EPS-TOPIK explained: the Korean test format, how scores work and why you still need to speak
The EPS-TOPIK has 20 reading and 20 listening questions, 100 points and no fixed pass mark. How scoring works, what Vietnam's 2026 round looks like, and how to practise speaking for the factory floor.
Korea's Employment Permit System (EPS) is an official, low-cost route for workers from partner countries to work in Korea. Every candidate first takes a Korean language test, the EPS-TOPIK. This article sums up how that test works, uses Vietnam's 2026 round as a worked example, and explains how to study Korean so you can not only pass the test but also do the job.
What is in the Korean test?
According to the guide compiled from HRD Korea (the Korean agency that runs the test):
| Section | Questions | Points | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 20 | 50 | about 25 minutes |
| Listening | 20 | 50 | about 25 minutes |
| Total | 40 | 100 | about 50 minutes |
All questions are multiple choice with 4 options, taken on a computer. There is no single pass mark for everyone: candidates must clear a minimum score for their sector, and are then selected from the highest score down until the quota is filled. So a higher score is safer; it is not enough just to “pass”.
Test dates, venues and results always follow the official announcements of the EPS agency in your country. Follow the official channels and never pay anyone who promises a guaranteed pass.
A worked example: Vietnam in 2026
Each partner country runs its own selection with Korea. In Vietnam, according to the Department of Overseas Labour (Ministry of Home Affairs), 4,200 workers are being selected under the EPS in 2026:
| Sector | Quota |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,000 |
| Fishing | 1,000 |
| Forestry | 150 |
| Services | 50 |
Vietnamese candidates must be 18–39 years old; fishing, forestry and services have extra conditions (place of residence, relevant experience or training). Candidates pay only one registration fee, equivalent to about 28 USD.
Selection has two rounds: round 1 is the Korean test, and round 2 is a skills test and competency assessment, which can add bonus points. The newspaper Nhân Dân quotes the Department as stressing that passing both rounds does not guarantee a job in Korea, because employers still have to choose your application. Anyone who gives false information has their result cancelled and is barred from the EPS test for 4 years.
If you are from another partner country, look up the same details with your own country's EPS agency; quotas, ages and fees differ.
It's a multiple-choice test. Why practise speaking?
Because in your first weeks in Korea you won't be answering multiple-choice questions. You will need to:
- Understand your team leader's instructions and repeat them back to confirm.
- Report straight away when a machine breaks, when you are hurt, when you make a mistake.
- Ask for sick leave, ask about pay and overtime.
- Understand safety signs and commands.
The listening section of the test also gets much easier once you are used to hearing and saying those sentences out loud.
A suggested 3-month study plan
| Stage | Focus |
|---|---|
| Month 1 | Hangeul, pronunciation, 300 basic words; 10 minutes a day saying greetings and introducing yourself |
| Month 2 | Vocabulary for your sector (tools, safety, the factory); listening practice with sample papers; speaking in factory situations |
| Month 3 | A timed sample paper every week; interview practice; review the sentences you once got wrong |
Practising EPS Korean in MOMIC
The MOMIC EPS program has 7 units: greetings, the employer interview, workplace safety, the factory floor, daily life, workers' rights and a speaking mock test. The AI plays your employer and your team leader. Every Korean line has Latin romanization and a translation in your language; mistakes are corrected and saved to your notebook for review.
MOMIC does not replace practice with the official multiple-choice sample papers for reading and listening. Use both: sample papers for the test, MOMIC for the listening and speaking you will use every day.
