KIIP Naturalization Test (KINAT): Format, Pass Mark and Interview

KINAT (Korea Immigration and Naturalization Aptitude Test, 귀화용 종합평가) is the KIIP test that replaced Korea's written naturalization exam on 1 March 2018. It has 36 multiple-choice questions and a short essay in 60 minutes, then 5 spoken questions in about 10 minutes. The pass mark is 60 out of 100. If you have applied for naturalization, you must pass it within one year of your application date or the application is refused. If you complete the whole of KIIP level 5 first and then pass, you also skip the naturalization interview.

This guide covers the two kinds of candidate, the format and points, what the official sample asks, how to book a paper or computer sitting, and what happens at the interview if you aren't exempt. Rules are as of October 2026. Nationality decisions are serious and individual, so confirm your situation with the Immigration Contact Center (1345) or the nationality section handling your application.

Two kinds of KINAT candidate

The difference that matters most is the interview. The Ministry's FAQ is explicit: if you sit the applicant version and pass before finishing level 5, you are not counted as having completed KIIP and you don't get the interview exemption.

Attempts and the one-year clock

The official sources don't agree on how many tries you get inside that year:

All four agree on the one-year deadline. On the count, the safe reading is three attempts. Plan to pass within them, and ask 1345 or your nationality officer before you book a fourth.

For KIIP completers who fail, the rule is the same as for the permanent residence test: retake it, or repeat the full level 5 once and then score 41 or more to be counted as completed.

Format and points

On paper you mark an OMR card and write the essay on a 200-character grid. On computer you click your answers and type the essay on a Korean keyboard, so practise Hangul typing if you normally write by hand. Two examiners assess two candidates at a time in the speaking part.

What the official sample asks

The Ministry's KINAT sample, rewritten for the 2021 textbooks and posted on Socinet in 2022, shows how the 65 multiple-choice points are spread. Questions 1–7 are worth 1 point each and test language: vocabulary such as 막막하다 (at a loss) and 상의하다 (consult), grammar like -다가 and -(으)ㄹ 만하다, and joining two clauses into one sentence. From question 8 on, everything is worth 2 points:

• 8–10: a clause-joining item, then two reading items. One is a flat-viewing checklist with ticked boxes; the other is a passage on AI speakers, robots and the Internet of Things.
• 11–36: Korean society. Family change (more single-person households), urbanization and satellite cities, nine years of compulsory education, food, Buddhism's arrival in the Three Kingdoms period, the National Assembly, the principle of equal voting, export history, laws supporting foreign residents, passports and visas, family terms, criminal law, the Three Kingdoms, Admiral Yi Sun-sin, Seoul, Busan as a Gyeongsang metropolitan city, the Constitution, the duty to pay tax, Liberation Day (15 August 1945), social rights, the policy process, globalization, the market economy, in-laws, and minor offences.

So 26 of the 36 questions (11–36), 52 of the 65 points, are Korean society content, while the ten language and reading items carry only 13 points. This is a test of the level 5 course, not a TOPIK-style language test. The Ministry's FAQ confirms that the comprehensive evaluations are set from the KIIP textbooks (levels 0–5, seven books, sold in ordinary bookshops). If you are sitting the applicant version without classes, the level 5 books are the syllabus.

The sample essay asks for up to 200 characters on "the food I like, how to cook it and why it is healthy", answering three prompts, with no title. In the speaking part you read a passage about tangible and intangible cultural heritage and answer three questions on it: one fact question, one reason question and one about heritage in your own country. Then come two separate questions, here on the features of hanok houses and on the four basic duties of Korean citizens.

Booking a sitting

Paper (PBT). The comprehensive evaluations run on eight Saturdays a year at universities around the country. The last 2026 sitting: apply 17–21 November, test 5 December, results 11 December. When booking, choose the naturalization (귀화용) version.

Computer (CBT). The naturalization version is also offered at three permanent centres:

There are four sessions a day, with written tests at 9:30, 11:10, 13:40 and 15:20. Check-in runs from 30 to 10 minutes before the start (9:00–9:20 for the 9:30 session); latecomers are not let in and get no refund. Not every day carries the comprehensive evaluation. In round 22 (tests from 19 October to 1 November 2026), Seoul and Gwangmyeong hold it on 22 and 29 October only, and all of Daejeon's dates in that round are pre-assessments, so check the round notice before you plan. A new booking round opens at 9 a.m. every other Thursday; round 23 runs 22–28 October. Results come two working days after the test, after 4 p.m. Sessions with fewer than ten bookings may be moved to another session or centre, so keep your phone number up to date. If you need disability accommodations, book the paper test: computer sittings can't provide them.

The fee is ₩38,000 either way.

Before you book as an applicant:

1. Run the naturalization applicant check on Socinet. Go to My Page → 학사이력조회 (study history) → 귀화신청자 인증. If you skip it, kiiptest.org shows a pop-up saying you are not a naturalization applicant. People who joined Socinet after applying can instead choose "for naturalization applicants" when signing up.
2. Finish or pause any KIIP class first. The FAQ says you can't book the applicant version while a class is in progress. Either wait for the course to end or apply for a suspension (이수정지) on Socinet.
3. Update your address and visa on Socinet, or the booking won't go past "next step".

The Socinet guide shows where these menus are.

If you still have an interview

Applicants who aren't exempt are called to a naturalization interview at their immigration office. A Seoul Immigration Office notice from August 2026 sets out the rules:

• The date can't be changed. If you miss it, including arriving late, or fail, you are given a new date within 5–7 months. You get two chances in total.
• Dress and attitude count. Untidy clothing or an unserious manner can lead to failure and refusal.
• Passing isn't approval. A final review, including checks for legal violations, still follows.
• Preparation material: the notice points to HiKorea (정보마당 → 국적/귀화 → 종합평가 및 면접심사) and to the Ministry's KakaoTalk channels, found by searching "법무부" or "국적종합정보". They carry sample interview questions, the national anthem and a study comic.

A realistic timeline

If your naturalization application was received in late October 2026, your one-year window runs to late October 2027. A sensible plan: run the applicant check on Socinet at once, study the level 5 textbook for six to eight weeks, and book a computer sitting early in 2027. If the first attempt fails, there is still most of the year left for a second one.

If citizenship is a few years away rather than months, going through the KIIP levels to the end of level 5 first is the better route: you skip the interview, and on the way you also get the permanent residence evaluation.