108th TOPIK: 8 Test-Takers Get Prior Notice of Misconduct Penalties — Electronic Devices Not Handed In Void the Test, Writing Answers Outside the Answer Sheet Brings a 2-Year Ban

The TOPIK Center of the National Institute for International Education (NIIED) on October 28 issued prior notices of administrative disposition to eight test-takers caught engaging in misconduct at the 108th TOPIK PBT (Paper-Based Test) held on October 18. Five of them failed to hand in items prohibited in the test room before the start of the first session or kept them somewhere other than where the proctor instructed; their results for that sitting are set to be invalidated. The other three wrote questions or answers somewhere other than the question booklet or answer sheet, and in addition to having the test invalidated, their eligibility to sit the PBT, IBT and Speaking Test is set to be restricted for two years from the date of notice. Test-takers preparing for the 109th PBT on November 15 and the 16th IBT on November 28 need to know which actions lead to which penalties if they want to avoid the same mistakes.

Which Actions Drew Which Penalties

According to the prior notice, the penalties fall into two tiers. Failing to hand in, or leaving in an arbitrary place, electronic devices with recording, photography, communication, payment, storage, charging or electronic display functions, as well as non-electronic items that could be used for cheating, before the start of the test results in invalidation of that sitting's test. Not handing in the device or keeping it elsewhere is in itself grounds for the finding.

Writing questions or answers anywhere other than the question booklet, the answer sheet or the memo paper provided in the Speaking Test is treated one tier more seriously. In addition to invalidation of that sitting, the test-taker cannot sit any PBT, IBT or Speaking Test for two years from the date of the disposition notice. No notes of any kind should be written outside the question booklet and answer sheet.

The center cited Article 42-5 (4) of the Enforcement Decree of the Higher Education Act as the basis for the penalties, and stated that the misconduct categories and penalties may change following deliberation and resolution by the Misconduct Review Committee. Those who received a notice may submit their opinions to the TOPIK Center by email (topik@korea.kr) or in writing by November 7 (date of receipt).

What November Test-Takers Must Follow

The rules that test-takers for the 109th PBT on November 15 and the 16th IBT (Internet-Based Test) on November 28 should refer to are set out in the test-taker instructions for the preceding 108th sitting and in the registration guide for the 16th IBT.

It is better not to bring electronic devices to the test center at all. The center advises that test-takers themselves are responsible for any damage occurring while prohibited items are collected. Analog wristwatches must be handed in too.

November–December Score Releases and Test Dates

Domestic registration in Korea for the 109th sitting and the 16th IBT closed on September 7 and September 21 respectively. Those who sat the 108th exam on October 18 can check their scores on the TOPIK website at 3 p.m. on December 10.

What First-Time IBT Test-Takers Should Know

According to the 16th IBT registration guide, the TOPIK IBT carries the same validity and grade system as the PBT and is taken on computers prepared at the test center. IBT Ⅰ consists of 26 listening and 26 reading questions in 70 minutes (9:30–10:40); IBT Ⅱ consists of 30 listening, 30 reading and 3 writing questions in 125 minutes (13:00–15:05). Grade cutoffs are 121–235 points for Level 1 and 236–400 for Level 2 on IBT Ⅰ, and 191–290 for Level 3, 291–360 for Level 4, 361–430 for Level 5 and 431–600 for Level 6 on IBT Ⅱ.

There are 38 test centers in Korea. The Busan test centers are Busan University of Foreign Studies and Kyungnam College of Information & Technology. The center warned that registrations made with macro programs will be canceled without notice, the account suspended and no refund given.