44th TOPIK I Test Results - 한국어능력시험결과

A few weeks ago, I took the TOPIK I for the first time, to test my Korean level. I felt pretty good about it when I was done, and I was anxious to see my results. I didn't study as much as I intended to, and I will definitely need to study more before attempting the TOPIK II (which has a writing section, something the TOPIK I doesn't have) but I'm really happy with my results.

Here's my score:

For a first time TOPIK taker, I am ecstatic! I only missed one question each on both the listening and reading sections. Thinking back, I am pretty sure which two questions I missed. In the listening section, I didn't know the word 고래 which means whale and I had to guess what the topic of the conversation was, although I was pretty sure it was about animals. I didn't feel as confident on that one, but all the others I was more certain of when marking my answers.

On the reading section, I also didn't know a word that might have cost me the correct answer, as it was the topic of the section, as well. (The word was 정보 by the way, and now that I know the two words that tripped me up the most, I'm pretty pleased that I learned from my mistakes. Now I will never forget either of those words.)

As you can see, my listening and reading levels surpass the average, and I achieved Level 2, which was my goal. When I left the test, I thought to myself, "I could actually get a perfect score!" but seeing that 192/200 in front of me, I am really shocked that I came that close. Sometimes I feel good about a test right after taking it, but then I get a score lower than what I expect. However, I'm glad I didn't overestimate or underestimate my abilities.

I will definitely keep using my Ewha University textbooks, which I love so far, and I will apply for the TOPIK II once I am confident in my writing ability. I know it will take quite a while, so for now I want to enjoy studying Korean. Recently, my desire to read books in Korean has been growing steadily, so when other things in my life calm down, I will try my hand at more Korean texts.

If you took the TOPIK, how did you do? If you plan on taking it, how are you studying (or procrastinating)?