The TOPIK Speaking test explained: six question types, 30 minutes, levels out of 200, and only in Korea
The TOPIK Speaking test (TOPIK 말하기 평가) is a separate exam from TOPIK I and TOPIK II. It is internet-based, it lasts 30 minutes, and it is held only in South Korea. It awards its own levels 1 to 6, so a TOPIK II level 5 says nothing about your speaking, and the reverse.
Below is from the official 2025 TOPIK IBT leaflet of the National Institute for International Education (NIIED), and the Ministry of Education's 2026 administration notice we read for our TOPIK levels guide. Read again on 7 November 2026.
The six question types
The leaflet lists six kinds of task: answering a question, describing a picture, acting out a role shown in a picture, completing a conversation, interpreting data (a chart or table), and giving an opinion.
Our reading: the first three are everyday Korean; the last two ask you to explain figures and argue a view, which is where an intermediate speaker usually runs out of words. Practise those two out loud, with someone who will stop you when you fall back on the same few phrases.
Levels out of 200
The score runs to 200 and the level comes from it:
- Level 120–49
- Level 250–89
- Level 390–109
- Level 4110–129
- Level 5130–159
- Level 6160–200
When, where and what it costs
Only in Korea. The leaflet says it is not held abroad. If you live outside Korea, the written TOPIK is the one you can sit at home.
Three sittings a year, against six each for the paper and internet-based written tests. In 2025 they were 22 March, 14 June and 25 October, with results about three weeks later (14 April, 7 July, 17 November). The 2026 notice also schedules three.
On the day (2025 timetable, Korean time): entry from 16:00 and closed at 16:20; the test runs 17:00 to 17:30.
Fee in Korea for 2026: 80,000 won, against 70,000 for TOPIK I and 95,000 for TOPIK II on the internet-based test.
Results are valid for two years from the day they are announced, as for the written TOPIK.
Before you rely on it
The leaflet's list of uses (university admission, jobs, some visas) is for TOPIK as a whole. If a university, employer or visa rule asks for a TOPIK level, ask whether it means the written test, and whether it accepts a Speaking result.
For the written test and its cutoffs, see TOPIK levels explained. For the E-9 work visa, the test is the EPS-TOPIK, and for the immigration programme it is the KIIP.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Planning to sit TOPIK Speaking from abroad.
Booking it for a trip to Korea, or sitting the written TOPIK at home.
The leaflet says the Speaking test is not held outside Korea.
Assuming a written TOPIK II level covers speaking.
Treating speaking as a separate exam with its own level.
TOPIK I and II have no speaking section at all.
Leaving it to the last sitting before a deadline.
Counting back from the three sittings a year.
Results take about three weeks, and there is no sitting in between to retry.
Questions
How is the TOPIK Speaking test scored?
Out of 200. Level 1 is 20–49, level 2 50–89, level 3 90–109, level 4 110–129, level 5 130–159 and level 6 160–200.
Can I take the TOPIK Speaking test outside Korea?
No. NIIED's leaflet says it is held only in South Korea.
How long is the TOPIK Speaking test?
30 minutes, on a computer, with six types of question.
How much does the TOPIK Speaking test cost?
80,000 won in Korea for 2026, from the Ministry of Education's administration notice.
How long is a TOPIK Speaking result valid?
Two years from the day the results are announced.
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