"I hear the civil service exam has an English section. Can a TOEIC score stand in for it?" This is the first thing candidates preparing for the Grade 5 or Grade 7 exams ask. The Enforcement Decree of the Public Officials Appointment Examination Act provides that the English subject in the first-stage test of the Grade 5 open competitive exam, the Diplomat Candidate selection exam and the Grade 7 open competitive exam is replaced by a score from an English proficiency test. This article sets out which exams are covered, what the cutoff scores are, how long a score stays valid, and how pre-registration works, based on the national civil service recruitment guidance.

Three exams replace English with a score

Article 7, paragraph 1 of the decree names three exams where English is replaced: the Grade 5 open competitive exam, the Diplomat Candidate selection exam and the Grade 7 open competitive exam. In these exams you do not sit an English paper on the day of the first-stage test; a recognized English score at or above the cutoff counts as passing the English subject. If your score falls short of the cutoff you cannot apply at all, so English works like an eligibility requirement rather than part of your pass mark. The Grade 9 open competitive exam is not listed in this provision. Grade 9 still tests English as a written subject, and the change in question style since 2025 is covered separately in why memorizing grammar no longer raises your score. The change that replaces only Korean history with a certification exam in Grade 9 is summarized in the 2027 Grade 9 Korean history replacement, so keep the two apart.

Grades 5 and 7 share the same cutoffs, and diplomats need more

The cutoff table published on the national civil service recruitment site uses the same scores for the Grade 5 and Grade 7 open competitive exams. They are 530 on TOEFL PBT and 71 on TOEFL IBT, 700 on TOEIC, 340 on TEPS, 65 at G-TELP Level 2, and 625 on FLEX, in each case or above. The Diplomat Candidate exam is much higher: 590 on TOEFL PBT, 97 on IBT, 870 on TOEIC, 452 on TEPS, 88 at G-TELP Level 2 and 800 on FLEX or above. Applicants with a hearing impairment have separate criteria, so if that applies to you, read the table in that exam's announcement directly. Scores can be revised, so it is safest to compare them again against the exam plan announcement for the year you apply.

First check which scoring system each test uses

Even tests with the same name can have different scoring systems and score reports. TOEFL, for example, has separate cutoffs for the paper-based PBT and the internet-based IBT, and for G-TELP only Level 2 results appear in the cutoff table. Before choosing a test, confirm at the registration desk which column of the table your score falls under, and ask the recruitment office whether results from another level or format count as a substitute. Scores from a test that is not in the table cannot be used as a substitute however high they are, so even if a school or cram school recommends a test, check first whether it is recognized.

The recognition window depends on when you took the test

A score above the cutoff is not enough; when you took the test also matters. According to the guidance, the test must have been taken on or after January 1 of the year that falls three years back from the scheduled date of the final exam, and the score must have been announced by the day before the scheduled date of the first-stage test. The criterion is the day the score is released, not the day you sat the test. That is the trap: if you sit a test just before the deadline, the result may come out too late to be recognized, so plan your test date with the release date in mind. Exam schedules differ each year, so check the start of the recognition window in that year's exam plan announcement.

Two-year scores must be pre-registered or they cannot be verified

For tests with their own two-year validity period, such as TOEIC, TOEFL, TEPS, G-TELP, SNULT, the new HSK and JPT, the testing body can no longer look up your score once the validity period has passed, so its authenticity cannot be confirmed. The recognition window for the civil service exam runs close to three years, but the testing bodies keep scores searchable for two, which leaves a gap between the two periods. That is why you must pre-register your score on the National Civil Service Recruitment System (gongmuwon.gosi.kr) before the validity period ends. If you cannot submit the score by the application deadline, you must register it by the day before the scheduled first-stage test. On the application form, enter the test name, registration number, test date and score accurately.

Tests taken abroad have country restrictions

Scores from tests taken abroad are recognized to different extents depending on the test. Under the guidance, TOEFL is recognized wherever it was taken, but TOEIC counts only if taken in Japan and G-TELP only if taken in the United States. A TOEIC taken in the Philippines is not recognized, because it reuses past questions instead of newly written ones and so does not meet fairness standards. Candidates trying to earn a score while living abroad should first check whether the country where they sit the test is a recognized one. A score from a place that is not recognized is useless however high it is.

What is left to prepare once English is settled by a score

Turning English into an eligibility requirement frees up time for the other subjects, but if you earn the cutoff score late your schedule can unravel. It helps to write three dates side by side on a calendar: the score release date, the pre-registration date and the application deadline. Pre-registration in particular is a separate step to take after the score comes out, and if you collect a score but forget to register it, there is no practical way to reverse the problem once the validity period has passed. Even candidates who already hold a score should count from the issue date on the score report to see when its validity ends. Candidates who need bonus points should also note that the registration period for certificate bonus points is a separate matter, covered in registering bonus points within three days.

Three things to check before you apply

First, confirm whether the exam you are applying for is Grade 5, diplomat or Grade 7, and if it is Grade 9, that English is taken as a written subject. Second, the cutoff scores and recognition window are fixed each year by the exam plan announcement, so compare them against the announcement before applying. Third, if your score comes from a test with a two-year validity period, pre-register it on the National Civil Service Recruitment System before it expires. This article is general information based on the Enforcement Decree of the Public Officials Appointment Examination Act and the national civil service recruitment guidance, and it does not replace an eligibility decision for any individual applicant. Confirm the final criteria with the Ministry of Personnel Management and the relevant exam announcement.