Schedule for 2027 Topik announced, plans for future tests revealed
The Education Ministry will hold six PBT, six IBT and three speaking exams next year, while expanding test centers and strengthening measures to prevent cheating.
International students take part in a Hangul (Korean alphabet) writing contest held on Oct. 8, 2024, at Yonsei University in Seodaemun District, western Seoul.YONHAP
The Ministry of Education announced the 2027 Test of Proficiency in Korean (Topik) exam schedule on Tuesday, introducing more test centers amid the rising popularity of Korean.
There will be six Topik paper-based test (PBT) exams in 2027. The first of the year, the 110th Topik PBT exam, is set for Jan. 10 and will be administered only in Korea. The remaining five Topik PBT exams will be administered both in Korea and overseas.
There will also be six internet-based test (IBT) exams next year. The 17th Topik IBT exam, set for Feb. 20, will be administered only in Korea, while the remaining five will take place in Korea and overseas.
There will be three Topik speaking exams, the same number as this year, and all will be administered domestically.
The first, the 13th Topik speaking exam, will take place on March 20, while the remaining two will be held on June 12 and Oct. 23, respectively.
Along with the schedule, the Education Ministry also announced plans to strengthen penalties for those caught cheating following multiple cases involving the use of advanced equipment and time zone differences to commit cheating.
Those caught cheating will be barred from taking the exam for five years.
During the suspension, they will also be prevented from submitting their language test results to universities, in an effort to ensure the effectiveness of the sanctions, according to the ministry.
The Education Ministry will also bolster measures against different types of cheating.
The ministry said it is planning to limit the types of identification documents accepted for the exam to documents such as physical passports and foreigner registration cards to prevent proxy test-taking.
It will also expand the distribution of radio-wave detectors capable of detecting devices such as AI glasses and miniature earphones, while strengthening training for exam proctors to improve the detection and handling of cheating, according to the ministry's press release.
The Education Ministry also discussed long-term plans to introduce further changes to Topik, with a target of implementing them by 2029.
The ministry said it plans to gradually establish an AI-based system for automatically creating and grading exam questions, as well as explore the possibility for test-takers to take Topik from home through an online platform.
After preparations in 2027, the ministry plans to pilot the system in 2028 and, if no major issues are identified, implement the changes alongside strengthened measures to prevent cheating, according to the ministry.
