The 6th Korean Language Proficiency Test to Be Held Next Year... First Speaking Test Also in November

Speaking Test to Be Conducted Domestically on November 19 Next Year
Number of Speaking Tests to Increase from 2023
Internet-Based Pilot Evaluation Also Planned for 2022

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) will be administered six times domestically and three times overseas. For the first time, a Korean speaking test will also be held in November next year.

On the 28th, the Ministry of Education announced the implementation plan for the TOPIK, including the operation methods and detailed schedule for overseas Koreans and foreigners.

The TOPIK will be conducted a total of six times (the 80th to 85th sessions) from January to November next year, with three of these sessions held overseas.

Reflecting opinions that it is difficult to practically assess Korean language ability with only reading, listening, and writing, the first speaking evaluation will be introduced. It will be held once domestically on November 19 next year. The Ministry of Education plans to increase the number of speaking tests starting in 2023.

From 2023, the TOPIK will be converted to an internet-based test, and a pilot evaluation will be conducted next year.

Except for last year and this year, when the number of applicants temporarily decreased due to COVID-19, the number of test takers has been increasing significantly every year. To provide opportunities to take the test at least once a month, the internet-based test is being introduced.

The number of TOPIK applicants has increased annually: 290,638 from 70 countries in 2017; 329,224 from 76 countries in 2018; and 375,871 from 83 countries in 2019. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the numbers dropped to 218,869 from 42 countries last year and 330,012 from 75 countries this year.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye stated, "We will thoroughly prepare to ensure that the TOPIK can be conducted stably next year," and added, "We will do our best to ensure that the speaking evaluation, scheduled to be introduced in the second half of next year, is carried out without any issues."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.