KIIP explained: levels 0–5, the 60-point tests, and what the course now costs

Level 0 is 15 hours, levels 1 to 4 are 100 hours each, and level 5 is a 70-hour basic course followed by a 30-hour advanced course that you can take only after the basic one. To complete a level you must attend 10 hours of level 0, 80 hours of each of levels 1–4, and 56 and 24 hours of the two level-5 courses.

Placement: the pre-test or a TOPIK. The pre-test (사전평가) has 55 questions, 50 written and 5 oral; the written part is worth 75 points and the oral 25. The 2025 guideline places you by total: 3–20 points level 1, 21–40 level 2, 41–60 level 3, 61–80 level 4, 81–100 level 5. Below 3, or under 3 points on the oral whatever your written score, you start at level 0. The result is valid for two years.

A TOPIK result places you too: TOPIK 1 → level 2, TOPIK 2 → level 3, TOPIK 3 → level 4, TOPIK 4–6 → level 5. How TOPIK levels work is in our TOPIK guide.

Level tests after levels 1–3: 25 questions (20 written, 5 oral), set by the course provider, pass at 60/100.

The mid-level test (중간평가) after level 4: 30 written questions (28 multiple-choice and 2 essays) plus 5 oral, pass at 60/100.

The comprehensive tests after level 5: one for permanent residence and one for naturalisation, each with 40 written questions (36 multiple-choice and 4 writing tasks, in 60 minutes) and 5 oral questions in 10 minutes, pass at 60/100. The two are weighted differently: on the naturalisation test, 29 of the 36 multiple-choice questions are worth 2 points each.

Every test costs 38,000 won, under Ministry of Justice notice 2024-109. In 2026 there are 8 paper sittings of the pre-test, 4 of the mid-level test and 8 of the comprehensive tests, and computer-based sittings have run continuously since 2022.

If you fail a level test, you can repeat the course once, and you then complete it by scoring at least 41.

Permanent residence (F-5). Article 18-4 of the Immigration Act enforcement rule asks for either KIIP completion or 60 or more on the comprehensive test. A shortcut: with 85 or more on the pre-test, you can sit the permanent-residence comprehensive test without taking the classes. Socinet says that route does not count as completing KIIP.

Naturalisation. The Nationality Act enforcement decree holds both a comprehensive test and an interview, and the test must be taken within one year of applying; under 60 means refusal. You are exempt from the test if you completed KIIP, or scored 60 or more on the comprehensive test in the last three years. To skip the interview as well, you need both: completion and a score of 60 or more. Passing the test without the course does not waive the interview.

Other visas. The 2025 guideline gives KIIP points for the F-2-7 points visa (level 5 is worth 30: 20 for Korean ability plus 10 extra), D-10-1 and E-7-4.

Is KIIP compulsory? No. Socinet says anyone may apply by choice. What is compulsory, for naturalisation, is the comprehensive test, unless you are exempt.

From 1 January 2025: 100,000 won per level for levels 1–4, 70,000 won for the level-5 basic course and 30,000 won for the advanced course. Level 0 and exempt groups pay nothing, and people who qualify for a reduction pay half; 100% attendance at a level is one of the grounds. If the course fee is unpaid, you cannot sit the test. Our reading: a full route from level 1 to the end of level 5, with no reduction, is 500,000 won in course fees before any test fees.

Older pages still say the course is free. Socinet's own programme introduction carries no fee information, and neither do many guides written before 2025.

How many attempts at the naturalisation test? Two socinet pages say at most three within a year, and that failing all three means refusal. The Ministry's 2026 FAQ and the 2025 guideline say no limit on attempts. The statute sets only the one-year window. Ask your immigration office before you rely on either.

Level 5 basic: 50 hours or 70? One socinet page says 50; the course page, the FAQ and the fee notice say 70.