Hanja Proficiency Test (KHEP)

Hanja Proficiency Grade Test (한자실력급수 자격시험)

Korea Association for the Promotion of Hanja Education (사단법인 한자교육진흥회), through its Korea Hanja Proficiency Evaluation Institute (한국한자실력평가원) · KO tests Korean

UpcomingOfficial site ↗

Nov212026
126th test
Official schedule. All levels at 15:00. Registration closed 22 October.
Test date
Dec172026
Results for the 126th test
On the official site.
Results

Dates are from the organisation's official announcements. Always confirm on the official site before you apply.

Taking the test

Fee: ₩57,000 (사범), ₩37,000 (1급), ₩26,000 (2급, 3급), ₩21,000 (준3급–8급), plus ₩1,000 for paying online (as listed on the official site, October 2026).
How often: Four times a year, on Saturdays (February, May, August and November in 2026). All levels start at 15:00. Apply online, on mobile or in person at registration offices.
Format: Paper test, a mix of written answers (40–75% depending on level) and multiple choice: hanja meanings and readings, writing hanja, and the reading and meaning of textbook or workplace hanja words. Master adds the Confucian classics and Chinese poetry. 50 to 200 questions; 60 minutes (80 for Level 1, 120 for Master).
Run by: Korea Association for the Promotion of Hanja Education (사단법인 한자교육진흥회), through its Korea Hanja Proficiency Evaluation Institute (한국한자실력평가원)
Apply: Official site ↗

Levels

Level	What it means	Hanja	To pass
Master (사범)	Hanja plus passages from the Four Books and Three Classics, Myeongsim Bogam, Gomun Jinbo and Chinese poetry. 200 questions, 120 minutes.	5,000	80% (320 of 400 points)
Level 1 (1급)	Hanja plus 500 workplace hanja words by field. 150 questions, 80 minutes.	3,500	70% (210 of 300 points)
Level 2 (2급)	Hanja plus 500 workplace hanja words by field. 100 questions.	2,300	70% (140 of 200 points)
Level 3 (3급)	1,300 core hanja plus 500 from textbook hanja words. The easiest nationally certified level.	1,800	70% (140 of 200 points)
Levels Pre-3 and 4	Core hanja plus textbook hanja words. 100 questions.	1,350 / 900	70 of 100 points
Levels Pre-4, 5 and Pre-5	Core hanja plus textbook hanja words. 100 questions.	700 → 250	70 of 100 points
Levels 6–8	Starter levels; no hanja writing at Levels 7 and 8, and children answer on the question paper. 80 or 50 questions.	170 → 50	70 of 100 points

You need 80% at Master and 70% at every other level. Points per question vary by level (1 to 2 points), so full marks range from 100 to 400. The hanja counts include textbook or workplace hanja words. The organisation does not publish pass rates.

What it tests

Tested

Reading hanja
Writing hanja by hand
Vocabulary
Idioms and set phrases

Not tested

Listening
Speaking
Grammar
Long reading passages

It tests hanja and hanja vocabulary. There is no listening, speaking or general reading comprehension; Master adds classical Chinese passages.

Languages and where to take it

Test language: Entirely in Korean, with hanja.
Instructions: Instructions and the website are in Korean only.
Where: Test venues in all 17 provinces and major cities of South Korea; venues change each session. The official site lists no venues abroad.
How long it counts

What it's recognised for

Levels 사범 to 3급 are nationally certified (Ministry of Education no. 2023-6), which by law is treated the same as a national qualification. The organisation's own list of benefits, dated 2012, includes Academic Credit Bank credits (6 for Master, 5 for Level 1), extra points in some company and public-sector hiring, and use in some university admissions and graduation requirements.

About the exam

Who it's for: A hanja test built around the hanja words in Korean school textbooks and, at the top levels, in working life. Its levels are matched to school years from first grade up to university and adults.
Levels and scores: Twelve levels from 8급 (easiest) to 사범 (Master), including 준 ("pre") levels such as 준3급. 사범 to 3급 are nationally certified (국가공인); 준3급 to 8급 are a registered private qualification.