TOPIK IBT vs Paper TOPIK: Differences and Which to Choose

TOPIK now comes in two formats. The familiar paper-based test (PBT) is the one with answer sheets and a listening CD. The internet-based test (IBT), introduced in 2023, is taken on a computer at a test centre. NIIED states that the two have the same validity and the same six-level system. What differs is almost everything else: the number of questions, the time, the price, the day of the week, how quickly results arrive, and where you can sit it.

The short answer: choose the IBT if you need results fast, prefer typing to handwriting, and can pay roughly double. Choose the paper test if cost matters, you want the most dates and locations, or you live in a country without an IBT centre. The details are below.

Side by side

All figures are for tests taken in Korea, from NIIED's regulations, the IBT page and the 16th IBT notice.

On the IBT, each section is worth 200 points: listening 200 and reading 200 for TOPIK I; listening, reading and writing 200 each for TOPIK II. The writing section has three essay-type questions instead of the paper test's four.

The level bands for each format are explained in TOPIK levels and score bands. Do not compare the raw numbers across formats: 360 on the IBT is level 4, while 230 on paper is level 6.

What a TOPIK II IBT day looks like

For TOPIK I, the IBT runs in the morning: doors open at 08:30, entry closes at 08:50, and the test runs from 09:30 to 10:40.

The IBT is shorter by 55 minutes, but with no break at all, two hours and five minutes is a long stretch. If you leave the room you wait in a separate space until the end and receive no score. Practise one full IBT-length session without stopping before test day.

Results: the strongest reason to choose IBT

NIIED's IBT card news says results come within three weeks. Compare the autumn 2026 rounds:

So the 15th IBT, taken a week after the 108th paper test, is due to report almost four weeks earlier. If you have a university, scholarship or job deadline, work backwards from the results date, not the test date.

Where you can take it

In Korea, the 16th IBT (28 November 2026) is scheduled at 38 sites: universities and colleges in Seoul (Korea University, Konkuk, Sungshin and, for TOPIK II only, Seokyeong), Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, the Chungcheong provinces, Jeonnam, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam and Jeju. The site list changes by round, so check the notice. NIIED warns that a site with 15 or fewer applicants in total may be cancelled, with a full refund.

Abroad, IBT is far less widespread than the paper test. For the 16th round, NIIED's overseas list had centres in Laos, Mongolia, Vietnam (Da Nang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City), Indonesia (Bandung, Bali) and the Philippines (Manila), each registering applicants its own way (in person, by email or online). If your country is not on the round's list, the paper test is your only option. Overseas fees and times are set locally.

Registering for IBT

The steps on topik.go.kr are the same as for the paper test, described in our registration walk-through. The differences in the 16th round's notice:

• Window: 15–21 September 2026, 10:00–16:00 each day.
• Payment: choose a method within 1 hour; card payments by 16:00 on the day you register, virtual account by 23:59:59. No foreign cards or overseas transfers.
• Windows only. Registration on Mac OS or mobile is not possible.
• Photo: 413 × 531 pixels, JPG or PNG, up to 500 KB, 300 dpi recommended, following the Ministry of Justice standard.
• Corrections to name, birth date or gender: request through Registration status and email a correction form with a copy of your passport or residence card to kitopik@korea.kr. For the 16th round, the period runs until 23 November (18:00).
• Refunds: 100% until 09:59 on the last registration day, 50% for the following week, 40% until 13:00 the day before the test. For TOPIK II IBT that is ₩95,000, ₩47,500 or ₩38,000 back.

On test day the rules are the paper test's rules: the same ID list, no watches or devices, and the same penalties, plus one specific to the IBT. Touching the keyboard or mouse for anything unrelated to the test, or using AI translation, writing or deepfake tools, is treated as serious misconduct with a two-year ban. See what to bring on test day.

Which should you choose?

If I were choosing for a deadline-driven application, I would book the IBT round whose results date falls at least two weeks before the deadline, and keep a paper round in reserve.

Try the interface first

NIIED offers a TOPIK IBT tutorial under Study TOPIK on topik.go.kr, with versions for TOPIK I and TOPIK II in Korean and English. NIIED describes it as the same form and functions as the program used in the real test, though screen scaling may differ on the test-centre computers. Spend twenty minutes in it before registering, especially to check whether typing Korean under time pressure suits you.

Key 2026 IBT dates in Korea

Every 2026 round reports on a Friday exactly 20 days after the test. When we checked on 18 October 2026, no 2027 IBT dates were listed; they will appear in NIIED's annual plan, which its regulations require by the end of October. The first 2027 paper round (the 110th, on 10 January) is already on the schedule; see the registration guide.