HSK stands for hanyu shuiping kaoshi （汉语 水平 考试） (hànyǔ shuǐpíng kǎoshì) and has six levels from 1 to 6. It is one of the most popular and most renowned Chinese language tests.

What is the HSK used for?

An HSK certificate is mainly used to prove one’s Chinese proficiency level. It is also necessary to have a specified HSK level (mostly HSK4) in order to enrol in a Chinese university where courses are only taught in Chinese. An HSK certificate will also increase one’s chance to enter a Chinese company but the certificate is unnecessary as your Chinese speaking ability will be checked at the interview.

The HSK exam

The HSK test mainly consists of listening, reading and writing parts and varies from 35 to 135 minutes according to the level.

HSK 1

The HSK 1 test consists of listening and reading parts and last 35 minutes. The test taker is expected to master a vocabulary of 150 Chinese words. If you want to have more details about the HSK 1 test, see here and click on HSK level 1 on the left panel. If you want to have a look at the HSK 1 word list or want to download it, see here.



HSK 2

The HSK 2 test also consists of only listening and reading parts and last 50 minutes. The test taker is expected to know a vocabulary of 300 Chinese words. The HSK1 test consists of listening and reading parts and last 35 minutes. The test taker is expected to master a vocabulary of 150 Chinese words. If you want to have more details about the HSK 2 test, see here and click on HSK level 2 on the left panel. If you want to have a look at the HSK2 word list or want to download it, see here.

HSK 3

The HSK 3 test consists of listening, reading and writing and last 85 minutes. The test taker is expected to know a vocabulary of 600 Chinese words. If you want to have more details about the HSK 3 test, see here and click on HSK level 3 on the left panel. If you want to have a look at the HSK3 word list or want to download it, see here.

HSK 4

The HSK4 test consists of listening, reading and writing and last 100 minutes. The test taker is expected to know a vocabulary of 1200 Chinese words. If you want to have more details about the HSK 4 test, see here and click on HSK level 4 on the left panel. If you want to have a look at the HSK4 word list or want to download it, see here.

HSK 5

The HSK 5 test consists of listening, reading and writing and last 120 minutes. The test taker is expected to know a vocabulary of 2500 Chinese words. If you want to have more details about the HSK 5 test, see here and click on HSK level 5 on the left panel. If you want to have a look at the HSK5 word list or want to download it, see here.

HSK 6

The HSK 6 test consists of listening, reading and writing and last 135 minutes. The test taker is expected to know a vocabulary of 5000 Chinese words. If you want to have more details about the HSK 6 test, see here and click on HSK level 6 on the left panel. If you want to have a look at the HSK6 word list or want to download it, see here.

The new HSK test

The current HSK test has been reformed and the new version of the HSK will be implemented by March 2022. It will have 9 levels, 1 to 3 for beginner’s levels, 3 to 6 for intermediate levels and 7 to 9 for advanced levels. The new HSK test is expected to widen the scope of the current HSK test and be more interesting. If you want to have more details about the new HSK, see here.

The HSK certificate

So, this is my HSK Certificate, now you know what it looks like. I have erased my full name just for privacy reasons.