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This 30 day plan gives you a clear daily routine for building basic Korean for EPS-TOPIK. Week 1 covers Hangul and sounds, week 2 covers core vocabulary and sentence patterns, week 3 covers reading and listening, and the last nine days are for timed practice and review. Plan for about one to two hours a day. Thirty days is not enough to master Korean, and no plan can promise a result, but a steady routine shows you what you know and what to fix next.
Before you start
- Check the official notice. Find out what the notice for your country says about the test and the timetable. Our guide on how to read an official EPS exam notice shows what to look for.
- Prepare your tools. You need a notebook, a pen, headphones and a timer on your phone.
- Use the same daily structure. A fixed routine makes it easier to start each day.
| Part | Time | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 10 minutes | Say yesterday's words aloud |
| New material | 40 minutes | The task for the day |
| Listening | 20 minutes | Short Korean audio: numbers, times, dialogues |
| Self-test | 10 minutes | Cover the Korean and recall it from the English |
If you can already read Hangul well, start at week 2 and use the extra days for review.
Week 1 (days 1-7): Hangul and sounds
| Day | Task |
|---|---|
| 1 | Basic vowels ㅏ ㅓ ㅗ ㅜ ㅡ ㅣ and basic consonants ㄱ ㄴ ㄷ ㄹ ㅁ ㅂ ㅅ ㅇ ㅈ ㅎ |
| 2 | Building syllable blocks: 가, 나, 다, 고, 노, 도 |
| 3 | Final consonants (받침): 밥 (rice), 물 (water), 안 (inside) |
| 4 | Consonants with a puff of air (ㅋ ㅌ ㅍ ㅊ) and tense consonants (ㄲ ㄸ ㅃ ㅆ ㅉ) |
| 5 | Combined vowels such as ㅐ ㅔ ㅘ ㅝ ㅢ |
| 6 | Reading sign words: 위험 (danger), 출구 (exit), 금연 (no smoking) |
| 7 | Review: read 30 words aloud and time yourself |
Self-check for day 7: can you read these without romanisation? 안전모 (safety helmet), 장갑 (gloves), 비상구 (emergency exit), 소화기 (fire extinguisher), 사무실 (office).
Week 2 (days 8-14): Core vocabulary and sentence patterns
| Day | Task |
|---|---|
| 8 | Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼 ...) and prices with 원 |
| 9 | Native Korean numbers (하나, 둘, 셋 ...) and the counters 개 and 명 |
| 10 | Time: 시, 분, 오전, 오후 and the days of the week |
| 11 | Workplace safety words |
| 12 | Tools and equipment |
| 13 | Everyday action verbs and the -아요/어요 ending |
| 14 | Review and a vocabulary self-test |
For days 8 to 10, use our lesson on Korean numbers and counting. For day 11, use workplace safety vocabulary in Korean. The vocabulary topic page lists the other word lessons.
Learn these three patterns this week, and make your own sentences with them:
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| N이에요/예요 | 이건 망치예요. | This is a hammer. |
| V-(으)세요 | 장갑을 끼세요. | Please put on gloves. |
| V-지 마세요 | 만지지 마세요. | Please do not touch. |
Week 3 (days 15-21): Reading and listening
| Day | Task |
|---|---|
| 15 | Reading: workplace signs. Say what each sign tells you to do |
| 16 | Reading: short notices. Find the time, the place and the action |
| 17 | Listening: short dialogues. Listen first, then read the script |
| 18 | Listening: numbers and times. Write the digits as you hear them |
| 19 | EPS reading practice set in learning mode |
| 20 | EPS listening practice set in learning mode |
| 21 | Review all mistakes from days 19 and 20 |
On days 19 and 20, do not worry about your score. Read every explanation, even for the questions you got right.
Week 4 (days 22-30): Timed practice and review
| Day | Task |
|---|---|
| 22 | EPS mixed practice set in learning mode |
| 23 | Review day 22 and start an error log |
| 24 | EPS vocabulary practice set |
| 25 | Weak area 1: the topic with the most mistakes |
| 26 | Weak area 2: the topic with the next most mistakes |
| 27 | EPS mixed practice set in timed mode |
| 28 | Full review of day 27 |
| 29 | Light day: review your notebook and replay audio you already know |
| 30 | Look back at the month and plan the next 30 days |
For days 23 and 28, follow the method in how to review a mock test effectively. On day 27 you will see questions you met on day 22, so focus on speed and on whether you can explain each answer, not only on the score.
If you miss a day
Do not try to do two days in one. Continue from where you stopped and add the missed day to the end. A plan that takes 33 days is still a good plan. If you miss several days in a row, go back to the last review day and restart from there.
How to tell the plan is working
Check yourself at the end of each week:
- Day 7: I can read simple words in Hangul without romanisation.
- Day 14: I can count from 1 to 20 in both number systems and say the time.
- Day 21: I can understand short signs and simple spoken instructions.
- Day 30: I can finish a timed practice set calmly and explain my mistakes.
If you cannot say yes to a line yet, repeat the key days of that week before you move on.
Next step
Start day 1 today. When you reach week 4, the EPS mixed practice set is your main practice test. The EPS-TOPIK hub has all our guides in one place.
Sources
- EPS (Employment Permit System) official portal (checked 1 October 2026)
Next scheduled review: 1 January 2027. Found an error? Request a correction.
