2027 TOPIK Schedule: Registration, Test and Score Release Dates for 6 PBT, 6 IBT and 3 Speaking Sessions; January's 110th Is Korea-Only; Scores by Level and Checking Overseas Registration

The 2027 TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) will be held 15 times in total: 6 paper-based tests (PBT), 6 internet-based tests (IBT) and 3 TOPIK Speaking tests. The first is the 110th TOPIK, a PBT on Jan. 10 (Sun.), held in Korea only. Registration runs from Dec. 8 (Tue.) to Dec. 14 (Mon.), 2026. The 17th IBT on Feb. 20 (Sat.) is also Korea-only, so overseas test-takers get their first chance with the 18th IBT on March 20 (Sat.), and overseas PBTs begin with the 111th TOPIK on April 10–11. All 3 Speaking tests are held in Korea only. The schedule below is based on the "2027 TOPIK Implementation Plan" announced by the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for International Education (NIIED) on Sept. 29.

PBT (paper-based test): 6 sessions

All registration periods in the table are for Korea. Overseas registration periods are set separately by the local test administering agency in each country.

The 111th through 114th sessions are each scheduled over two days, Saturday and Sunday. PBT scores come out about 4 to 8 weeks after the test date. The January 110th session has the shortest wait at 25 days, while scores for the October 114th session are released on Dec. 9, 53 days after the last test day.

IBT (internet-based test): 6 sessions

IBT scores for all 6 sessions are released 20 days after the test date. Results come out faster than for the PBT. Since its introduction in 2023, the IBT has been administered in 12 countries, including Korea.

TOPIK Speaking test: 3 sessions

The Speaking test is administered separately from TOPIK Ⅰ and Ⅱ, and its score report is issued separately. Its registration periods and test dates are the same as those of the 18th, 19th and 21st IBT. Overseas, the Speaking test will run its second pilot in 2027, with regular administration planned from 2028.

PBT, IBT and Speaking: what's the difference

Even within TOPIK, the PBT and IBT have different total scores, so the cutoff scores for each level also differ. The IBT has fewer items and a shorter test time, but its total score is twice that of the PBT.

Applicants up 1.7 times in 4 years

TOPIK applicants grew 1.7 times in 4 years, from 330,016 in 2021 to 566,665 in 2025. By year, the number fell from 375,871 in 2019 to 218,869 in 2020, then rose to 421,812 in 2023, 493,287 in 2024 and 566,665 in 2025. In 2026, 564,606 people had applied through September, 10% more than at the same point the previous year. Applicants in 2025 came from 89 countries.

What overseas test-takers should check

The 110th PBT in January and the 17th IBT in February cannot be taken overseas. The first overseas test in 2027 is the 18th IBT on March 20; in countries where the IBT is not offered, the first test is the 111th PBT on April 10–11. Overseas registration periods are set by local test administering agencies and differ from the Korea schedule, so the Korean registration dates should not be carried over as your own country's schedule. Check the registration period and test centers separately in the notices from your country's TOPIK administering agency.

Working backward from the date you need

If you have a fixed date for submitting scores for university applications, scholarships or visa documents, choose a session whose score release date falls before it. For example, if you need scores by the end of June, the 18th IBT (released April 9), the 111th PBT (released May 31) and the 112th PBT (released June 24) qualify. For a Sept. 20 deadline, you can use sessions up to the 19th IBT (July 2), the 113th PBT (Aug. 12) and the 20th IBT (Sept. 17). For year-end deadlines, the 21st IBT (Nov. 12) and 22nd IBT (Dec. 17), and the 114th PBT (Dec. 9) and 115th PBT (Dec. 23) remain.

Plans to tighten ID rules and cheating penalties

In the same announcement, the Ministry of Education proposed narrowing accepted IDs to items such as the original (physical) passport and alien registration card to prevent proxy test-taking (impersonation), and imposing a 5-year ban from taking the test for proxy test-taking, leaking test papers and forging ID. It plans to overhaul TOPIK into an artificial intelligence-based testing system from 2029. The tougher penalties and the reform timeline are summarized in our article on the 15 TOPIK sessions in 2027 and tougher cheating penalties.

• Test-takers in Korea should mark the first registration period (Dec. 8–14, 2026, for the 110th session) on their calendars.
• Overseas test-takers should check registration periods separately in their local test administering agency's notices.
• When reading a score report, remember that the PBT and IBT use different cutoff scores for each level.
• Choose a session whose score release date comes before your score submission deadline.
• If you need a Speaking score, add a test in Korea (March, June or October) to your schedule.

See the TOPIK level and registration guide for how each TOPIK level is used and how to register.