Monday, March 25, 2013

TOPIK Exam - suggested reading

For those of you taking the TOPIK exam in April, here are three news articles that you may find especially helpful.



Read the article and try to figure out what the main idea is before looking up words or looking at the translation.

The reading section is one of the hardest sections on the exam because you don't have a lot of time to read everything.  A good way to practice is by reading these articles quickly and at least figuring out what the main idea is, even if you don't know what everything means.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

TOPIK Test Soon: 4/20-4/21

For those taking the upcoming 30th TOPIK exam, intermediate level, I decided to put some helpful information together.

First off, for some basic information about the test and its format visit the official TOPIK website.
(view the English version of the website by changing the language in the top right corner of the page)

The TOPIK exam is divided into four categories:  Vocabulary/Grammar, Writing, Listening and Reading.

You might find the following resources useful in preparing for each section:

Vocabulary/Grammar Section
Writing
  • Haru Korean - post unlimited sentences and have them checked by native Korean speakers
Listening
  • Talk To Me in Korean - check out the "Iyagi" series, it's excellent for intermediate level listening practice
  • For more advanced level listening check out Korean news websites such as MBC.  Many feature news clips along with transcripts. 
Reading
  • My blog, kimchireading, is an excellent way to improve reading skills.  Works very well on smart phones!
  • Integrated Korean by Hawai'i Press is excellent for reading.  
By the way, it's too late to sign up for this test.  The next one will be offered on 7/21 in Korea only.