25 questions, with no time limit. Part 1 asks 10 questions, two per level. Part 2 asks 15 more on the three levels around that first estimate, including a short reading in Korean. The result is an estimated level, a range when you sit between two levels, and your share of correct answers per level, and it becomes the default for the TOPIK practice tests, the word list and the sentence practice. An estimate of TOPIK 1–2 points to the TOPIK I paper; TOPIK 3 and above to TOPIK II.
| Level | What it means | Words on Engame | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOPIK 1 | About 800 words: introducing yourself, shopping, ordering food. | 2,038 | Practise at TOPIK 1 → |
| TOPIK 2 | 1,500–2,000 words: phone calls, requests, public facilities. | 1,984 | Practise at TOPIK 2 → |
| TOPIK 3 | Daily life without difficulty; social relationships. | 776 | Practise at TOPIK 3 → |
| TOPIK 4 | Public topics: news, work, general social issues. | 3,063 | Practise at TOPIK 4 → |
| TOPIK 5–6 | Professional and academic Korean, close to fluent at level 6. | 4,293 | Practise at TOPIK 5–6 → |
| Section | Questions | Minutes | Task types on Engame |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1: every level | 10 | — | read a word, pick its meaning; grammar gap-fill; read a meaning, pick the word |
| Part 2: around your level | 15 | — | read a word, pick its meaning; grammar gap-fill; read a meaning, pick the word; read a text, answer questions |
| Total | 25 | ~15 |
The placement test reports a level, not a percentage, together with how many questions you got right at each level.
| On the result screen | What it means |
|---|---|
| Estimated level | The highest level you know well. It becomes your default level for practice tests, vocabulary and phrases. |
| A range of two levels | Your answers sit between two levels: start studying at the lower one. |
| Correct answers by level | A clear drop between two levels marks your working level; the levels below it show what to review. |
TOPIK has six levels but two papers: TOPIK I awards levels 1 and 2, TOPIK II awards levels 3 to 6. Booking the wrong paper is the most common and most expensive mistake, and a placement estimate is the cheapest way to avoid it.
Korean grammar carries a lot of meaning in endings and particles (-아서/어서, -는데, -(으)ㄹ 텐데, 은/는 versus 이/가), so self-taught learners often know more words than structures. The result screen's per-level breakdown shows which side is holding you back.
Part 1 checks two questions per level, easiest first; Part 2 concentrates on the level below, the level itself and the level above, with a short reading at your level. The table below explains each level and links to practice at it.
Real questions from the bank Engame builds this test from. Pick an answer, then open it to check.
A. 살을 빼고 싶으면 적게 먹어야 해요. Condition plus advice: verb + 고 싶으면 means 'if you want to..., then you must...'
지난달 처음 한국에 왔을 때의 일입니다. 친구 집에 가려고 혼자 지하철을 탔습니다. 친구는 2호선을 타고 시청역에서 내리라고 했습니다. 그런데 저는 반대 방향으로 가는 지하철을 탔습니다. 30분쯤 지나서 이상하다고 생각했지만 한국어를 잘 몰라서 안내 방송을 이해할 수 없었습니다. 너무 걱정이 돼서 옆에 앉은 할머니께 지도를 보여 드렸습니다. 할머니께서는 웃으시면서 다음 역에서 내려서 건너편에서 다시 타라고 천천히 말씀해 주셨습니다. 그리고 다음 역에서 같이 내려서 건너편 타는 곳까지 데려다주셨습니다. 결국 저는 약속 시간보다 한 시간 늦게 친구 집에 도착했습니다. 친구는 걱정을 많이 했지만 제 이야기를 듣고 같이 웃었습니다. 그날 저는 한국 사람들이 정말 친절하다고 느꼈습니다. 그리고 한국어를 더 열심히 공부해야겠다고 생각했습니다. 그 할머니께 고맙다는 말을 한국어로 잘 하지 못해서 지금도 아쉽습니다.
This happened last month when I first came to Korea. I took the subway alone to go to my friend's house. My friend told me to take Line 2 and get off at City Hall Station. But I got on a train going in the opposite direction. After about 30 minutes I thought something was wrong, but I didn't know much Korean, so I couldn't understand the announcements. I was so worried that I showed my map to the elderly woman sitting next to me. She smiled and slowly told me to get off at the next station and take the train again from the other side. Then she got off with me at the next station and took me to the platform on the other side. In the end I arrived at my friend's house an hour later than planned. My friend had been very worried, but after hearing my story we laughed together. That day I felt that Korean people are really kind. And I thought I should study Korean harder. I still feel sorry that I couldn't say thank you to her properly in Korean.
B. 지하철을 반대 방향으로 탔기 때문에 "저는 반대 방향으로 가는 지하철을 탔습니다".
D. 할 겸 -(으)ㄹ 겸 always takes the -(으)ㄹ modifier: 할 겸. The sentence means: I walk to work, partly to get some exercise.
마흔이 넘어 피아노를 배우기 시작했다고 하면 주변 사람들은 대개 놀란 표정을 짓는다. 그리고 꼭 이렇게 묻는다. "그 나이에 배워서 어디에 쓰려고?" 사실 나도 처음에는 같은 생각이었다. 어린 시절 피아노 학원에 다니는 친구들이 부러웠지만 형편이 어려워 배우지 못했고, 어른이 된 뒤에는 바쁘다는 핑계로 그 꿈을 마음속 깊이 묻어 두었다.
그러다 작년 봄, 퇴근길에 우연히 '성인 초보 환영'이라고 적힌 학원 간판을 보았다. 한참을 망설이다가 문을 열고 들어갔다. 첫 수업 날, 건반 위에 올린 손가락은 생각대로 움직이지 않았다. 열 살쯤 되어 보이는 아이가 옆방에서 어려운 곡을 막힘없이 치는 소리를 들으니 부끄러운 마음에 그만두고 싶어지기도 했다. 수업이 끝나고 집에 돌아오는 길에는 '역시 이 나이에는 무리였나' 하는 생각이 떠나지 않았다. 그래도 이미 낸 수강료가 아까워서 한 달만 더 다녀 보기로 마음먹었다. 선생님은 내가 실수할 때마다 '천천히 해도 괜찮아요'라고 말하며 처음부터 다시 치게 했다.
그런데 이상하게도 학원에 가는 날이 점점 기다려졌다. 일주일 내내 연습해도 겨우 몇 마디밖에 늘지 않았지만, 어제 틀렸던 부분을 오늘 틀리지 않고 지나갈 때의 기쁨은 무엇과도 바꿀 수 없었다. 회사에서는 늘 결과로 평가받았는데, 피아노 앞에서는 누구와 비교할 필요도, 빨리 잘해야 할 이유도 없었다. 나는 그저 어제의 나보다 조금 나아지면 되었다.
1년이 지난 지금도 내 연주 실력은 여전히 서툴다. 아직 악보 없이 끝까지 칠 수 있는 곡은 한 곡도 없다. 하지만 이제는 누가 그 나이에 배워서 어디에 쓰냐고 물으면 웃으며 대답할 수 있다. 배움은 어디에 쓰기 위한 것이 아니라 그 자체로 나를 즐겁게 하는 것이라고 말이다.
When I say I started learning the piano after turning forty, people around me usually look surprised. And they always ask, "What are you going to use it for, learning at that age?" To be honest, I thought the same at first. As a child I envied friends who went to piano lessons, but my family could not afford it, and as an adult I buried that dream deep in my heart, using being busy as an excuse.
Then, last spring, on my way home from work, I happened to see a sign for a music school that read "Adult beginners welcome". After hesitating for a long time, I opened the door and went in. On the first day of lessons, my fingers on the keys would not move the way I wanted. Hearing a child who looked about ten playing a difficult piece flawlessly in the next room, I felt so embarrassed that I wanted to quit. On the way home after the lesson, I could not shake the thought, "So it really was too much at my age." Still, not wanting to waste the fees I had already paid, I decided to keep going for one more month. Every time I made a mistake, the teacher said, "It's fine to go slowly," and had me start again from the beginning.
Strangely, though, I began looking forward more and more to lesson days. Even after practising all week I improved by only a few bars, but the joy of getting through a passage today that I had got wrong yesterday was beyond compare. At work I was always judged by results, but at the piano there was no need to compare myself with anyone and no reason to get good quickly. I only had to be a little better than I was yesterday.
Now, a year later, my playing is still clumsy. There is still not a single piece I can play to the end without the score. But now, if anyone asks what I will use it for, learning at my age, I can smile and answer: learning is not for using somewhere; it is something that makes me happy in itself.
D. 실력은 서툴러도 배우는 과정 자체를 즐기고 있다 "학원에 가는 날이 점점 기다려졌다" and "웃으며 대답할 수 있다" – the playing is clumsy but the learning is enjoyed. Wanting to quit was only on the first day.
B. 보는 바와 같이 It refers to the table, so -는 바와 같이 is used. 끝에 cannot follow -는, -(으)ㄹ세라 means for fear that, and -노라면 means if one keeps doing. The sentence means: As you can see in the table, sales are steadily increasing.
B. Teal 청록색 (Cheongrok-saek) means “Teal”.
Take the placement test: about 25 questions in two parts. It estimates your level from TOPIK 1 to the combined 5–6 band and shows your correct answers per level.
TOPIK I if your estimate is level 1 or 2; TOPIK II if it is level 3 or higher. If the result is a range from 2 to 3, try both mock tests.
Engame's advanced vocabulary comes from a dictionary that groups them as one advanced band, so the test reports them together.
Yes. Part 2 is built from your Part 1 answers and focuses on the levels around your estimate.
Yes, free and without an account. The result is kept in your browser.
25 questions · 15 minutes · Free · no sign-up · new questions every time
Start the Korean placement test →