## Introduction Last October, after a 10+ year break from studying Korean, I decided to give Korean learning another shot. I needed to set some sort of goal, so I made my main goal to pass the TOPIK exam. I took the exam in April and, although I didn't do great, I did manage to pass. I got a score of 3, which is the lowest passing score. Considering that I was only studying about 30 minutes a day before work and don't live in Korea, I think I did pretty well for the effort I put in. ## Disclaimer When you read this article, please take the title at face value. The title is "How I Passed the TOPIK via Part-Time Study," and it might not necessarily mean that's how YOU should study for the TOPIK exam. I'm sharing my experience to give you an idea of what worked for me and what didn't. Hopefully, you can use this to create a study plan that works for you. Feel free to reach out if you ever want to talk. ## My Background I lived in Korea for about four years. First, during a three and a half year period in the military, where I didn't have much time to study. Then, I went back for one semester to study at Yonsei's Korean Language Institute, plus three semesters at Arizona State. Unfortunately, my semester load was heavy, and I had to drop out due to financial reasons. I then went about 10 or 11 years without using Korean at all. During this time, my skills degraded substantially. Although I always wanted to start studying again, I couldn't find the time until recently. ## Timeframe and Schedule I had six months to prepare for the exam. Most of my efforts were spent relearning vocabulary. I also took a once-weekly TOPIK exam prep class via Zoom, read two TOPIK books (though I didn't finish them), and studied past exams. Additionally, I took one private lesson via italki, but couldn't continue due to a hectic work schedule. ## Challenges and Opportunities The biggest challenge was that I had no Korean friends or language exchange partners and was essentially starting from scratch alone. I mitigated this by taking classes and using language exchange apps like HelloTalk. Surprisingly, I remembered a lot of grammar and vocabulary, although it took several months to come back. ## Tools and Resources I Used Because I was only studying part-time, didn't live in Korea, and had no strong connections with native speakers, I used various tools. Here's a list of what I found useful, in order of usefulness: - **A Good Spaced Repetition System:** I reviewed about 6,000 items in six months, mostly full sentences. I used a system I wrote myself, but many people use Anki. - **ChatGPT Premium (No, not the free version):** This was my biggest resource after spaced repetition. It helped me understand grammar patterns and proofread material. It was essentially a language Tutor that was correct 95% of the time and never grew tired of how simple or repetitive my questions were. - **HelloTalk:** It’s like Facebook for language learners. The premium version is overpriced, but it has the largest pool of Korean native speakers for language exchange. - **The "Official" Korean Language Dictionary:** [The official Korean language dictionary](https://krdict.korean.go.kr) is less bloated than commercial offerings such as Naver's Korean dictionary. I would convert many of the example sentences to spaced repetition cards. - **Online TOPIK Prep Class:** [My favorite Korean YouTuber](https://www.youtube.com/c/Hanijemi) offers a test prep class. It moves quickly and covers a lot of content but was well worth it. Make sure you clear your schedule if you take the class. You will get a lot of homework and you need to actually do the homework to get the benefits. - **TOPIK Tutoring:** I tried italki for the writing section, which was very helpful. I wish I had more time to take more classes here. I will re-visit this option for next time. - **TOPIK Books:** I bought two books, but my prep class covered most of the material, so I didn't use them much. ## My Daily Routine My strategy was to learn how to take the test and memorize as much vocabulary and grammar as possible. Here’s what I focused on: 1. Learning how the TOPIK exam works. 2. Cramming as much vocabulary and grammar as possible. 3. Using downtime to watch Korean YouTube videos and chat with HelloTalk friends. The strategy for item 2 above: 1. Consuming content (YouTube videos, HelloTalk conversations, previous TOPIK papers, books). 2. Identifying unknown vocabulary and grammar patterns with the help of ChatGPT. 3. Importing new material into my spaced repetition system. 4. Reviewing spaced repetition as much as possible. ## Learnings and Regrets - **Don't do practice exams with headphones:** The real test audio was played over a speaker in an echoey classroom, and I wasn't prepared for that. - **Focus on reading speed:** I read too slowly during the listening and reading sections. - **The writing section is an opportunity:** I didn't attempt the long-form essay question, but I will next time. - **I focused too much on vocab, not enough on grammar:** I'll spend more time learning new grammar patterns and writing example sentences. ## Looking Ahead Although my score was only a passing score, I'm happy I passed. My new goal for the next 6 to 12 months is to score a 4 or better on the exam and tackle the long-form essay question. Stay tuned as I outline more plans.