LexKO: A quick, reliable lexical test of Korean language proficiency

To facilitate objective measures of proficiency for language users of diverse backgrounds, recent research in second language acquisition and multilingualism has developed short, yet reliable, tests of lexical knowledge in a wide range of languages. In this paper, we describe the development of LexKO, a brief lexically based test of Korean language proficiency, including its underlying logic, composition, intended use, and limitations. Three rounds of pilot and validation testing with first- and second-language Korean users resulted in a highly reliable Korean test comprising 60 items that can be completed in a few minutes. Freely available for other researchers to use, LexKO produces scores that correlate significantly with both first- and second-language Korean users' scores on a standardized proficiency test (an abridged version of the Test of Proficiency in Korean) and may thus be helpful in multi-part studies for obtaining a quick, valid measure of proficiency in Korean, one of the world's fastest-growing foreign languages.