EPS-TOPIK Exam Guide: Who Can Apply, Test Format and How Selection Works

Want to work in Korea on the E-9 visa? Then your first real step is a Korean test called EPS-TOPIK. HRD Korea, a public agency, runs it for the Employment Permit System (EPS). Below you'll find who can take it, what the test looks like, how people get picked and how to keep your money safe when you register.

What EPS-TOPIK is

EPS-TOPIK means “Test of Proficiency in Korean” for the Employment Permit System. It checks two things. Can you handle basic Korean in daily life? And can you follow simple Korean at work?

The score is used to build the list of foreign job seekers that Korean employers choose from. So this isn't just a language certificate. It decides whether your name can move forward at all.

Only people from countries with an EPS agreement can take it. The official EPS history says Tajikistan joined in 2024 as the 17th country. The others are the Philippines, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Cambodia, China, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Laos.

Who can apply

HRD Korea lists these rules on its EPS-TOPIK page:

• Men or women aged 18 to 39
• No criminal record
• Never deported from Korea
• Nothing that stops you from leaving your own country
• Not more than 5 years in Korea on E-9, on E-10, or on both together

Watch the age rule. Your country's notice turns it into exact birth dates for each round. Say you turn 40 two weeks before the test day. You may not be accepted, even though you were 39 when you started studying.

The test: 40 questions in 50 minutes

EPS-TOPIK is taken on a computer. The structure is short and simple:

The questions focus on daily life in Korea, Korean used in industry and Korean workplace culture. Expect safety signs, a supervisor's short instructions, money and time. Not poems. Not news articles.

How passers are chosen

Here's the part many people get wrong. HRD Korea uses a relative evaluation. In plain words:

1. Each industry has a minimum score. You must score above the lowest score set for the industry you chose, such as manufacturing or agriculture.
2. Everyone above it is ranked. People are picked in order of score.
3. The number is limited. Only as many people as planned for that round are selected.

So a score that passed last year might not pass this year. Don't aim for “just enough.” Aim high.

Round 2: the skills test

If you pass the Korean test, you take a skills test. HRD Korea says it checks whether your skills match what employers in each industry need. It has three parts:

• Fitness: grip strength and back strength, plus one random cardio task, like a burpee test or pushing a hand cart.
• Interview: introducing yourself, basic conversation, using tools, following instructions and safety awareness.
• Basic skills by industry: for manufacturing, things like joint connection, measuring and cutting, pipe bolting, using a grinder and pallet loading. Construction includes rebar and pipe scaffolding.

You can also earn a few extra points for related work: 1 year or more of experience, a national certificate in that field, 120 hours or more of training, or a related college diploma.

Never used a grinder? Practise basic tool tasks before test day. Simple habits count too. Put on gloves. Check the tool first. Listen fully before you start.

How registration works

You can't register through a Korean company. And you shouldn't register through a private agent. Your country's official sending agency announces each round and handles it with HRD Korea.

HRD Korea's schedule page lists every country's registration period, test date and result date. Some countries register in person. Others register online. Fees are set separately for each country, so ignore numbers you see on Facebook. Use the fee and payment method in your own country's notice.

How to study

HRD Korea gives away self-study textbooks for EPS-TOPIK in many languages, including English, Vietnamese, Thai, Khmer, Sinhala, Burmese, Uzbek, Lao and Bengali. You can read them online or download PDFs. They match the test better than general Korean books.

• Learn Hangul properly first. Many listening questions depend on hearing similar sounds.
• Use a timer. You get about 37 seconds per question. Skip hard ones and come back.
• Learn work words. Safety signs, tools, numbers, days, and short orders like “stop” or “bring this.”
• Practise on a screen. The test is on a computer, so get used to headphones and clicking answers.
• Study a little every day. Thirty minutes daily beats one long session on Sunday. Listening improves fastest when you hear Korean often, even in short bits on the bus.

After you pass

Passing both rounds puts you on the job-seeker list. Then a Korean employer with permission to hire may pick you. If that happens, you'll get a standard labor contract and the visa process starts. Our guide How to Work in Korea Through EPS walks through every step until your first day.

It also helps to know your future pay. Read our guide to the 2026 minimum wage, so you can check the wage in any contract you're offered. And if you want to compare E-9 with other visas, see South Korea work visa types.

Waiting can take a while. Keep your phone number and email up to date with your sending agency, so you don't miss a message.

If you worked in Korea before

People who already spent more than 5 years in Korea on E-9 or E-10 can't take the general test. Some countries also hold a separate round for workers who worked in Korea under EPS before and went home on time. If that's you, read your own country's notice carefully. The rules for that round are different. Once you're in Korea, save our list of help lines for foreign workers in your phone.