Frustrating TOPIK registration experience in Korea

We are an international couple living in South Korea, and my husband is currently a graduate student here in Korea. In order to graduate the master's degree, he needs to pass a Korean language test, which is provided by the school, so to prepare for it, he has decided to take a TOPIK test for the first time.

 

The TOPIK test registration started yesterday, and until yesterday, I didn't know that registering for TOPIK test is THAT HARD.

 

1. You CAN NOT register for TOPIK on your laptop or mobile phone on certain days.

Stupidly, for first few days of TOPIK registration, you can only register through PC, oh, more specifically, DESKTOP. I was trying to reach TOPIK website through a laptop, and it kept saying, 'you can not reach this page through mobile'. I tried with different browsers, but still it didn't work.

It says, 'we don't support Mobile environment'

Therefore, I called the TOPIK organization 국립국제교육원 (+82-2-3668-1331 / if you are already in Korea just dial 02-3668-1331), and they told me "Sometimes, the website detects your laptop as a mobile phone, so in that case, you have to use a desktop PC." I am surprised how poorly the website is designed, but whatever. 

 

So very first few days, you can only register for TOPIK on your DESKTOP. If you can only use your latop or phone, you have to wait until September 10th, but you need to know that many spots would be already taken by that time. You can only register IF there are empty spots, only if someone didn't pay the registration fee on time, or it wasn't full because the location isn't very convenient.

 

So, after calling the TOPIK organization I again tried to log in through a desktop PC, but the all the spots were already full.

With the DESKTOP, I could finally access to the TOPIK registration website

 

 

2. The registration date is varied depending on the test location.

We are leaving in Seoul, so I was hoping for my husband to take the test in Seoul. I saw that TOPIK test registration starts from September 7th, 2021, to September 13th, so I simply thought that "Oh we have planty of time to register. "

BUT, I didn't know that the registration in order to test TOPIK in Seoul only opens for ONE DAY. I logged in to TOPIK registration website at 14:00, and all the spots were taken. There was no room to take the test in Seoul.

All the spots in Seoul were full

(In order to register for the test, you need to have your account on TOPIK site before hand. So make it before the registration date)

 

I was very surprised that it is so competitive to register for TOPIK.

 

I figured out that on September 8th, the chance will be open to take in Gyeonggi-do, which is not bad to travel by subway, so I decided to register tomorrow, 10:00 sharp.

 

3. The registration web servercan't handle too many people, which took me 1 hour and half to register for the test.

To say the conclustion first, we could successfully register for the test, but it took 1 hour and half, and the whole time was very frustrating.

First, I went to the TOPIK website, and when I clikced '제 79회 한국어능력시험 접수하기(Register for TOPIK)', it told me to wait until more than 5,000+ people who came first do there job. I waited. 

Waiting.......

I used Chrome browser at first, but just in case I turned the Microsoft Edge and opened the website.

Chrome Browser waiting for 2957 people to pass the gate, Microsoft Edge Browser waiting for 6390 people to pass the gate.

 

After 15 minutes The log in page appeared, and I put my husband's ID and PW, and then it said I need to wait again for 6,000 people.

 

Chrome Brower wating to be logged in, Microsoft Edge Browser stil waiting to reach the log in page.

I waited. After seeing those numbers decreasing, the website was thinking and thinking, and finally it showed me a very very disappointing sign.

 

What the.......????

"This page isn't working"

 

I literally was cursing in Korean. It took me 42 minutes to see this absurding sentence.

 

I didn't have a choice but had to try again from the beginning.

I tired to access to TOPIK website again with Chrome, but it said "This site can't be reached." I cursed again.

It was good that I turned the Microsoft Edge Browser too. I tried to log in through Microsoft Edge. I put ID and PW, and it said I need to wait for 10,000+ people ahead. FINE. At this point, I just gave up looking at the browser, and I started work on other stuff. I didn't even want to take a screen shot of it because it was sick of waiting.

 

After waiting 10,000+ people, finally I was logged in, and the normal registration page showed up. I clicked TOPIK II, chose the location that is closest to our house (1 hour away by subway), put information hoping the server wouldn't go wrong again. Then I pushed "next' button. It told me to wait AGAIN, but this time it wasn't bad. I waited for about 50 people. 

 

 

 

 

I got the bank account number that I need to sent the registration fee to, and sent the money right away using my phone. And finally, it was done!

 

The total amount of time that it took for me to register for TOPIK was 1 and half hours. Geeeeezz. I NEVER thought that it would be this difficult to register for TOPIK. I simply thought it would be like registering for TOEIC or TOEFL, but man, TOPIK....... it is frustrating job. They gotta do something on their server. REALLY.

 

If anyone, who is reading this, will register for TOPIK, be ready for the frustration, and don't give up. It might take longer time than you thought, but if you wait, it will work out in the end. Good luck!