70 minutes for 50 reading questions works out to 84 seconds each. But passages get longer toward the end, so solving them at an even pace always runs short.
The principle is to move fast through the early section and save time for later. Here's the recommended split.
If Level 3 is your goal, boldly giving up on Q39 onward and spending 65 minutes on the first 38 questions gives a higher total score. Since every question is worth an even 2 points, there's no reason to get stuck on the hard ones at the end.
| Range | Recommended time | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Q1–12 (short items) | 10 min | 10 min |
| Q13–24 | 15 min | 25 min |
| Q25–34 | 15 min | 40 min |
| Q35–47 | 20 min | 60 min |
| Q48–50 + marking answers | 10 min | 70 min |
Yes, there's a mechanical way to handle each question type.
Q5–8 (ads and signs) just need you to catch one noun in the passage — if it says '몸에 좋은 영양소 / 마셔요' (nutrients good for your body / drink it), the answer is milk.
For Q9–12 (matching a notice), read the answer choices first, then find and compare only the relevant part of the passage. Reading the whole thing closely is a waste of time.
For Q13–15 (sentence ordering), just the rule that a sentence starting with a demonstrative (이·그, this/that) or a conjunction (그래서·하지만, so/but) can't come first filters out half the choices.
Guess immediately and move on. Dwelling on it makes you miss the next question too.
Listening audio plays only once and can't be replayed. The most common failure is losing two questions while trying to save one.
Yes. TOPIK listening choices are printed on the test booklet, so reading them before the audio starts tells you exactly what to listen for.
While the opening announcement plays, skim the choices for Q1–8, and in the gap between each question, glance at the next question's choices first. For the paired-question sets from Q21 on, look at both questions' choices together before listening.