TOPIK Study Resources…Redux
A reader just emailed me with the following questions, and because other readers might also be wondering about the same things I thought I’d answer him here:
- Are the TOPIK study books actually text books or are they just full of previous exams?
- Is there also a book for the B-TOPIK exam?
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Okay, the three bottom books are only previous exams and answers, going from tests 2-7, one book each for each of the six levels. This coming test will be the 13th, but as far as I know there has only been one change to the format of the test since the books were written: previously the whole exam was multi-choice, but now a few questions in the writing section involve, hell…having to actually write a few sentances for some answers, and then a short composition. Other than that, the format is exactly the same.
I haven’t visited a bookstore in a while I’m afraid, but I do know that a book with all 6 levels of the 12th test is available, and maybe even has explanations (in Korean) too, but I’m not sure. Previous tests are also available to download for free in the “Data Room” of the TOPIK website, but I don’t know if they have audio files for the listening sections. Does anyone else know? I haven’t looked myself because I’m quite content with my books and tapes for now.
As for the Business-TOPIK, sorry, but unless something has come out recently I’ve never seen any old test papers or study materials. But again, there may be something on the website.
Finally, the vocab book and grammar book at the top are technically study books, with explanations, examples, and previous test questions, but rather dry and entirely in Korean, so I wouldn’t even bother if you haven’t passed Level 3. Hell, I have, but the amount of vocab in the former makes me despair of ever learning enough to pass the advanced levels.
Like I said, I haven’t visited a bookstore in a while, so my information may be out of date. Apologies if it is, and I’d really appreciate any readers that put me up to speed. Meanwhile, I’m damn well going to pass level 5 this time round, so until the day of the test I’ll be off to Starbucks 9-12 every morning to study Korean, I kid you not. You’ll be simply amazed at how I’ll can get done once I’m away from the internet.
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James,
I’ve had a question that I’ve been wondering for quite some time now, and considering there may be others like me who don’t know the answer, I thought it would be best to ask it here in the comments. What’s the different between the TOPIK and the KLPT? Are they simply competing tests like the TOEFL and TOIEC? Which one is more accepted/credible? Have you taken the KLPT? I’m looking at taking one of the tests myself, with the goal of a level 2 (though realistic I’ll probably get a level 1.)
Hi, I’m curious if you took the Beginner’s exam, and how long it took you to go from that to Level 3. I looked through the intermediate exam the other day and could comfortable answer 1 out of, like, 60 questions. I was tempted to sign up for intermediate and just study study study between now and the test, but I don’t think that’d really work. I’ll have to let skills develop “organically,” I guess, and I’m just wondering how long it took you. I feel stupid for slacking off last year and making almost no progress.
I’m a bit too tired for proper answers right now sorry, consequence of a morning person teaching 7-9:30pm when he’d planned to teach 2-4:30pm like normal over the winter, and had arrived at work at 1 accordingly. On the plus side, I did get lots of Korean study done though! Will write over my morning coffee in 9ish hours then, but in the meantime, Kevin, let me direct you to this thread where I attempted to answer the same questions last year.
Thank you for somewhat answering the question. And I admire your ability to write clear and coherent responses on Dave’s ESL Cafe forums. There seems to be a dearth of quality comments whenever visit that site.
Something of note is that the KLPT test this cycle is Sun, Apr. 27th, while the TOPIK test is Sun, Apr. 20th. So theoretically I could take both and give a comparison of each. But I don’t think I want to sit through one of the tests, let alone both of them.
Also, for what it’s worth (I’m guessing not much), there is a TOPIK page on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOPIK) but the KLPT has no corresponding page.
By somewhat I mean mostly. Your response is by far the most informative piece of information that I’ve found on the topic, and I am grateful for that. Stupid internet, making me sound mean when I’m trying to properly thank someone.
Thanks Kevin. I don’t think I could stomach doing both either. Having to do the advanced TOPIK test in the morning and then the intermediate one in the afternoon is already bad enough.
And thanks for your nice comments about my threads on Daveseslcafe. But actually I spend less than a hour a week reading it these days, in comparison to about an hour a day years ago. It’s crappy search function means that the same questions get asked again and again every few months, and us old hands get tired of repeating ourselves. Also, it sounds cynical, but forums are one of the primary means for new bloggers to draw attention to our blogs, but in return we have to write interesting and/or helpful things to entice people to visit them. But now that davesescafes has dissallowed the use of signatures, the main way of adverising oneself, then with it’s other problems as well then there’s little incentive for me to post there anymore.
Brian, I could go on and on about how long it took me, and actually started to last night before I was woken up by my nose hitting the keyboard. So let me try to be more succinct (famous last words).
I am extremely lazy, and on top of that come from a major where it was perfectly okay (and logical) to focus on an essay for one course for two weeks, and then completely forget that and do other essays for other courses for six weeks, and so on. So if up until now you’ve been studying Korean the same way, like I did, then you will fail Level 3 and it may also take you the…ahem…3 years it took me to get there from level 2. But if you’re not a complete beginner, and you don’t sound like one, then I’m pretty sure that you can pass level 3 on April the 20th if you study for 1-2 hours everyday until then. If not, you’d still get pretty damn close.
The jump from level 2 is very big but not unsurmountable for someone with even a little discipline. Resorces are now not a major problem like they were for me in 2000-2005 either. Discipline is a big issue in Korea though, where your efforts are often not appreciated, you’re patronised for them, and getting speaking practice can be near impossible. Hence I’d never studied an hour a day until…hell, last month, after nearly 8 years here. And I still need to do 3+ a day if I’m going to pass level 5.
Sorry, a bit all over the place and maybe more telling myself rather than you. But in Korea especially you can’t learn simply by osmosis but have to make a real conscious effort to do so everyday, otherwise you’ll end up like me, embarassed to say how long I’ve been here becuase my Korean ability doesn’t quite match up to it.
Thanks for your response. I took one of last year’s practice exams for beginners and got 80% on everything but the final essay (didn’t try it), so there’ still a lot I need to learn. I was flipping through a textbook that’s kinda below the level of the intermediate exam and there’s a lot I don’t know in there, either. For a half-second, after reading your response to Kevin, I thought about signing up for both and taking both—couldn’t hurt—but I think I’d be setting myself up for failure. It might be a way to combat my ambivalence, though. Did you sign up for both? It’s possible?
Yep, it’s perfectly okay, I’ve done it 3 times. I’ll do advanced in the morning and intermediate in the afternoon, just to make sure that if I don’t pass level 5, I’ll at least have a chance to put level 4 on the resume.