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About exam

HSK(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) is a standardized international Chinese test for non-native Chinese speakers. All HSK certificates are issued by the National Commission of Chinese Proficiency Test, which is under the Ministry of Education of China.
HSK comprises of six levels from HSK level 1 to HSK level 6.

Level Words(sum) Learning hours
1 150 words 45-120
2 300 words 100-200
3 600 words 150-300
4 1200 words 250 – 500
5 2500 words 500 – 800
6 5000 words more 800

The HSK test approximates the English TOEFL, and an HSK certificate is valid without any limitation in China. The test aims to be a certificate of language proficiency for higher educational and professional purposes.

HSK 1 and 2 comprises of reading and listening. HSK 1 and 2 therefore have a maximum score of 200 with 120 points required to pass.
HSK 3, 4, 5 and 6 comprises of reading, listening and writing. HSK 3, 4, 5 and 6 have a maximum of 300 points with 180 points required to pass.
There is no minimum amount of points required for each of the sections as long as the sum is over 120 or 180 points respectively.

Test Principles

The new HSK follows the principle of “test-teaching correlation”, bases the design of the test on the current trends in international Chinese language training, and is closely related to textbooks. The purpose of the test is to “promote training through testing” and “promote learning through testing”.

The new HSK emphasizes the objectivity and accuracy of the evaluation and stresses the learners’ actual Chinese language abilities.

The new HSK sets clear test objectives to allow the test takers to be able to improve their Chinese language abilities in a systematic and efficient way.

To check for the dates, fees and test centres, you can register for the HSK test online: www.chinesetest.cn