Rick Carlino

Software engineer and tinkerer.

TOPIK Study Group 2026

  • Weekly meeting is mostly accountability/check-in.
  • Most studying is done individually between meetings.
  • Use past TOPIK II papers and TOPIK한권이면OK for practice.

How to use this plan

  • Every week (solo): 2-5 short study blocks on weekdays + 1 longer block on the weekend for writing practice.
  • Every week (together, 30 min): 1) 5 min: check-in (time spent, what worked, what didn’t) 2) 15 min: review one shared artifact (missed questions OR writing) 3) 10 min: set next week’s homework + accountability commitments

Weekly Homework

Every week we will:

  1. Do a past TOPIK exam in backward order (see official TOPIK site for list), alternating between reading and listening weekly.
  2. Do a practice Q53 / Q54 from a past exam (in order, see resources)
  3. Read ~25 pages of TOPIK한권이면OK (not an exact number, will vary based on chapter stops) ## Week 1: Setup

Goals

  • Establish starting point, choose resources, routines.

Solo homework

  • Do weekly homework
  • Set weekly schedule (days/times)
  • Learn about Q53/54 format
    • Level 3 goals will be different than level 5 goals

Group (30 min)

  • Share baseline results + 1-2 biggest weaknesses each.
  • Agree on:
    • schedule
    • goals
    • plan
    • ideas
  • Talk about
    • Test format
      • increasing difficulty
      • mentally prepare for the last section - do not get discouraged
      • First 30 listening questions are most critical
      • one question = one audio playback
      • two questions = two audio playback
    • scoring
      • 120/300 to pass minimum
    • results
    • study techniques

Week 2: Listening Section I

Goals

  • Build a repeatable grammar/vocab pipeline.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]

Group (30 min)

Week 3: Listening II

  • Improve accuracy and comfort with early reading questions.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]

Group (30 min)

  • Discuss grammar points and vocab from page 25-50
  • 96th TOPIK Reading practice section
  • Consider trying practice number 53

Week 4: Listening III

Goals

  • Increase reading speed and time management.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]

Group (30 min)

  • Discuss grammar points and vocab from page 50-75

Week 5: Listening IV

Goals

  • Stabilize listening performance and build stamina.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]

Group (30 min)

  • Discuss grammar points and vocab from page 75-100

Week 6: Listening Conclusion

Goals

  • Get comfortable with short answers + data description.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]

Group (30 min)

  • Discuss grammar points and vocab from page 100-125

Week 7: Writing

Goals

  • Diagnose with a more realistic simulation.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]

Group (30 min)

  • Discuss grammar points and vocab from page 125-150

Week 8: Reading I

Goals

  • Patch the biggest hole(s) for each learner.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]

Group (30 min)

  • Discuss grammar points and vocab from page 150-175

Week 9: Reading II

Goals

  • Prepare for long passages and abstract topics.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]

Group (30 min)

  • Discuss grammar points and vocab from page 175-200

Week 10: Reading III

Goals

  • Build confidence on long dialogues/monologues.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]

Group (30 min)

  • Discuss grammar points and vocab from page 200-225

Week 11: Writing II

Goals

  • Build a reliable essay process under time pressure.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]

Group (30 min)

  • Discuss grammar points and vocab from page 225-END

Week 12: Full Exam Simulation

Goals

  • Final rehearsal for endurance + timing.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]
  • Review YouTube strategy videos

Group (30 min)

  • Go over tips we learned

Week 13: Final Review + Confidence

Goals

  • Consolidate, reduce burnout, keep skills warm.

Solo homework

  • Do [[#Weekly Homework]]
  • Review YouTube strategy videos

Group (30 min)

  • Go over tips we learned, concerns, etc..

Week 14: Exam Week

Goals

  • Stay fresh, sleep well, avoid last-minute chaos.
  • Take the exam!

Resources

HOMEWORK

USEFUL:

TOPIK Question 53 Response Patterns

Batch 1

{{1위 항목}}이/가 {{1위 숫자}}로/으로 가장 높게 나타났으며,
{{1위 항목}}이/가 {{1위 숫자}}로/으로 가장 큰 비중을 차지하였으며,
{{2위 항목}}이/가 {{2위 숫자}}, {{3위 항목}}이/가 {{3위 숫자}}로/으로 그 뒤를 이었다.
{{4위 항목}}은/는 {{4위 숫자}}에 불과하였다.
{{기관, 단체}}에서 {{대상}}을 대상으로 {{제목/주제}}에 대하여 조사를 실시하였다.
{{기관, 단체}}에서 {{대상}}을 대상으로 {{제목/주제}}에 대하여 조사하였다.
{{기관, 단체}}에서 {{대상}}을 대상으로 {{제목/주제}}에 대하여 조사한 결과이다.
그 뒤를 이어 {{2위 항목}}이/가 {{2위 숫자}}, {{3위 항목}}이/가 {{3위 숫자}}로/으로 조사되었다.
둘째 {{원인2}}에도 그 원이있다.
마지막으로 {{4위 항목}}은/는 {{4위 숫자}}로 가장 적은 수에 그쳤다.
반면에 TOPIC2은 {{숫자}}년 {{숫자}}%에서 {{숫자}}년 {{숫자}}%로 {{감소/증가}}한 것으로 나타났다.
이러한 추세가 계속된다면 {{전망}}에 그칠 것으로 전망이다
이러한 현상이 나타난 원인으로는 두 가지를 들 수 있다.
조사 결과에 따르면 TOPIC은 {{숫자}}년 {{숫자}}%에서 {{숫자}}년 {{숫자}}%로 {{감소/증가}}한 것으로 나타났다.
첫째 {{원인1}}때문이다.

Batch 2

{{1..12}}월까지 증가하다가 {{감소/증가}}하기 시작했다
{{1..12}}월에는 {{숫자}}%까지 감소했다
{{1..12}}월에는 {{숫자}}%까지 증가했다
{{1..12}}월에는 {{숫자}}%에 그쳤다
{{1..12}}월에는 {{숫자}}%에 달했다
{{1..12}}월에는 {{숫자}}%에 머물렀다
{{1..12}}월에는 {{숫자}}%에 불과하였다
{{1..12}}월에는 {{숫자}}%에 이르렀다
{{명사}}은/는 증가한 데 반해 {{명사}}은/는 감소했다
{{명사}}은/는 증가한 반면 {{명사}}은/는 감소한 것으로 나타났다

Batch 3

이러한 {{변화/증가}}의 원인은 다음과 같다.
그럼에도 불구하고
{{명사}}을/를 하기에 앞서