TOPIK II Study Plan: A 30-Day Roadmap to Pass with Confidence | Korean TokTok
TOPIK II Study Plan: A 30-Day Roadmap to Pass with Confidence
A day-by-day TOPIK II study plan built around the four sections (vocab, grammar, reading, listening, writing). Week targets, resources, writing templates, mock exam strategy, and a Day-30 checklist.
A TOPIK II score β whether you are aiming for Level 3, 4, 5, or 6 β comes down to how you spend the last 30 days before the exam. The test rewards endurance, pattern recognition, and writing fluency more than raw vocabulary. This topik ii study plan is the week-by-week roadmap we wish every intermediate Korean learner had: specific daily targets, the four test sections mapped to a calendar, writing templates you can memorize, and a clear mock-exam strategy.
Before we walk through the 30 days, a quick calibration. TOPIK II covers Levels 3 through 6. It has three sections β λ£κΈ° (Listening, 50 questions, 60 minutes), μ½κΈ° (Reading, 50 questions, 70 minutes), and μ°κΈ° (Writing, 4 questions, 50 minutes). The Writing section is the one most candidates underestimate and the one most likely to cap your final level. The total is scored out of 300, and your level is determined by raw total score β not by section. That means weakness in any one section drags the whole number down.
Who this plan is for: intermediate learners aiming for Level 4 (140+), Level 5 (190+), or Level 6 (230+). If you are fresh off Level 2 and unsure you can handle Level 3 yet, spend a preparatory month on general intermediate study (see our grammar cheat sheet and beginner grammar roadmap) before starting this 30-day sprint.
The arithmetic: roughly 80β90 hours over 30 days. If you cannot commit 2 hours a day, stretch this into a 60-day plan by doubling each week. Do not compress β TOPIK II cramming in under three weeks produces worse scores than a well-paced 30-day plan.
Before you study anything, take a full TOPIK II past paper under exam conditions. This is non-negotiable. You need a baseline score per section so you can see where your 30 days should be weighted. The most recent past papers are published on the official νκ΅μ΄λ₯λ ₯μν website after every exam cycle. Print them; do not take them on screen.
Every TOPIK reading passage is built out of the same 3,000 intermediate words. If you cannot read 85% of the words in any given passage on sight, no amount of grammar will save you. Week 1 is about closing that gap.
Resource recommendations:
The official TOPIK μ΄ν list (Levels 3β4 is the target for most candidates; Levels 5β6 if you are aiming for Level 5+).
Our grammar cheat sheet for the vocabulary-adjacent endings that show up in every passage.
Day 7: Review Day 1's diagnostic. Rank your three weakest passage types (e.g., "opinion essays," "news reports," "statistics description"). You will target these in Week 3.
Drill them with short passage reconstruction β read a sentence, rewrite it from memory, compare. This is 3x more efficient than flashcards for grammar.
Take a half-mock β one full Listening section (60 min) back-to-back with one full Reading section (70 min). Score yourself. You should see a clear improvement over Day 1.
Do not read every passage front-to-back on the real exam. Read the questions first, then scan the passage for the answer region. This cuts time in half.
The last 5β8 reading questions are long thematic essays. Save 20 minutes for those alone.
For "arrange the sentences in order" questions, identify the sentence with a pronoun or connective that cannot be first β that's the second sentence.
Listening strategies:
Take notes during the 2nd-half conversations. TOPIK II audio is played only once. If you drift for 10 seconds you lose a question.
The final 10 questions include academic lectures. These reuse the same 4β5 topic types (history, science, literature, social policy, economics). Study past lecture questions by topic, not by year.
Learn the speaker roles: these lectures always open with "μ€λμ β¦ μ λν΄μ λ§μλλ¦¬κ² μ΅λλ€" ("today I will talk about β¦"). The speaker's thesis is in that opening line. Write it down.
Odd days (15, 17, 19, 21): Full Reading section β review mistakes β 30 min vocab β writing paragraph.
Even days (16, 18, 20): Full Listening section β transcribe the hardest 2 passages β 30 min grammar pattern review.
Day 21: Half-mock again (Listening + Reading). Score should be 15β25 points above Day 14. If it is not, reduce new vocabulary load and triple-down on the pattern recognition of your weakest question type.
This is the hardest and most important week. The Writing section (μ°κΈ°) is worth 100 points out of 300 β a third of your score β and it is where scores stratify. Most Level 5 candidates get there or fail on the writing alone.
Day 28: Full TOPIK II mock (Listening + Reading + Writing) under exam conditions. Time-box every section.
Day 29: Review Day 28. Do not take a new mock β just grade, identify the 5 most costly errors, and plan corrections.
Why two full mocks? The first calibrates your endurance. TOPIK II runs 180 minutes back-to-back; without at least one full dress rehearsal, your Writing scores crater due to fatigue. Most candidates lose 10β15 Writing points on exam day purely from mental exhaustion.
A few candidates over-mock β doing 6+ full mocks in 30 days β and burn out. Others under-mock. The sweet spot:
1 full mock on Day 1 (diagnostic).
2 half-mocks (Listening + Reading) on Days 14 and 21.
1 full Writing-only mock on Day 24.
1 full 180-minute mock on Day 28.
Between mocks, work section-by-section. Mocks are for calibration and endurance; the actual point gains come from reviewing mistakes and drilling your weaknesses.
How to review a mock:
Mark every wrong answer.
For each mistake, label the root cause: vocabulary gap, grammar gap, misread the question, ran out of time, or careless error.
Sort your mistakes by category. Whichever category tops the list becomes your target for the next three days.
You will learn more from a well-reviewed mock than from three unreviewed ones.
If you have been studying for 1β2 years and can hold a simple conversation, target Level 4 (140 total score) for your first attempt. Level 4 is the common entry requirement for Korean universities and the most common first-attempt level. Level 5 and 6 typically require 3+ years of sustained study. Overreaching on your first attempt leads to lower scores because you spread your 30 days too thin.
Each section is 100 points, for 300 total. Listening (100 pts), Reading (100 pts), Writing (100 pts). Your level is determined by total score only β there are no minimum section scores. That means a 90/70/10 and a 60/60/50 both total 170 (Level 4), even though the first candidate is essentially illiterate in writing.
No. TOPIK II levels are based purely on your total score across all three sections. If you are weak in writing, a strong performance on Listening + Reading can still get you to Level 4 or 5 on totals alone. That said, the writing section has such a low ceiling for most candidates that improving it 20β30 points is often the most efficient path to the next level.
You can leave it blank and still receive a score β but you'll cap out at roughly Level 4 with a strong reading/listening performance, and Level 5+ becomes impossible. Even a basic effort on Q51 and Q52 will add 15β20 points and is worth 15 minutes of planning. Do not skip the writing section.
Two to three full mocks total β Day 1, Day 28, and optionally a midpoint check around Day 18. More than that and you burn out; fewer than two and you never build exam endurance. The 3-hour sit is what kills most candidates on test day β it is essential to have practiced at least once under real conditions.
If you have 14 days, compress by dropping Week 1 (assuming you already have the vocabulary base) and combining Weeks 3 and 4 into a single sprint. If you have only 7 days, focus exclusively on Writing templates and the 30 core grammar patterns β writing gains are the fastest per hour of prep. Any less than 7 days and you are gambling. Postpone to the next cycle if you can. Use the extra time to strengthen your base with our grammar cheat sheet and beginner grammar post.
That is the full 30-day map. The candidates who hit their target level are not the ones with the most natural talent; they are the ones who committed to the rhythm, reviewed every mock properly, and memorized the writing templates so thoroughly they could recite them in their sleep. Pin this page, bookmark our TOPIK hub, and check in every week. Your future Level 4β6 self will thank you.
