TOPIK II Level 4 in 6 months - my study plan

I passed TOPIK II Level 4 after just 6 months of studying Korean, and I want to share exactly what I did.

Months 1-2: Foundation. I used the Sejong Korean textbooks (세종한국어) Levels 1-2. Studied vocabulary with Anki flashcards - 30 new words per day. Focused heavily on grammar patterns using the TTMIK (Talk To Me In Korean) podcast.

Months 3-4: TOPIK-specific prep. Switched to past TOPIK papers. Did 2 full practice tests per week under timed conditions. Analyzed every wrong answer. Started writing practice essays (쓰기) daily.

Months 5-6: Intensive practice. Focused on my weakest area (listening). Watched Korean news for 30 min daily. Did one full mock exam every weekend. Reviewed vocabulary from all past papers.

Daily schedule: 2 hours of class + 2 hours of self-study + 1 hour of Korean media. Weekends were 4-5 hours of focused TOPIK prep.

My score: Reading 72, Listening 68, Writing 54. Total: 194 (Level 4 cutoff is 150). The writing section is tough but practice helps a lot. Good luck everyone!