Test Review: The Test of Proficiency in Korean

As a nationally accredited test, the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) assesses general Korean proficiency as a foreign language for various high-stakes purposes, such as university admissions, employment, and visa issuance. For this reason, the social impact of TOPIK on test takers is significant and cannot be underestimated. Despite the growing number of international test takers and stakeholders, there is limited validation research evaluating TOPIK’s various uses, as well as critical evaluation of the test itself. Thus, this test review provides an overview of the history, test purposes and use, design, and administration of TOPIK and offers an appraisal of its strengths and challenges. While the test scores are broadly utilized for their intended purposes and provide some evidence of language development across four skills in Korean, the lack of publicly available information on the test construct, psychometric properties, and standard-setting procedures makes it difficult to fully evaluate the validity and reliability of the scores. Furthermore, additional evidence and validation research are needed to examine the generalizability of TOPIK scores beyond academic domains, given the test’s diverse applications. Addressing these gaps is critical to meet the needs of various stakeholders and to strengthen the overall validity of the test.