TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) is the main
examination testing Korean Language skills. This exam is held 6 times a year in
South Korea and twice a year in other countries. The test consists of two
parts (TOPIK I and TOPIK II) and includes a total of six levels. The test has
listening, reading and writing (starting from level 3) sections. TOPIK
Certificate is necessary for foreigners who study, work and live in South
Korea. In certain cases, albeit not necessary, this certificate is very
beneficial and highly valued.
I have taken this exam for 5 times and currently am
holding the highest level 6 of TOPIK. I have tried a plethora of methods for
preparation, and in this article, I would like to highlight those that I found
to be most effective. Generally, I believe this test is not difficult if you
know what and how you should study. Moreover, this is just a practical test,
thus, you do not need to be absolutely fluent in Korean to get a high TOPIK
level. Without further ado, let’s get delve into the content itself:
· Listening / 듣기.
Most people find listening easiest among all sections in TOPIK. I would agree on this. Listening is the section that you can utilize to get a significant number of points. As someone who got 48 correct answers out of total 50, I strongly recommend using the following strategies:
1. After completing the test, print out the test form, read all the script with answers and write down the translation of unknown words right above them. Here is an important moment – even if you already wrote the translation of a new word, next time you encounter that word and still don’t remember the meaning, write it again. Do it as many times as needed until you memorize that word completely. Learning words from tests is crucial for two predominant reasons:
1)
Our brain memorizes the new words way more effectively when we learn them in
the context rather than from vocabulary.
2) There is a plethora of words that are being used in many listening tests constantly. Hence, if you perfectly know all words from 10 listening tests, you will increase you score considerably.
2. After getting used to doing the tests at a normal speed, increase it (start with 1.25x). Do not be demotivated if your score drops after the speed increase. It is natural and should be so until you get adapted and start increasing your score again. If you get used to the speed of 1.25x and even 1.5x (2x is unnecessary), normal speed will feel very slow and easy to you. That is your purpose.
3. In order to generally improve your listening skills, I recommend listening to podcasts on a daily basis. I personally used to listen to “Talk to Me in Korean” podcasts every day while doing the cleaning or make up. At first, we do not feel it, however, after a period of constantly practicing this, you will notice large improvements of your listening skills.
· Writing / 쓰기.
Following listening, writing is the second part of TOPIK which is included only in TOPIK II, starting from level 3. This is probably what most people find challenging, however, it is the part I enjoy the most. Writing consists of 4 questions: 2 short tasks (Q51, Q52), 1 short essay (Q53) and 1 long essay (Q54). For writing, I used specific books such as “Hot TOPIK Writing” and “TOPIK 쓰기의 모든 것”, and they are really helpful. These books explain how to write all 4 questions in detail. Especially, for Q51 and Q52 there are list of particular words, phrases and grammar you should learn. To get highest scores from Q51 and Q52 all you need to do is:
1) Learn
specific phrases and grammar provided in these books.
2) Practice as many Q51, Q52
questions as you can.
3) Try to memorize tests with correct answers.
Doing so can help you score 10 out of 10 from both questions as these tests are on repeat. Even if you don’t get the exact same question, you will get questions that are 70-80% similar to previous questions.
In case of Q53, again, you
need to learn the structure and specific wordings. Q53 usually requires you to
describe a graph or a chart. Therefore, being fluent in Korean is not
important.
Nevertheless, Q54 which is a long essay for 600-700 characters, and in this essay, although the structure is important, it is not enough. The question of Q54 required more advanced knowledge as you are expected to write a whole page of your thoughts regarding a particular issue. To get a high score from Q54, my strategy is the following:
1) Learn the structure of professional introduction and conclusion and use it for every essay.
2) Learn a list of 5-6 level words and use them in every essay.
I will explain how to do this. I usually find and write down, say 10-15 high level words. Key point is to choose general words which can be used for different topics. If you use specific words such as “bulletproof”, you cannot use it in many essays simply because it will not fit the topic. However, if you choose general words such as “predominantly”, “dilemma”, etc., you will be able to apply it to many topics. Next, I memorize these 10 words and before writing an essay, I write down these 10 words next to my essay topic. After, I try to use a minimum of 7 words out of 10 in my essay.
3) Learn a list of 5-6 level grammatical constructions and use them just as explained above.
This is an absolutely effective way to boost your score from Q54.
· Reading / 읽기
I personally believe reading is the hardest part of the TOPIK exam. In my case, the main difficulty was the lack of time. Reading test includes 70 questions to be answered during 1 hour. The strategies I used for improving reading are the followings:
1) Print out the test form, read all the questions and answers, and write down the translation of unknown words right above them. Just as the listening part, it is recommended to learn reading-specific words from the tests itself.
2) Set a time limit. Try to solve first 10 questions in 3-5 minutes. Every time you do the tests check you time and make a target of reducing your time with every test.
3) Learn the secrets of certain questions. Most questions in reading test are built in a way that you do not have to necessarily read the whole text to find the answer. In some questions the answer lies in the last sentence. Find out these questions by watching explanation videos on YouTube and take notes.
4) Read the answers before the question. This is the strategy that always saves me time. When you know the possible answers beforehand, you are positioned to find the correct answer more quickly.
Except
for all the strategies mentioned above, there is an essential point –
consistency and practice. If you do want to get a high level, be aware that
practice is the core. You have to do tests consistently before your exam. Do
not get demotivated and keep going! Best of luck!
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