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TOPIK Test Day Checklist and Common Mistakes (Answer Sheet, Writing, Devices)
You can study for months and still lose the test on the day itself: a forgotten ID, a watch in a pocket, an answer sheet marked badly. This checklist covers the paper-based TOPIK (PBT) in Korea. It is based on the official notice and poster for the 108th test, checked on 20 October 2026. Rules can change, so also read the notice for your own test round.
The night before
- Put your original ID in your bag. A photo of your ID on a phone is not accepted. Check that the English name on it matches your admission ticket letter for letter.
- Print your admission ticket (수험표) and check your photo and details on it.
- Check the address of your venue and how long the trip takes. Entry closes at 09:20 for TOPIK I and at 12:20 for TOPIK II. If you have never been there, look up the public transport route in advance and leave early, because after the entry time you cannot get in for any reason.
- Pack your own correction tape if you want to use one. You cannot borrow one from the supervisor or from another candidate.
- Decide what you will do with your phone and watch. It is best to leave them at home.
- Sleep well. Reread your notes on your mistakes rather than new material.
What to bring
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| Original, valid ID | Without it you cannot sit the test |
| Admission ticket | If the ticket has no photo or does not identify you, you cannot sit the test |
| Your own correction tape (optional) | You cannot borrow one in the room |
The official notices we read do not say which pen to use on the answer sheet. Follow the supervisor’s instructions in the room. Keep the bag light: anything you bring that is on the banned list has to be handed in before period 1, and you are responsible if it is damaged while it is collected.
What not to bring
From period 1 until the end, breaks included, you may not have these on you or keep them anywhere else: analogue or digital watches, smartwatches, smart glasses, mobile phones, tablets, electronic dictionaries, voice recorders, Bluetooth earphones, power banks, e-cigarettes and any other electronic or communication device. If you bring any of them, switch them off and hand them to the supervisor before period 1. A handed-in device that makes a sound or is found to be working is also treated as misconduct. The test building is a no-smoking area, e-cigarettes included.
Answer sheet (OMR) rules
- Mark one answer per question and fill the circle completely. An incomplete mark, or two marks on one question, scores 0 for that question.
- Do not fold, tear or stain the sheet. Never damage the timing marks, the short bars along the top and bottom.
- There is no extra time to mark answers after the listening section. Mark as you go.
- When the end of the test is announced, stop. Writing after the end, or ignoring the instruction to hand in the sheet, can be treated as cheating.
- Hand in both the question paper and the answer sheet. Not handing them in is misconduct.
Writing section rules (TOPIK II)
TOPIK II period 1 is listening (60 min) followed by writing (50 min). The official notice is clear: working on the writing questions during the listening time is treated as cheating. Start the writing questions only when the writing time begins.
Our writing practice counts characters the same way as the answer sheet:
- Spaces count as characters, because the answer sheet is a 원고지 grid; line breaks do not count.
- Question 53: write 200–300 characters, and do not write a title.
- Question 54: write 600–700 characters and answer every guiding question.
- Questions 52–54: use the written -다 style throughout, not -아요/-어요 or -습니다.
The time plan from our writing guide: about 10 minutes for questions 51–52, 12 minutes for question 53 and 25 minutes for question 54, leaving a few minutes to check endings and spelling. See TOPIK II writing explained.
Common mistakes that cost the test
- Name mismatch. The English name on the ID differs from the registration, even partly. The candidate cannot sit the test.
- One minute late. After the entry time nobody is let in.
- A watch in the pocket. Watches are banned just like phones, and keeping one is treated as cheating.
- Notes in the wrong place. Writing anything, whether questions, answers, words, drawings or symbols, on the admission ticket, the desk or your hand is treated as cheating, even if you never meant to leak anything.
- Sharing. Passing a pen, correction tape or anything else to another candidate during the test is misconduct.
- Leaving the building. During the break after TOPIK II period 1 you may not leave the test building.
- Posting the questions. Photographing, recording or posting test questions online is serious misconduct.
What cheating costs
The poster for the 108th test lists three levels. Minor misconduct means the test is stopped or voided. Serious misconduct, such as communicating with others, writing outside the question paper and answer sheet, carrying a device with AI translation, or posting questions, voids the test and bans you for 2 years. Asking someone to take the test for you, or taking it for someone else, bans you for 4 years. A notice of the planned penalty is sent to the email address you registered, and you can send your opinion to the TOPIK centre within 10 days of that notice.
After the test
Results are published on topik.go.kr on the date in the schedule, and a score is valid for 2 years from that date. Certificates are not sent by post, email or fax; you print them from the website yourself. Until then, keep practising: our free TOPIK I mock tests and TOPIK II writing practice show where you lose points. Registering for the next round? See registration, ID and entry times.
More on life, visas and exams in Korea: OByeolLab guides, including TOPIK structure and pass marks.
Sources, checked on 2026-10-20: “제108회 한국어능력시험(TOPIK) 응시자 준수사항 안내” and the poster for the 108th test (topik.go.kr); “제109회 한국어능력시험(TOPIK) 접수 안내[대한민국]” (topik.go.kr); TOPIK regulations (topik.go.kr). The character counts follow our writing module and widely published answer keys; official per-question writing points are not published.