EPS-TOPIK exam dates 2026
Set by the EPS Korea Section's notice of 2083/06/27 (13 October 2026). Every test is at the UBT Hall in the National Vocational Training Institute, Bhaisepati, Lalitpur, in up to five sessions a day.
| Sector | Test dates |
|---|---|
| Service I | 17 Nov 2026 – 19 Nov 2026 |
| Forestry | 18 Nov 2026 – 19 Nov 2026 |
| Agriculture and livestock | 20 Nov 2026 – 10 Dec 2026 |
| Manufacturing | 11 Dec 2026 – 22 Dec 20264 Jan 2027 – 21 Jan 202729 Jan 2027 – 5 Feb 202710 Feb 2027 – 25 Feb 2027 |
Session orientations start at 09:00, 10:30, 13:00, 14:30, 16:00. Each candidate's own date, shift and time is in the sector lists published on epsnepal.gov.np.
EPS-TOPIK exam pattern
| Section | What it tests | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading (पढाइ) | Vocabulary and grammar, practical information (signs, notices, timetables), comprehension | 20 | 50 | 25 min |
| Listening (सुनाइ) | Sounds and spelling, pictures and visual material, conversations and short talks | 20 | 50 | 25 min |
| Total | 40 | 100 | 50 min |
Every question is multiple choice with four options. The test is taken on a computer (UBT), and it measures the Korean needed for daily life and for work in Korea, including workplace safety and Korean workplace culture.
EPS-TOPIK passing score
HRD Korea grades the test relatively. A score below the minimum for your sector cannot pass; above it, candidates are passed in order of score until the sector's quota is filled.
- Manufacturing: at least 60 out of 100.
- Other sectors (agriculture, service, forestry…): at least 45 out of 100.
The expected number of passes in the 2026 round, from the application notice. It can change with demand from employers in Korea.
| Sector | Expected passes |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing · उत्पादनमूलक क्षेत्र | 5,000 |
| Agriculture and livestock · कृषि तथा पशुपालन क्षेत्र | 2,000 |
| Service I · सेवा क्षेत्र | 100 |
| Forestry · वन क्षेत्र | 100 |
| Total | 7,200 |
Who can apply
- A Nepali citizen.
- Aged 18 to 39: for the 2026 round, born between 28 July 1986 and 27 July 2008.
- Never sentenced by a court in a criminal case.
- Never deported from Korea for staying illegally.
- Not barred by the Government of Nepal from travelling abroad.
- Has not stayed in Korea for five years or more on an E-9 or E-10 visa.
- Not colour blind and without colour weakness.
The EPS-TOPIK form
How the 2026 application worked. The next round's dates and rules come in a new notice from the EPS Korea Section.
- When: 27 July to 2 August 2026, online only, at eoers.epsnepal.gov.np.
- Fee: US$28, paid online in Nepali rupees at Nepal Rastra Bank's rate for that day.
- Passport: A scan of the passport's photo page: JPG, 600 pixels wide, under 89 KB.
- Photo: A colour passport photo (3.5 × 4.5 cm) taken in the last six months, white background, not wearing white, both ears visible: JPG, 100–300 pixels wide, 8–14 KB.
- Contact: Your own email address and mobile number.
- One sector only. You choose one sector and one of its sub-sectors, and cannot change it later.
Your name, date of birth, gender and photo must match your passport exactly. They cannot be corrected after you submit, and a mismatch keeps you out of the exam. Our photo resizer brings a photo to an exact size in KB, on your own device.
On the exam day
- The day before your exam, go to the EPS Korea Section in Gwarko, Lalitpur, for biometric (fingerprint) registration at your shift's time.
- On the exam day, reach the UBT Hall at the National Vocational Training Institute, Bhaisepati, two hours early for fingerprint verification. Orientation starts an hour before the test; anyone late for it is not let in.
- Bring the original passport whose copy you uploaded (and your old one, if the number changed) and the colour test application slip. Without them you cannot sit the exam.
- Mobile phones, smart watches, Bluetooth earphones, MP3 or cassette players, PDAs, electronic dictionaries and bags are not allowed in the hall. Being found with one makes your exam invalid.
- Sitting the exam for someone else, or copying, bans you from EPS-TOPIK for four years.
- The date and the place cannot be changed.
After the test: skill test, results and selection
- Passing the language test does not by itself get you a job in Korea. Those who pass go on to a skill test and a job capacity assessment, and only those who pass these as well can make the final selection.
- You choose one sector and one sub-sector when you apply, and you cannot change it after passing the first stage.
- Results are published after HRD Korea sends them. You can see your own score on eps.go.kr and on HRD Korea's EPS-TOPIK site.
- A final pass is valid for two years from the day the result is published.
- Failing the medical test, or an adverse police report, stops you filling in the employment application even after passing.
What to study from
HRD Korea's own books are free: the NEW EPS-TOPIK standard textbooks (2024 edition), Book 1 for everyday Korean (일상생활 한국어) and Book 2 for workplace Korean (직장생활 한국어), each with its listening files. HRD Korea corrected parts of them in June 2026, so download them from its site rather than from an old copy.
Then practise in the exam's own conditions: one question at a time, against the clock. Our free reading test is 20 questions in 25 minutes, with the answers explained in English and Nepali.
Going to Korea also needs a labour permit before you fly: see shram swikriti, the labour permit.
Common questions
What is EPS-TOPIK?
The Test of Proficiency in Korean for the Employment Permit System: the Korean language test HRD Korea runs for workers from countries that send labour to Korea under EPS, Nepal among them. Passing it is the first stage of selection.
How many questions are in EPS-TOPIK?
40: 20 reading questions in 25 minutes and 20 listening questions in 25 minutes, 100 marks in all. Every question has four options.
What is the passing score for EPS-TOPIK in 2026?
There is a minimum — 60 out of 100 for manufacturing, 45 for other sectors — but reaching it is not enough on its own. Candidates above the minimum are ranked by score and passed until the quota for their sector is filled, so the real cut-off is set by the number of candidates.
When is the EPS-TOPIK exam in 2026?
From 17 November 2026: Service I 17–19 November, Forestry 18–19 November, Agriculture and livestock 20 November–10 December, and Manufacturing in four blocks from 11 December 2026 to 25 February 2027. Each candidate's own date and shift is in the lists EPS Korea Section publishes.
What is the EPS-TOPIK fee?
US$28 in the 2026 round, paid online in Nepali rupees at Nepal Rastra Bank's exchange rate on the day you apply.
What is the age limit for EPS-TOPIK?
18 to 39. For the 2026 round you had to be born between 28 July 1986 and 27 July 2008.
Does passing EPS-TOPIK guarantee a job in Korea?
No. The official notice says so in as many words. Those who pass go on to a skill test and a job capacity assessment, and even after a final pass the job depends on employers in Korea.
Where do I check my EPS-TOPIK result?
Results are announced by the EPS Korea Section after HRD Korea sends them. You can see your own score on eps.go.kr and on HRD Korea's EPS-TOPIK site. A final pass is valid for two years.
Are these practice questions from the real exam?
No, and no honest source can offer those: HRD Korea says that since 2013 every exam has been set from unpublished questions based on the standard textbooks. Its own sample question book is free to download from its site for study. Ours are written for this site in the same question types.