It turns out that when they mean the results come out on May 11th, they come out as soon as the clock hits midnight and the date changes to May 11th. I found out a few minutes after midnight, when someone from the KIIP test sent me a message asking about how I did.
Prior to taking the test, I have had zero – ZERO – formal Korean-language classes. I entered Korea in 2014 knowing four words in Korean: hello, kimchi, scandalous, and giraffe. Everything else, has been self-taught via Talk To Me In Korean, Seoul National University’s Korean-language textbooks, and eavesdropping/imitating people around me. It’s a miracle I haven’t been arrested for creepiness yet. I would “inconspiciously” linger next to a street food stall instead of walking straight by, to listen to how someone worded their order. (It helps that I look vaguely Korean.)
I tested into Level 2 aka Beginner 2, scoring 36 points out of 100 on the written test – four points (1 question = 2 points) short of testing into Level 3. I don’t know the results of the oral test – no results anywhere.
I did the written test the “correct” way – not answering questions that I couldn’t make head or tail of, in order to get placed into the right level for me. In retrospect, perhaps I should have filled out the entire answer sheet with guesses, in order to place in the highest level possible. With four choices for each question, I had a 25% chance of being correct, right? I’m not sure if this was the right decision, but I guess I’ll find out soon enough. I do feel that I have no business being in Level 3 – Intermediate, though.
I met two Filipino ladies there, and chatted to them in English. One is a housewife, and the other is a night-shift factory worker who described her work as “remote control buttons, all kinds of remote control buttons”. They both tested into Level 3, and I am envious. Maybe I should have randomly circled the questions I couldn’t answer…
Annoyingly, Level 2 doesn’t have ANY classes near me. I can either take a 60-minute bus ride north, or a 90-minute subway+bus combination south to Ansan, aka Asian Foreignerville. This lack of nearby classes is a surprise. It’s not like I live in the middle of nowhere, either. Five minutes away from me is the main city center, and there should be classes available there. Just not Level 2, I guess.
There WAS a 40-student class at Inha University, but that filled up before I even saw it. It looks like there will be a class in the next town over, but I’ve decided to suck it up and deal with the 60-minute bus ride north.
The 60-minute bus ride means going full-speed-ahead, by taking the only accelerated class. I start on May 15, and the last meeting (and level exam) is on July 03. Other classes start around or after May 15, but end in mid-August. I’ll be going to class on Saturdays and Sundays, for around 8 hours each day.
I can’t take online classes either, because – surprise surprise – I work the 9-5 shift, and the classes also take place during 9 am-5 pm. Ha!