Author Topic: TOPIK preparation resources and study guides (Read 3246 times)

ucla_all_the_way · « **on:** August 26, 2011, 04:18:10 pm »

Hello everyone,

While perusing through the TOPIK test threads I noticed that there were so many resources and study guides posted, but there wasn't a single thread that brought the great posted materials and links to helpful websites together.

All the material I am posting is not mine but downloaded from waygook, linked from waygook, sites that I stumbled upon, and from the TOPIK website itself. (Shout outs to Brian, siamagoo, jacob, notinKS, ajschumacher, hankmcmasters, cmgarlan, and other people who have provided and uploaded materials, websites, and good links.)

I hope that those who find this thread helpful can link to, post, and/or upload any other helpful resources or study guides that they come across or make. Please try to keep this thread as TOPIK related as possible!

FILES UPLOADED:
TOPIK words Beg 초급 - This is provided by the TOPIK website. It is the vocabulary list (I'm pretty sure it's comprehensive) of the 초급 (or Level 1 and Level 2 of the TOPIK) but with NO English definitions. This is in a MS .xls file.

TOPIK words w. def Beg 초급 - This the vocabulary list of the 초급 (Beginner Level) WITH English definitions. (Thanks notinKS!). This is in a MS .xls file.

TOPIK vocabulary Beg초급 - This the vocabulary list of the 초급 (Beginner Level) WITH English definitions in a MS .doc file (Thanks siamagoo!)

Verb Endings - LOTS of verb conjugations but with brief explanations. (Thanks siamagoo!)

Verb Endings with Examples - List of verb conjugations with some example sentences. (Thanks again siamagoo)

TOPIK Words 2011 Int중급 - .pdf file I found of the vocabulary list of the 중급 (Intermediate Level). Unfortunately, it's a pdf (non-editable), the definitions are in Chinese, and it's 111 pages long.

WEBSITES:
TOPIK website - http://www.topik.go.kr/

TOPIK Practice Questions - http://www.naldaramjui.com/TOPIK WAygook's own ajschumacher made this site himself where you can do old TOPIK 한국어능력시험 questions. Right now there are 300 questions available from the test in April 2011.

TOPIK Online Intermediate Level 중급 Flash Card Quizzes - http://quizlet.com/subject/topik-%EC%A4%91%EA%B8%89%EC%96%B4%ED%9C%98/ There are 31 flashcard sets with around 20-40 vocab words. Simple flashcard quiz style website

TOPIK Guide - http://www.topikguide.in/ The creator of the website is from India who is studying Korean Language Education at Seoul University. Great site that tries to aggregate information about TOPIK all in one site. You can find old tests, answer guides, and audio files.

TOPIK study, review material - https://sites.google.com/site/matthewpluskoreanequalsfun/topik-questions Has some review material and you can access old test files here too.

There are tons of other websites to learn Korean that aren't geared toward TOPIK so I'll just add links with little or no explanation.
http://www.language.berkeley.edu/korean/10/index.htm
http://www.koreanclass101.com/
http://www.verbix.com/languages/korean.php - Helps with Korean verb conjugation. Great when working with those irregulars
http://ezcorean.com/ Helpful with grammar, verb conjugation, Korean proverbs, etc.

iPhone/iTouch Study Apps (I hope someone will find this useful)

Anki - http://ankisrs.net/docs/AnkiMobile.html Flashcard App (it's US$17.99 and it includes the desktop program)
gFlash+ - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gflash-flashcards-tests/id286531709?mt=8 Free flashcard program
TOPIK Practice Test: Vocabulary for Intermediate I - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/topik-practice-test-vocabulary/id417725322?mt=8 Costs US$4.99. No reviews so I don't know how this program is. They have another app for the beginner level also.

REQUEST: Does anyone have the Intermediate Level (중급) vocabulary file? I have been searching for it for a while now and have yet to find it. Thanks!

SpaceRook · « **Reply #1 on:** August 26, 2011, 05:43:48 pm »

Another good website is:

http://seemile.com/renewal/index.jsp

They have lots of free videos with Korean lessons.

Brian · « **Reply #2 on:** August 26, 2011, 06:08:51 pm »

Here's another new(ish) resource:
http://www.naldaramjui.com/TOPIK

Really great to see a lot more people caring about the TOPIK and putting together helpful sites!

smeagol134 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 26, 2011, 08:57:27 pm »

Here is another useful site.

http://www.talktomeinkorean.com/

olivii · « **Reply #4 on:** January 02, 2012, 05:28:47 am »

Great ressources, thank you very much!!
Helped me discover this great forum by the same way ^^

notinKS · « **Reply #5 on:** January 02, 2012, 08:51:58 am »

I found a PDF of the recommended words for the 중급 test; however, it has no definitions. I'm starting 4 weeks of deskwarming today (my vacation is after the January test*^^*) so I'll see if I can whip it up with definitions. Vocabulary is definitely my weak point right now, so it will be a big help to me!

Songwon · « **Reply #6 on:** January 09, 2012, 02:10:29 pm »

I've been using a book called TOPIK Master which I bought at Kyobo. It has ten practice tests and it actually goes through afterward and explains all the correct answers in English. Doesn't cover everything, but what it does cover is extremely good and it helped clarify a lot of things for me. It also explains all the types of test questions and strategies for each.

http://www.aladin.co.kr/shop/wproduct.aspx?ISBN=8927730453

That's the one I'm using, but they have one for each level of the test.

Koenji · « **Reply #7 on:** February 03, 2012, 11:04:22 am »

thanks for this...will probably attempt a TOPIK test in the future

carousel · « **Reply #8 on:** February 04, 2012, 11:58:46 pm »

Great. I'm preparing for the TOPIK right now so this should come in handy. Thank you!

She Follow Me · « **Reply #9 on:** February 07, 2012, 10:19:59 am »

Anyone know when it's possible to register for the test in April?

Iamhappy · « **Reply #10 on:** February 07, 2012, 12:41:06 pm »

The registration is currently open from now until the 14th I believe. http://www.topik.go.kr/

I've found this website quite useful - http://www.language.berkeley.edu/korean/10/index.htm along with the Sogang online course.

She Follow Me · « **Reply #11 on:** February 13, 2012, 02:27:17 pm »

Thanks. I'll sign up for Intermediate later today.

I took the intermediate test last year, nailed Grammar and listening, did well on reading, but completely screwed up the writing. Partly my fault as I didn't know there was an essay writing portion in the exam (I'd been using a TOPIK book with very old past papers). Came out with a level 3.

Anyway, how do you guys study/practice essay writing?

peasgoodnonsuch · « **Reply #12 on:** February 14, 2012, 03:28:58 pm »

Gah! I just signed up for my first TOPIK exam today^^ I'm already scared...

I'll be taking the Intermediate and hoping desperately for a 4 but likely scoring a 3...There's only so much cramming I can do in 2 months...

Any advice from those that have taken it before? I'm mostly worried about my grammar/vocab and writing.

carousel · « **Reply #13 on:** February 15, 2012, 07:48:07 pm »

Quote from: peasgoodnonsuch on February 14, 2012, 03:28:58 pm

Gah! I just signed up for my first TOPIK exam today^^ I'm already scared...

I'll be taking the Intermediate and hoping desperately for a 4 but likely scoring a 3...There's only so much cramming I can do in 2 months...

Any advice from those that have taken it before? I'm mostly worried about my grammar/vocab and writing.

I'll be taking my first TOPIK in April, so I can't really tell you anything about past experiences.. But you already know your weaknesses, so that's a good start! My weakness is also writing, so I like to practice my writing on lang-8.com~ Your texts will be corrected by native speakers and even though it can be quite frustrating so see how many mistakes you make, it's still a nice way to gain some confidence and a great way to improve. I suggest you find out how long the essay for the intermediate level has to be so you won't be overwhelmed on the test day. I'm not 100% certain about this, but AFAIK the essay part is written on special paper, I believe it's called 원고지 (just google it). It's probably a good idea to practice how to write on this kind of paper. Good luck!

hiphopopotamus · « **Reply #14 on:** February 16, 2012, 08:26:55 am »

Crap.

I was hoping to take the test in April too, but didn't realize registration closed 2 months before the test. (2 months really??). I registered with TOPIK today but of course could not register online. I guess the summer test will be what I shoot for next.

Good luck to those of you taking it in April. I'll be going for Intermediate 4 when I do take it, so will be interested to hear your experiences.

peasgoodnonsuch · « **Reply #15 on:** February 16, 2012, 09:26:25 am »

Thanks for the encouragement and writing website. If you go to the TOPIK website you can see what the test papers are like. They didn't mention specific paper, but the essay must be written on the correct side. Also, you must have the special computer marking pen for the multiple choice, but anything is ok to write in for the short answer/fill in the blank and essay. They suggest pencil as it can be erased. They also said to have whiteout tape for any answers you want to change. It seems pretty similar to the exam sheets my students have. Ha! How they would laugh to know the table's been turned...

peasgoodnonsuch · « **Reply #16 on:** February 16, 2012, 10:12:50 am »

Quote from: notinKS on January 02, 2012, 08:51:58 am

I found a PDF of the recommended words for the 중급 test; however, it has no definitions. I'm starting 4 weeks of deskwarming today (my vacation is after the January test*^^*) so I'll see if I can whip it up with definitions. Vocabulary is definitely my weak point right now, so it will be a big help to me!

Can you explain the charts with all the letters and numbers? The more number 1's there are, the more important it is to study it? All could understand is that there are 10 professors and there are 10 slots with letters. I can only assume each professor marked a 1 when they felt that word was important vocabulary for the intermediate test? Should I only study the ones with more numbers next to them?

She Follow Me · « **Reply #17 on:** February 16, 2012, 09:45:09 pm »

Quote from: peasgoodnonsuch on February 14, 2012, 03:28:58 pm

Gah! I just signed up for my first TOPIK exam today^^ I'm already scared...

I'll be taking the Intermediate and hoping desperately for a 4 but likely scoring a 3...There's only so much cramming I can do in 2 months...

Any advice from those that have taken it before? I'm mostly worried about my grammar/vocab and writing.

Grammar for me seemed the most daunting at first, but turned out to be by far the easiest section. Just go through the past papers, lots of things will be repeated. Find a korean to teach you the grammar patterns you don't understand. Same with vocab, lots of words are repeated.

Be careful of time! I didn't finish the reading test, so had to guess the last 3 answers.

I did notice that lots of students were answering the questions in the reading section at the beginning of the listening test when the questions are repeated twice and are fairly easy. Maybe a good idea.

stijn1976 · « **Reply #18 on:** May 16, 2012, 09:07:22 am »

Hi,
Sorry for being a dummy here, but I don't see the download for the TOPIK beginner vocabulary file. Can anyone help me with this?
Thanks!

hwana · « **Reply #19 on:** May 16, 2012, 12:06:50 pm »

Quote from: stijn1976 on May 16, 2012, 09:07:22 am

Hi,
Sorry for being a dummy here, but I don't see the download for the TOPIK beginner vocabulary file. Can anyone help me with this?
Thanks!

Lots of new users don't realise, and so your question is quite common - you have to make 5 (useful) posts on this forum before you're able to download attached files.

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Author Topic: TOPIK preparation resources and study guides (Read 3246 times)