Manufacturing Sector EPS-TOPIK 2026 | Why Four Exam Windows?

Introduction on Manufacturing Sector EPS-TOPIK

If you applied for the manufacturing sector in the 2026 EPS-TOPIK round, you are not just one of many. By the numbers published in October, you are one of 53,103 people competing for an estimated 5,000 places. That is roughly 70 percent of everyone who applied in this round, and the manufacturing exam is the last and longest part of the calendar.

The first three sectors sit their exams in November. Yours starts on 11 December 2026. The whole programme ends on 25 February 2027. That staggered calendar is what this guide means by “four exam windows,” and it raises a fair question: why is the exam spread out like this, and what should you do with the time you have?

This guide answers that with the numbers, the schedule and a practical plan. It also covers what happens after the exam, because the Korean-language test is only the first of two rounds. Rules and dates can change by notice, so always confirm your own date, shift and room on the official EPS Nepal listing.

Manufacturing EPS-TOPIK 2026 at a Glance

Passing the language exam does not guarantee a job in Korea. The notice says so directly. It only moves you towards the second round and the roster.

What “Manufacturing” Means Under EPS

Manufacturing is the largest EPS sector. It covers factory work across a wide range of industries, and when you applied, you had to choose one sub-sector. The 2026 notice lists more than thirty, which fall into a few families:

A few points follow from this. First, “manufacturing” is not one job. A food-processing line, a metal-fabrication shop and a plastics plant look quite different on the floor. Second, your sub-sector choice was made when you applied, and the notice states that the sector itself cannot be changed after the first stage. Third, because the second-round practical task is drawn from a sector list, sub-sector awareness helps you picture the kind of work you may be doing.

If you are still deciding between sectors for a future round, Toddle’s guide on which EPS sector you should choose is a useful starting point.

The Numbers: Quota Versus Applicants

The October 2026 schedule announcement also gave application totals by sector. Put beside the quotas from the July notice, they show how competitive each sector is.

Two things stand out. The ratio is almost the same in every sector, at roughly ten applicants for each estimated place. And manufacturing alone accounts for about 70 percent of all applicants (53,103 of 76,173).

Applicants and test-takers are not the same, and passers are not the same as quota. In the previous round (EPS-TOPIK 2025), 67,297 people registered for manufacturing and 56,282 attended, which is about 84 percent. Of those who sat, 6,071 passed the first phase, a pass rate of 10.8 percent. If attendance in this round looks similar, roughly 44,000 of the 53,103 manufacturing applicants would sit the exam. That is an estimate, not an official figure.

For context, the round examined in early 2024 had 40,580 manufacturing candidates sit the exam, and 6,321 advanced. Pass rates move with quotas and competition, so there is no fixed percentage to rely on.

One more comparison matters. The 2025 round’s estimate for manufacturing was around 3,500 successful candidates, according to press coverage at the time. The 2026 notice sets it at 5,000. The notice adds that Round 1 passers are determined by the cut-off line and HRD Korea’s results, and that numbers can rise or fall with Korean demand.

Why Four Exam Windows? The 2026 Calendar Explained

On 13 October 2026, the EPS Korea Section published the schedule for the 2026 Korean language exam (EPS-TOPIK, UBT). Press reports from the same week describe the sector-by-sector start dates:

The whole programme runs until 25 February 2027. The date listings are published sector by sector. For manufacturing, the section posted one document for shifts 1 to 4 and a separate one for shift 5.

Service I and Forestry are new sectors for Nepal’s EPS-TOPIK this year. Before 2026, the exam in Nepal covered manufacturing and agriculture and livestock (alongside shipbuilding in the past). The 2026 notice adds Service I and Forestry.

Why spread the exam out?

The notice does not give a one-line explanation, so what follows is our reading of the numbers, not an official statement.

Volume. The exam is computer-based and held at one venue, the UBT Building in Bhaisepati, with a maximum of five shifts a day. With 53,103 manufacturing applicants, the sector needs weeks of sittings, not days. The 2025 manufacturing exam ran from mid-November 2025 to about 10 February 2026 for 67,297 registered candidates.

Separate pipelines. Final selection happens industry by industry, each with its own quota. The same sector-by-sector logic appears after the exam: in the previous round, manufacturing first-phase results were published in March 2026 and agriculture and livestock results in April 2026. The skills test and competency test dates were announced separately for each sector on the same day, 10 April 2026.

Sequencing. Smaller sectors with a thousand applicants or so can be examined in a few days. Manufacturing, with tens of thousands, comes last and takes the long tail of the calendar.

Capacity and security. Every sitting needs orientation, identity checks, biometric steps and room assignment. Splitting by sector keeps the process orderly.

What the windows mean for you

• Your date is assigned, not chosen. The 2026 notice says the assigned exam date and venue cannot be changed. Do not pay anyone for a “better slot.”
• Your slot does not rank you. Nothing in the notice suggests that an earlier or later shift changes your chances. What counts is your own score in your own sitting.
• Late-window candidates get more prep time. If your date falls in December, January or February, you have weeks to prepare. Use them wisely rather than assuming you can start later.
• Everything can shift. The notice says the schedule may change depending on applicant numbers or other circumstances. Check the official site regularly: epsnepal.gov.np carries the notices.

Exam Day: Shifts, Rules and What to Bring

The five sessions

The July 2026 notice sets out five sessions a day at the Bhaisepati UBT Building:

A one-hour lunch break runs from 11:55 to 12:55 after the second session. Your own listing shows your date, room and shift. Use those details, not the general table.

Rules that cost people their seat

• Arrive at your orientation time. Candidates who arrive after the designated entry time will not be allowed into the hall.
• Bring the same original passport whose copy you submitted with your application, plus your test application slip. Without these originals you cannot sit the exam.
• Leave electronics outside. Mobile phones, smartwatches, Bluetooth earphones, PDAs and MP3 players are strictly prohibited in the building and rooms. If one is found, your exam can be declared invalid.
• Do not cheat or impersonate. Taking the exam in another person’s name, cheating or helping others cheat leads to a four-year ban from the EPS-TOPIK.
• Expect biometric steps. The October schedule notice includes fingerprint registration and verification instructions. Follow the exact date and place printed for your shift.
• Personal details must match your passport. Name, date of birth, gender and photograph cannot be corrected after registration. A mismatch means you cannot sit the exam.

For a practical walk-through of the day itself, read Toddle’s EPS-TOPIK exam day checklist. If you have not yet sat a full timed paper on a computer, you can book a mock test seat at Toddle to rehearse the UBT format.

Inside the Exam: Format, Scoring and the 60-Point Floor

Format

EPS-TOPIK is an objective multiple-choice test:

You may still see “pass mark 80 out of 200” on older websites. That belongs to the earlier format. The current exam is scored out of 100 and works by ranking.

The floor and the ranking

HRD Korea sets a minimum score for each industry. For manufacturing, the floor is 60 out of 100. For other industries it is 45. A floor does not mean you pass. It means you are eligible to be ranked, and the highest scorers are taken up to the planned number.

That is why the real cut-off changes from round to round. It depends on how many people sat the exam, how well they scored and how many places the sector has. With roughly ten applicants per place, expect strong competition.

Colour vision

Colour blindness and colour weakness make an applicant ineligible. If you have any doubt, get a proper check before your next application, because the fee is paid at registration.

Preparing for Your Window: A Practical Plan

You have a fixed date and a clear format. Here is how to use the weeks well.

What the exam rewards

The test is built around workplace and daily-life Korean: notices, instructions, schedules, numbers, directions, safety messages, wages and short conversations. For manufacturing candidates, that means getting comfortable with factory vocabulary such as machines, tools, materials, packaging, shifts, overtime and safety rules. You do not need advanced Korean. You need accuracy, speed and calm.

A week-by-week approach

Listening is where marks are lost

Listening gets one play and then moves on, so it rewards focus. Practise with audio at test pace, and review every wrong answer by replaying it. Toddle’s article on EPS-TOPIK listening section tips covers common traps.

Use real-format practice

Timed sets matter because the exam is as much about pacing as knowledge. Toddle’s new 2026-27 EPS-TOPIK model question book offers sets in the current format. Whichever material you use, make sure it matches the 40-question, 100-mark structure, not the older 50-question format.

Practise on a screen

You will take the exam on a computer-based system. If you have only practised on paper, spend at least a few sessions on a device so that the navigation does not distract you.

After the Exam: Results and the Second Round

What the last round’s timeline looked like

The best guide to the rhythm of the process is the previous manufacturing round:

From the last exam day to the second-phase result took about three months. If this round follows a similar pattern, with the exam ending on 25 February 2027, results might arrive in the spring. That is a pattern, not a promise. Official notices decide the dates.

Results are posted on the EPS Korea Section’s site, and candidates can check marks through eps.go.kr and HRD Korea’s EPS-TOPIK site. Keep an eye on the Toddle notice board for updates, but always confirm with the government source.

Round 2: the Skills Test

Candidates who pass the first phase must take and pass the second-stage Skill Test and Job Capacity Assessment before they are eligible for final selection. The 2026 notice states this plainly.

HRD Korea’s current scoring for the general track is:

Earlier notices divided these parts differently. For example, the standard notice from August 2025 showed the interview and basic skills weighted 30 and 40. That is one reason guides written a year ago disagree with newer ones. Check the notice for your round before you finalise your preparation.

The practical task is drawn from a list for the sector. In the standard notice, manufacturing examples included joint connection, measuring and cutting, pipe bolting, using a grinder, product packaging and pallet loading, with a common pin-insertion task. Tasks may change, so treat these as examples of the type of work.

Because the interview is the biggest single piece, your spoken Korean matters. You are not expected to be fluent. You are expected to introduce yourself, follow simple instructions, name tools and show that you understand safety. A structured basic Korean language class can help you build that speaking base before the interview.

Bonus points

The Job Capacity Assessment adds up to 5 points:

Certificates obtained overseas are not recognised for the national certification point. Relevance matters: simple sales, office administration and service jobs such as cooking are not recognised as manufacturing experience. Work experience is normally proved with a certificate from the employer. If you submit false documents, the result can be nullified and you can be barred from applying to the EPS for four years.

How the points combine

On the general track, the framework gives 100 points for the language exam, 100 for the Skills Test and up to 5 bonus points. Final selection takes the highest combined scores in each industry up to its quota. A strong language score does not protect you from a Skills Test below 60, so prepare for both.

From Roster to Factory Floor

Passing both rounds places you on the roster. It does not send you to Korea. Here is what follows:

1. Health screening and registration. Candidates who pass the language exam but fail the medical examination or receive an adverse police report cannot complete the employment application form.
2. Employer request. Korean employers must first try to hire Korean workers before applying for an employment permit.
3. Shortlist. The local Employment Center recommends at least three times the number of workers an employer needs. The employer chooses from the list. You do not interview with the employer and you cannot apply to companies yourself.
4. Contract. The sending agency confirms your acceptance of the standard labour contract. A probation period of up to three months is allowed.
5. Training and travel. Pre-departure training takes place in Nepal. After arrival you complete mandatory training and register for an Alien Registration Card.

Your result remains valid for two years from the date results are published. If an employer does not select you within that time, you must sit the exam again. The maximum stay on the E-9 visa is four years and ten months in one cycle.

What about pay?

Korea’s minimum wage in 2026 is 10,320 won per hour. For a standard 209-hour month, that comes to about 2.16 million won before deductions and before overtime. Your actual pay depends on your contract, hours and employer, so treat this as a floor, not a promise.

Mistakes and Scams to Avoid

Treating a pass as a job. The roster is a pool. Employers choose from shortlists, and many candidates wait.

Using outdated scoring. The “80 out of 200” rule belongs to the earlier format. The current exam is out of 100, with an industry floor of 60 for manufacturing.

Paying for a better date or shift. The notice says dates and venues cannot be changed. Nobody can sell you a slot.

Paying for a place on the roster. The notice states that no private association, organisation, educational institution or individual is involved in the EPS employment process except the Department of Foreign Employment’s EPS Korea Section. Anyone promising selection is selling something that does not exist.

Buying certificates or work letters. A false document can cost you four years.

Arriving late or without originals. Missing the entry time or the original passport ends your attempt that day.

Ignoring the second round. Many candidates celebrate the first result and then arrive unprepared for fitness, interview and practical tasks.

Starting too late. With ten applicants for every place, last-minute preparation rarely works.

If You Missed This Window

The 2026 application period closed on 2 August 2026. If you did not apply, the next steps depend on future notices. Application windows open periodically and are announced on the EPS Korea Section’s site. Registration for a future round goes through the official portal at eoers.epsnepal.gov.np.

Meanwhile, build your base. Eligibility for the 2026 round required applicants to be Nepali citizens aged 18 to 39 (born between 28 July 1986 and 27 July 2008), with no criminal sentence, no deportation from Korea for illegal stay, no travel ban from Nepal’s government, less than five years on an E-9 or E-10 visa in Korea and no colour blindness or colour weakness. Future rounds will publish their own eligibility rules.

Ready to Prepare? Talk to Toddle

A fixed exam date is a gift if you use it well. Toddle, a Korean and Japanese language institute and study-abroad counselling centre in Hetauda, supports learners with Korean classes and practice resources for exactly this stage.

• Join the EPS-TOPIK Korean language class for structured reading and listening practice in the exam format.
• Pick up the EPS course book for study material you can use between classes.
• Book a counselling session to plan your timeline, from exam date to the second round.

Chat with Toddle on WhatsApp: +977 976-9741767

You can also visit Toddle in Hetauda with your questions about preparation, documents or your next EPS round.

Frequently Asked Questions about Manufacturing Sector EPS-TOPIK

1. When does the manufacturing EPS-TOPIK 2026 exam start and end?

Manufacturing starts on 11 December 2026. The whole programme, across all sectors, runs until 25 February 2027. Your own date, shift and room are shown on your official listing.

2. Why is the exam spread across several windows?

The notice does not state one reason. The numbers point to volume and structure: 53,103 manufacturing applicants, a single computer-based venue with up to five shifts a day, and separate sectors with their own quotas. Treat that as an interpretation, not an official statement.

3. Which sectors have their own windows this year?

Service I starts on 17 November, Forestry on 18 November, agriculture and livestock on 20 November, and manufacturing on 11 December 2026. Service I and Forestry are new additions to Nepal’s EPS-TOPIK this year.

4. Can I choose or change my exam date?

No. The 2026 notice states that the assigned exam date and venue cannot be changed. Beware of anyone offering to arrange a different slot for a fee.

5. How many people applied for manufacturing and how many places are there?

53,103 applied for manufacturing, against an estimated 5,000 successful candidates. That is about 10.6 applicants per place. The number of Round 1 passers depends on the cut-off line and HRD Korea’s results.

6. What is the format of the exam?

It has 20 reading and 20 listening questions, 40 in total, worth 100 marks across 50 minutes. Each section is 25 minutes and 50 marks. The test is multiple-choice and computer-based.

7. What is the minimum score for manufacturing?

HRD Korea sets a floor of 60 out of 100 for manufacturing. The floor only makes you eligible to be ranked. The real cut-off depends on competition and the quota.

8. Is the old “80 out of 200” pass mark still used?

No. That belongs to the earlier 200-point format. The current exam is scored out of 100 and works by ranking.

9. What time are the exam sessions?

There are up to five sessions a day, with orientation starting at 9:00, 10:30, 13:00, 14:30 and 16:00. Your listing tells you which one is yours. The schedule may change, so check your own details.

10. What must I bring on exam day?

Bring the same original passport whose copy you submitted with your application, plus your test application slip. Without the originals, you will not be allowed to sit the exam.

11. Can I carry my phone or smartwatch?

No. Mobile phones, smartwatches, Bluetooth earphones, PDAs and MP3 players are strictly prohibited inside the building and rooms. If found, your exam can be declared invalid.

12. What happens if I arrive late?

Candidates who arrive after the designated entry time will not be permitted to enter the examination hall. Plan your travel to Bhaisepati with a safe margin.

13. When will the results come out?

The first-phase result is published after HRD Korea sends its notice. In the previous manufacturing round, the exam ended around 10 February 2026 and results followed around 10 to 11 March 2026. Official notices decide the dates.

14. Where can I check my result?

Candidates can check marks through eps.go.kr and the HRD Korea EPS-TOPIK website. Nepal’s notices appear on the EPS Korea Section’s site. Use only official channels.

15. What is the second round for manufacturing?

It is the Skills Test and Job Capacity Assessment. Candidates who pass the first phase must take and pass it before final selection. The Skills Test has fitness, a Korean-language interview and a basic skills task.

16. How is the Skills Test scored?

HRD Korea currently lists 30 points for fitness, 50 for the interview and 20 for the basic skills task, with a minimum of 60 out of 100. Older notices used different weights, so check the notice for your round.

17. What manufacturing tasks may appear in the practical test?

In the standard notice, examples included joint connection, measuring and cutting, pipe bolting, using a grinder, product packaging and pallet loading, plus a common pin-insertion task. Tasks may change by round.

18. How do bonus points work?

The Job Capacity Assessment can add up to 5 points: 2 for a year or more of relevant work, and 1 each for a Korean national certificate, 120 hours or more of relevant training, and related junior-college-level education or above.

19. Can I change my sector or sub-sector after passing the first stage?

The notice says the selected sector cannot be changed after passing the first stage. Sub-sectors are chosen at application, so treat both as fixed.

20. How long is my success valid?

A finally successful candidate’s status remains valid for two years from the date the results are published. If you are not selected within that time, you need to sit the exam again.

21. Does passing guarantee a job in Korea?

No. The notice says so directly. Passing both rounds places you on the roster, and Korean employers choose from shortlists provided by the Employment Center.

22. What was the age limit for the 2026 round?

Applicants had to be at least 18 and not older than 39, born between 28 July 1986 and 27 July 2008. Future rounds publish their own limits.

23. How long can I work in Korea under EPS?

The maximum stay on the E-9 visa is four years and ten months in one cycle. Rules on re-entry can change, so confirm with the authorities.

24. Can an agent or consultancy get me selected?

No. The notice states that nobody outside the Department of Foreign Employment’s EPS Korea Section is involved in the EPS employment process. Anyone promising a place, a better slot or a roster position is not telling the truth.