How I got TOPIK Level 5 in 5 Months!

[@urcozyfriend_nia]

I’ve been studying Korean for over 5 months, but still on beginner mode really shows that everyone takes their own amount of time to succeed in learning a language. :)

[@aliahfx2]

Yes! I’m actually going to be uploading a video soon on how I taught myself Korean , so I think it might help 😃

[@urcozyfriend_nia]

@@aliahfx2 Nice! I’ll stay tuned for that.

[@aliahfx2]

@@urcozyfriend_nia I uploaded the new video :)

[@kamsonlerminglen3493]

I did not go particularly for studying Korean language but I learn it from youtube. I can read it i can write... I have been in Korea for 4 years...learning depend on your interest and the amount of time you give.... I always write down vocabulary and carry in small notepad wherever I travel and always read it..thats how i improve myself☺☺☺☺

[@veronicainkorea]

Congrats on earning 5급! I have some of the books you mentioned but I never study with them 😭. Definitely feeling more motivated to do so now after seeing your results! Great video ^-^

[@aliahfx2]

Thank you! I’m so glad I could help motivate you ~ I’m sure you’ll do great, you just need to dedicate a little time each day and you’ll be surprised with how much improvement you can make! 화이팅~

[@josephgrn2818]

Thanks for starting out mentioning your seven years of start (even if not concentrated). I’m in the same boat with some unstructured history. Gives me hope! (Along with all the tips you gave!)

[@aliahfx2]

Thank you for watching! and those 7 years were all over the place haha so this was my first time studying steadily for such a long period of time. I actually uploaded a video about my Korean journey as well with some more tips to improve overall if you're interested :) You definitely can do well as long as you are persistent and I wish you the best of luck with your journey!

[@nu_breed73]

I've only just started and am doing Topik 1 (hoping for 2nd grade) in October but this was SO engaging and so helpful for me and you're so warm and entertaining to watch, thank you!

[@aliahfx2]

Thank you! I'm glad my video was helpful 😄 I hope you do well on your exam!!!! 화이팅~~~

[@mrsstyles1324]

Trying to achieve level 2 just in 3 months.. 😅I can't imagine myself in level 5 at all still.. Is like a dream

[@ssayavale]

thank you for motivation ♡ I must get 5 급 and I have only a year. Everybody including my tutors says that it's kind of impossible. now I believe it depends only on my efforts 😌

[@aliahfx2]

You definitely can! If you find a good study schedule that works for you I’m sure you could do really well 😁

[@cxepali]

Did you get it? Its been a year already😅

[@nami.jklife]

Wow 😮I studied korean about 4 years ago and still can't take even 3급😢 the most funny thing that I learned Ewha 3-1 and 3-2 but my topik level still sucks..😢 maybe I'm just a couch potato..

[@Heynin.236]

Clear explanation and you looks pretty, congratulations for your Topik test 😀

[@aliahfx2]

Aw thank you 😊 I’m glad you think it was clear !

[@adriannamartin5992]

Wow congrats!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!

[@aliahfx2]

Thank you!

[@tjgoneastray_]

It's like your personality switches when you speak korean hahaha Love It

[@melodywilson]

im a beginner in self learning korean, 4 months. its been a struggle and fun. not giving up

[@aliahfx2]

It’s definitely challenging at times but not giving up is the best thing you could do because you’re always improving 😃

[@freyjarushworth7219]

Congratulations on 5급! I would just say though that these types of titles can be very misleading because it implies you got it in 5 months of studying *only*

[@JohnMusic7]

안녕하세요! How manny new Korean words a day did you learned in general? I'm learning Korean now for 8 months. I've choosed to learn 3 new words each day. That makes 21 words each week. Then I repeat learning those 21 words for 4 weeks. By doing so I feel like these words are becoming a part of my long-term memory. When i hear those words in K-drama's later i instantly recognize them. When I memorize more than 3 words a day, I'm starting to forget them must faster. So 3 words a day is working good for me! Everyone else who reads this comment, I'm also curious about your methods of memorising vocabulary!

[@aliahfx2]

안녕하세요~~ That's a good question! And that is a great technique for memorizing words! I'm glad you found something that works well for you :) Tbh it's been a while, so I don't exactly remember, but it varied depending on the difficulty of the words and my mental state that day lol some days it might've just been 5 words and others it would range for 10-15. Since I memorized with sentences, I would sometimes have 2 or 3 new words in the same sentence that would make it easier to memorize. I also would remember it better if I came across it in an article or show/movie.

[@JohnMusic7]

@@aliahfx2 Thanks for answering me! I recognize myself in what you say, that the ability to memorize words sometimes depends on my mental state :) ! Some days, when my head is empty, taking in new words and grammar is very easy, and other days my head is too full to add new information. But all in all, it's a great journey to learn Korean! It's great how you've come this far because you persevered with studying Korean, and that you can now even be a teacher for others! Good luck with that and enjoy it!

[@aliahfx2]

@@JohnMusic7 thanks so much! I wish you luck on your journey too :)

[@JohnMusic7]

@@aliahfx2 Thank you! 🙋

[@sabiya-l4z]

아녕하세요 언니 저는 인도 에서 사는 사비야 라고 하늠데 대학생이에요 저는 사월에 한국능력시험을 보려고 하는데 저는 그냥 1.5달 있어요. 1.5달에 토픽 4급 합격할 수 있어요??? 😢😢 대답하세요 언니.

[@crazy_korean22]

This is motivation 🙌 👏

[@aliahfx2]

I’m glad my video motivates you!

[@yunohsmiles]

i'm really stressed out because topik is coming close and i feel like i have yet to learn all the vocabularies TT

[@aliahfx2]

You can do it! I'd recommend memorizing several of the most common TOPIK words a day and try memorizing them in a sentence. You could also skim Korean articles or watch Korean videos with Korean subtitles. Even if you don't understand everything it can help you get familiarized with the words. Good luck! 😁

[@RomellRonin]

The link to the italki tutor isnt working could you re post it please? 😊

[@btsstop27]

Vocab from where

[@morgang5830]

wow congrats on getting 5급! I was wondering how did you improve your listening skills for the listening section? 💕💕

[@aliahfx2]

고마워요 ~ I had a couple ways I improved my listening skills. The TOPIK OK book came with a CD for the listening portion, so I would try to replay the audio and read along the questions until I understood most of it. I would eventually stop reading along to test if I could understand without having text in front of me. The other way I practiced( which was more fun lol) was by going on KZbin/Naver and looking up stuff that interested me in Korean. For example, I’m interested in dancing , so I’d look up stuff like 춤추는 방법 (methods for dancing) That way, I could learn vocabulary on different topics and expose myself to different ways of speech. Hope this helps!

[@dancewithme5360]

Dii please tell me apne vocabulary kaise learn ki

[@sapphire2442]

Thanks for the tips in vocab. I am really struggling it. Although I know a lot of grammar, I just can't memorize vocab :(. Also my writing sucks haha, and I was wondering if italki was a great option... 유용한 정보를 공유해 주셔시 감사합니다.

[@aliahfx2]

I’m glad my tips helped! I struggled a lot at first too haha but if you just memorize with sentences you’ll learn a lot! I think italki is great as long as you find a tutor who actually knows the exam well. Good luck with your studies😊 봐주셔서 감사합니다 ~~

[@syahlaaudy3318]

yes please same condition w me, i know a lot of grammar, but so hard to remember a lot vocabs :(

[@Taechiwita]

I am also learning Korean hope this will help me

[@aliahfx2]

I’m going to upload a video soon about how I taught myself Korean so I hope it helps!

[@noorungj7777]

May i know your teacher's name on italki? Your writing result was so high. Congratulations

[@aliahfx2]

Thank you! And sure! his name is SungIl Kim. Here is his italki link www.italki.com/i/reft/HdFF6a/FBfb6B/korean?hl=en-us&

[@noorungj7777]

@@aliahfx2 Wow thank you. Hope you pass level 6 soon and can achieve all of your dreams. Fighting aliah

[@aliahfx2]

@@noorungj7777thank you! I wish the same to you too 😀

[@Sowpiyang]

Where can you use the level of your topik?

[@Imacutebanygirl]

Thanks

[@collegewifi5024]

This is a really cool video! Can you explain why you've been studying korean for so long? Are you living there or planning to?

[@aliahfx2]

Thank you! I like to study languages and I got into Korean culture as a young teen so I decided to try and learn the language. I never expected for myself to get to where I am today haha No I don't live in South Korea, but one day I would definitely like to study abroad or take dance classes there!

[@collegewifi5024]

@@aliahfx2 Awesome! As a beginner I'm really interested in what you did to get to intermidate-ish level before this 5 month sprint that you described. Could you do a separate video where you go into more detail on that? Thanks!!

[@aliahfx2]

@@collegewifi5024 Sure! Thank you for the recommendation! I’ll see what I can do 🙂

[@bibi.okorie808]

Thank youuu.

[@aliahfx2]

You’re welcome! I hope you found it helpful 😁

[@AireneGiecelCubay]

hi can i ask how and where can i find topic page thank you

[@learnkoreanwithKorean]

놀라워요. 공부를 열심히 한 결과 입니다

[@aliahfx2]

감사합니다 ~

[@curtismorris5236]

Congratulations I have stepped up my Korean studing. I will show Samantha your video.

[@aliahfx2]

Thank you! I’m surprised you came across my video haha but let me know what she thinks!

[@nigarliyeva4721]

Thank you🥹🥹for your motivation after 2 months i have an exam and i need 4급 I have a level 2 from TOPIK 1 what do you think is it possible to get level 4 from level 2 in 2 months?

[@aliahfx2]

Thank you for watching! Although I do not think that is an impossible goal, I do think it will be challenging to do in 2 months. But like I said, it's not impossible, I think if you use some of the tips mentioned in the video and set up a good study schedule you will be able to improve! Good luck ! 화이팅~

[@taibaanwar3592]

Where did you buy these books from?

[@melodywilson]

i have a question.... do you have any tips or advice about anything that can up my skill level from beginner to elementry level?

[@aliahfx2]

I actually am finishing up editing a video about how I taught myself Korean and it will have tips! But I would say expose yourself to a lot of Korean (kdramas, Korean music, etc) input is your best friend. Try learning lots of vocab too (I find flash card systems like quizlet help), you could just look up common word lists if you’re not using a textbook/series. I’d also say try repeating sentences that you hear and talk to yourself in Korean. Like I said I’m gonna upload another video soon and I’ll go more into detail about some of the tips I wrote here. Thank you for watching and I hope this helps!

[@melodywilson]

I was told that I need a stepping stone structure. Where I live there very little koreans and the colleges don't teach korean. So im just trying to figure away for me to do this. I'm working on memorizing vocabulary I have 218 so far which is small amount, I also do memrize,, drops, Ling q, I listen to kop, pod casts, watch kdrama. That's my only immersion. I still have alot to learn and hopefully maybe by Dec I'll at least beable to understand alot of what I watch or listen too.

[@aliahfx2]

@@melodywilson That's really good! When I started, I did not have any classes or Koreans to practice with either, I just learned online from free resources like TalkToMeInKorean(TTMIK) and Instagram. I eventually got a few textbooks. If you don't have a textbook series you follow then maybe try learning from a website like TTMIK where the lessons are structured. There are many free resources out there :) Also I uploaded my new video I hope it can help!

[@kuvandik17]

Hi, I have a question for u, Now I studying Korean and I am beginner, so I have 1 year submit to Topik exam for enter SNU University. Can I get a higher level within a year?

[@aliahfx2]

Absolutely! What great is that you have so much time to prepare! You should probably just focus on basic vocab and grammar first. I’d recommend taking the practice tests online for the TOPIK 1 exam and then eventually move on to the TOPIK 2 practice exams. Lots of exposure to Korean will help(like music,podcasts, shows, books, etc) and practicing basic writing could help. Thanks for watching and I wish you luck!!!

[@SaltyBoggart]

Who was the teacher you used sorry?

[@sd0088]

Which was your level before the 5 months training for the topik exams?

[@aliahfx2]

I can only make a guess since I was never properly assessed, but I’d say somewhere in between lower and middle intermediate. In the video I explain it more, but I had weak reading and vocabulary skills.

[@martazoa2736]

And then there is me😂 in two years I achieved level 2…

[@aliahfx2]

That’s totally okay! It’s not an easy exam and it honestly doesn’t reflect your true abilities in Korean! It just depends on how you study for the exam, I’m sure if you decide to take it again you can do even better😊

[@martazoa2736]

@@aliahfx2 ohhh thank u 🥹❤️❤️

[@yogitaatrisharma6063]

i am struggling to find this book. could you please advise a website where I can buy these books? your advise would be much appreciated.

[@aliahfx2]

All the books I used and their links are in the description box! 🙂

[@yogitaatrisharma6063]

oh, i am so sorry. i missed checking the description box and thank you so much for your prompt reply. the second book is also on twochois.com . grammar in use for the intermediate level is not on Amazon India but advanced version is there. so I guess I am going to miss the intermediate version. but certainly the website twochois has good books. thanks for your advice.

[@oikiko]

Hi Aliah, I really need some help, my brain is freezing just knowing that my exams are in less than 6 months lol. How many words should one know to ensure TOPIK 5/6. I was told that for TOPIK I you need around 2000 most common words. So what is needed for TOPIK II, say, level 6? I would thank you will all the cells in my body if you could please answer this. Thank you! 😩✋

[@aliahfx2]

Hi Kiko! Thank you for watching! Honestly, I never counted the amount of words that I studied, so I'm not really sure what the exact number of words should be. I just focused on the words in my topik books along with trying to read articles in Korean and watching news clips in Korean as well. I found that familiarizing myself with more formal and technical Korean helped me out the most. I would say instead of focusing on the number of words, it might be better to learn words that would help you understand an article or news report. I do recall seeing and hearing words that were pretty formal/technical during the more difficult portions of the exam. Sorry that this response doesn't exactly answer your question, but this is what helped me get level 5. I hope this can help and I think you'll do great~ 화이팅!

[@oikiko]

@@aliahfx2 Hi Aliah! Thank you so much for taking out time. I'll focus on the pointers that you've mentioned. This really gave me a direction to move in. Thank you once again. I'll update you after my results. I hope everything goes well. 화이팅! 🐥 I hope you upload more content, you have an amazing voice (crisp, clear and melodious) and your videos are very helpful. Take care!

[@aliahfx2]

@@oikiko thank you so much! I look forward to hearing your results! I do have plans to upload again 😆 you take care as well and good luck ! 🍀

[@oikiko]

@@aliahfx2 I hope you DO upload more; whatever type of content you wish to. Thank you for your wishes! 🐥 Hoping and working for the best ✨

[@nicoleraheem1195]

Where did you get the "free" books ?

[@aliahfx2]

There are plenty of free resources online! For example if you look up Korean Grammar in Use Intermediate online you can actually find the entire book as a pdf. I personally prefer physical copies of books , but you can find downloadable pdfs of many of them online. Also there are websites that test your Korean skills and have free resources such as Nuri Sejong Hakdang and Talk to me in Korean. Nuri Sejong Hakdang actually has their own series of books and you download them on their website all for free. Hope this helps!

[@はなこちゃん]

hello~ are you blasian?

[@aliahfx2]

Hi! No I'm not~

[@uzbekcha99]

안녕하세요 혹시 텔레그램이 있으세요?

[@aliahfx2]

안녕하세요, 텔레그램이 없는데요 … 그거는 뭐예요?

[@uzbekcha99]

@@aliahfx2 당신과 메신저를 주고받을 수 있어요 ? 어떤 앱을 사용하시나요?

[@aliahfx2]

@@uzbekcha99 트위터가 있어요. aliah_lili라고요.

[@uzbekcha99]

@@aliahfx2 아쉽네요 설치 못했어요ㅠㅠㅠ

[@studymatters5536]

Hiii i have topik exam in 8 days and i really freaked out and nervous, could you please give me some tips and tricks on listening and reading

[@aliahfx2]

Hi! I would say take the practice exams on the topik webiste and download the pdfs. You can read them while the dialogue plays. Then try listening to the audio again without the pdf. This will help your listening and reading skills. Also try going on naver and looking at articles in Korean, even if you don't understand them the extra exposure can help. When taking the listening test, read the answers FIRST. Do not wait until the dialogue plays to choose an answer, you will end up wasting time and possibly missing the next question. Cross out the answers that seem weird and unrelated as well. Like if the dialogue is talking about an umbrella cross out the answer talking about shoes. You'd be surprised how quickly you'll find the answer this way. For reading I would say do the same thing. Read the answers first so you'll have an idea about what the passage will be about and cross out unrelated answers. Make sure you read the questions carefully too because you could make a silly mistake if you don't. The test gets harder the farther along you get so if you really have no clue what the answer is, just guess. I hope this helps! You can do it! Try and practice relaxation techniques so you can be relaxed and focused when taking the exam. Good luck and thank you for watching! 😊

[@studymatters5536]

@@aliahfx2 thanks so much for telling ! This will really help me ! I am solving papers and learning vocabulary and making grammar stronger! Topik used to be conducted in October but after resitration this time they suddenly changed it in July so that's why i couldn't prepare much !

[@nicoleraheem1195]

So, how did it go ?

[@studymatters5536]

@@nicoleraheem1195 well i passed basic level 1 but couldn't pass level 2 because reading need pratice alot and it's very tough! Because you have to read big big paragraph in very less time ! That's why .. And i couldn't prepare much due to less time so.... I'm preparing for next topik 2 now Wbu ?

[@aliahfx2]

It's definitely difficult to advance your reading skills in such a short period of time, but congrats on passing level 1! I'm sure you'll do even better the next time!

[@nalaa9618]

So why wouldn´t you say your tutors name in the video? He can get serious business with people trying to learn for TOPIK and you just cut it out...

[@aliahfx2]

Hi! Thank you for watching! The video was already long and I did not expect for it to get much attention, so I had to edit out a lot of parts. I actually did put his info in the comments. I also added it to the video description. If you want it here it is: His name is SungIl Kim and here is his italki link: www.italki.com/i/reft/HdFF6a/FBfb6B/korean?hl=en-us&

[@nalaa9618]

@@aliahfx2 The site always fails...Is he not there anymore?

[@aliahfx2]

@@nalaa9618 hmm… when I originally put the link it worked, and now when I search his name it no longer pops up. It seems like he may no longer be on the platform :/ I only took his classes when I studied for the exam, so we have not been in contact since 2021.

[@orchidgal129]

Hey there. Are pdfs of the books available online? Can you share #book2 pdf(4:01 ) 😭 I searched it sm but I’m not getting it on Google🥲