If you want to determine or verify your current Chinese level for employment purposes (or bragging rights), you should consider taking the HSK test.

Project Pengyou’s one-stop guide has all you need to know about the official HSK Chinese Proficiency Examination, also known as the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (汉语水平考试). We’ve broken the guide into six sections, including:

• What is the HSK? Why should I Take it?
• HSK Levels Decoded
• Test Format
• Test Scoring
• When/Where You Can Take the HSK
• Testing Tips

Read on to learn more about the HSK!

 

1. What is the HSK? Why Should I Take it?

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The HSK is the most well-known standardized test of written and spoken Mandarin for non-native speakers. The test is administered by Hanban, the worldwide Confucius Institute Headquarters, which is affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education.

The main written test has six levels of difficulty. All levels have three test sections: listening, reading and speaking. There is also an oral proficiency exam with 3 levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced.

An HSK certificate, especially at the higher levels, is valuable for several reasons:

1. It demonstrates your Chinese proficiency. The HSK is the most widely recognized benchmark to quantify your Chinese language skills to employers or accurately gauge your personal progress with language study.
2. It allows you to work for Chinese companies. HSK Level 5 or above is often required by mainland companies to employ non-native Chinese speakers.
3. It allows you to study in Chinese universities. Most universities require foreign undergraduates and graduate students to have passed HSK Level 5 or 6 as a prerequisite for direct enrollment, although Level 4 proficiency may be permissible for some majors. See a discipline-specific level requirements guide HERE.
4. It makes you eligible for scholarships for study in China. The Confucius Institute scholarships are only accessible to students at HSK Level 5 or 6 and can pay up to full tuition and fees with a living stipend at Chinese universities. Some Chinese universities may also provide full or partial scholarships to students with outstanding HSK scores.

***It’s worth noting as well that only the written HSK exam is usually necessary to meet these qualifications.

 

 

2. HSK Levels Decoded

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Not sure which HSK level is right for you? See the charts below for an estimate of what type of language background and proficiency level students will need to pass each HSK level.

Written Exam Guidelines:

HSK Level	Vocabulary	Background	Linguistic Capabilities
1	150	2-3 hours per week for 1 semester	Can understand and use very simple Chinese phrases, meet basic needs for communication and possess the ability to further their Chinese language studies.
2	300	2-3 hours per week for 2 semesters	Have an excellent grasp of basic Chinese and can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
3	600	2-3 hours per week for 3 semesters	Can communicate in Chinese at a basic level in their daily, academic and professional lives. They can manage most communication in Chinese when traveling in China.
4	1200	2-4 hours per week for 4 semesters	Can converse in Chinese on a wide range of topics and are able to communicate fluently with native Chinese speakers.
5	2500	2-4 hours per week for 2+ academic years	Can read Chinese newspapers and magazines, enjoy Chinese films and plays, and give a full-length speech in Chinese.
6	5000	2-4 hours per week for 2+ academic years	Can easily comprehend written and spoken information in Chinese and can effectively express themselves in Chinese, both orally and on paper.

 

Oral Exam Guidelines:

HSK Level	Vocabulary	Background	Linguistic Capabilities
Beginner	200	2-3 hours per week for  1-2 semesters	Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and meet specific needs for communication.
Intermediate	900	2-3 hours per week for 1-2 academic years	Can understand intermediate Chinese and converse fluently with native Chinese speakers.
Advanced	3000	2-3 hours per week for 2+ academic years	Can understand spoken Chinese and fluently express their ideas in Chinese.

 

 

3. Test Format

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Now let’s take a closer look at the test format and content for each section to see what the HSK is like:

Written Exam:

1. Part I: Listening (20-50 questions). The content varies across levels.

• Levels 1-4: True-false and multiple choice questions to select the correct response for spoken dialogue.
• Levels 5 and 6: Listen to passages or dialogues and choose the best answer to questions about the recording based on what you hear.

2. Part II: Reading (20-50 questions). The content varies across levels.

• Levels 1 and 2: Multiple choice sentence completion, question and answer, and matching sentences with pictures.
• Level 3: Matching sentences, multiple choice fill-in-the-blanks, and passage comprehension questions.
• Level 4: Multiple choice fill-in-the-blanks, sentence rearranging, and passage comprehension questions.
• Level 5: Passage comprehension questions with a mix of shorter and longer texts.
• Level 6: Multiple choice select grammatically correct sentences, multiple choice fill-in-the-blanks for a passage, and passage comprehension questions.

3. Part III: Writing (1-20 questions). Only HSK levels 3-6 include a writing test section. The writing section will begin immediately after the reading section with no break. The content varies across levels.

• Level 3: (10 questions) Part 1: Construct sentences using given words. Part 2: Fill-in-the-blank sentences.
• Level 4: (10 questions) Part 1: Construct sentences using given words. Part 2: Write sentences based on given pictures and words.
• Level 5: (10 question) Part 1: rearrange 8 groups of words into grammatically correct sentences. Part 2: Write an 80 character essay using 5 given words, write an 80 character essay based on a given image.
• Level 6: (1 question) Read a narrative article of 1000 characters within 10 minutes, then rewrite it into a shorter article of 400 characters within 35 minutes.

Oral Exam:

1. Part I: 3-15 Listen and repeat recordings. The higher the level, the fewer but more complex the questions. These questions are sentences at the beginner and Intermediate levels and passages at the advanced level.
2. Part II: This section differs per level. Beginners will be required to listen and reply to 10 short prompts, intermediate-level test takers will do two picture description exercises, and advanced students read aloud one passage.
3. Part III: Answer 2 written questions. The questions are written in pinyin at the beginner and intermediate levels.

 

4. Test Scoring

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All levels of the HSK have 100 points per section, with 200 total points for Levels 1- 2 and 300 total points for Levels 3 and above. The test is graded on a pass/fail basis using raw point scores across the three sections, with an overall score of 60% or above considered passing. This means that 120/200 or 160/300 points earned across all three sections – regardless of whether the student passes each individual section with 60% or greater – will earn a passing score.

Although the score reports give test-takers a breakdown of their section scores, only the overall pass/fail result is generally considered by employers or schools. Scholarships, however, might be more easily available to those with higher scores on HSK 5 or 6.

 

5. When/Where You Can Take the HSK

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All levels of the HSK are offered at many locations in China regularly about once a month. The test is also administered overseas at certain test sites listed HERE, usually Confucius Institutes or universities.

Test-takers must register at least a month before their selected test date, so plan ahead and keep an eye on the examination date schedule for your nearest test center. Some overseas test centers may only offer the test as infrequently as once per year. You can find the list of 2016 HSK test dates and score release dates HERE.

To register for the exam, you will need to submit a scan of your passport, a 2×2” visa-sized headshot, and the registration fees according the HSK level as listed below (prices in Chinese RMB):

 

HSK Level	Written exam	Oral Exam
1	150 RMB	200 RMB
2	250 RMB	200 RMB
3	350 RMB	300 RMB
4	450 RMB	300 RMB
5	550 RMB	400 RMB
6	650 RMB	400 RMB

 

6. Testing Tips

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Although it is intended to holistically gauge your current proficiency level, the HSK is a test that you can and should prepare for ahead of time. Try to familiarize yourself with the type of test questions and structure of the exam to know what to expect on test day.

• Learn the vocabulary you can expect to see on the test from the official level-specific vocabulary lists, available online HERE. While the test will likely also include the occasional word not on this list, many of the listed terms appear frequently in the listening and reading sections, so it is a good idea to focus your vocabulary preparation on these words.
• Use mock tests or released older test versions to practice and prepare for working within the time limit. There are many options to get this type of practice with a prep class, tutor, practice books, or free online resources (see our resource list below).
• Pay attention to speed. Know when to move on if you don’t know a word or find yourself taking a long time to answer a question. Especially with the upper HSK levels, the time limits are very demanding and speed-reading is necessary for success. Try not to spend too long on any given question, and prepare by trying practice tests under the actual time limits to simulate test conditions.
• Commit to regular practice. Preparation is very important to HSK success, and making time to study Chinese every day even for short 20-minute sessions will go a long way towards getting ready for the exam. It may help to make a personal study plan based on what is realistic given your goals and schedule.

Be sure to check out these free online resources for HSK test prep:

• Official Hanban vocabulary lists: Level 1 – Level 2 – Level 3 – Level 4 – Level 5 – Level 6
• Official Hanban written practice tests (5 per level): Level 1 – Level 2 – Level 3 – Level 4 – Level 5 – Level 6
• Official Hanban online mock exams (2 per level)
• Vocabulary flashcards: Flashcard sites such as Quizlet, HSK.Academy, HSKFlashcards or Studyblue offer user-made sets of essential HSK vocabulary based on the official Hanban vocabulary lists and can be a good resource to practice or test your knowledge.

For a list of other recommended HSK preparation resources, see this article at FluentU, part of the site’s 5-post series on the HSK.

 

Have you or a Pengyou taken the HSK and have some tips to share? Leave us a comment below or start a topic in the “Ask a Pengyou” forum!

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Image from www.wowomandarin.com.