TOPIK Test Scores Published!

Finally, after a month an a half, my TOPIK scores have been published!

쓰기 (Writing) :57 

일기 (Reading) :48 

어휘/문법 (Vocab and Grammar): 47 

듣기 (Listening): 57

= 3급 합격!! Level 3 achieved!  Horray! 

Simply put, each section is out of 100. An average score of above 70 is needed to achieve level 4 and an average score of 50 is needed for level 3.

While of course higher scores would be better, I have passed level three which is something of an accomplishment in itself. The first practice test I took many many months ago was an abysmally low score, much below failing in most areas except listening. I really liked taking the test, mostly because it forced me to study and be more diligent since I tend to be such a lazy student. And of course, now that the TOPIK has been finished for over a month and a half, I have gone back to my lazy ways and probably forgot most of what I learned. If I had known that I'd be around for this summer's TOPIK I would have signed up one more time but alas at the time of registration everything was so up in the air I couldn't make any definite plans. 

My scores are more or less are what I was getting on my practice tests in the days before taking the test. The week before the test came something clicked in my brain and made me improve my reading comprehension. I blame my poor score not on poor comprehension, but on slow reading skills. I would say that I answered 75% of the questions that I answered correctly, but I only had time to finish just over half the reading section. The part that I am most impressed with, though, is my writing. In practice tests my score was always quite low and I never knew how to grade my essays so I was never able to get a good grasp on how my writing score would be. Since my spelling tends to be atrocious, I was a bit worried about this section, but it, along with listening (which is usually better, I am a little disappointed with this score) were my two highest scores. I hope to take the TOPIK again, maybe next winter or spring, depending on where life takes me in the next few months. Hopefully next time I can get up to level 4!!