This study is aims to study the perceptions of test-takers of TOPIK by analyzing the result in a critical assesment perspective. A survey with 98 TOPIK test-takers was conducted, and in-depth interviews with 10 students were followed to delve into their emotional reactions toward the TOPIK test. The results showed that the test-takers of TOPIK considered the test as an instrument to accomplish their purpose such as entering school, continuing studies, or applying for jobs. It was found that the test-takers had suffered from mental pressure, stress when they took the test. Second, the test-takers acknowledged TOPIK to be irrelevant to evaluate practical Korean language skills which are required to stay or study in Korea. Third, most test-takers were able to access information on TOPIK through various ways, yet they recognized the ways to be insufficient and limited. Besides, the respondents expressed discomfort with the inconsiderate management system and environment of the test in particular, such as the announcement of the results, considerable distance to the test venues, and attitude of the examination supervisors. The research proposes the following suggestions to improve TOPIK. First, considering that the purpose of TOPIK is to evaluate Korean language proficiency of test-takers, the questions must be developed for assessing their authentic skills of Korean language. Second, the test environment needs to be enhanced to ensure a complete and equitable test to be conducted. Paying attention to recruiting and educating exam supervisors is also needed as well. Third, it is important to protect the test-takers’ rights over their responsibilities.

The development of conceptual frameworks for fairness in language testing has significantly expanded the scope of discussions on fairness. Empirical research motivated by these theories, however, has been minimal. There is no research, for example, that thoroughly examines the perceptions of test takers concerning fairness as outlined in the frameworks. Taking the context of the admissions officer system of universities in Korea, this paper looks at how the information released by universities before their exams affect students’ perceptions of test fairness. Furthermore, the paper attempts to examine the washback of such perceptions as test-takers prepare for the test. Two Korean universities that conducted written tasks for its early admissions processes were selected. Participants were six actual test-takers, who were extensively surveyed and interviewed. The results show that students placed much more faith in the assessment when the information regarding the test construct was relayed in a clear and consistent manner. Such results suggest that test developers need to pay acute attention to the information they provide to test-takers prior to the test, and that test-takers should be aware of the rights that they have regarding the disclosure of test information.