Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi

thumb|An HSK (Level 6) Examination Score Report

The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK; ), translated as the Chinese Proficiency Test,

The test cannot be taken in Taiwan, where only Taiwan's TOCFL exam can be taken. In turn, the TOCFL exam is not available in Mainland China.

Background

Development of the HSK test began in 1984 at Beijing Language and Culture University, and was officially made a national standardized test in 1992. By 2005, over 120 countries had participated as regular host sites and the tests had been taken around 100 million times, including domestic ethnic minority candidates. The test can be either paper-based or Internet-based, depending on what the specific test center offers. With an Internet-based test, the writing part with characters is subjectively slightly easier, as one types the pinyin and selects the right character from the list, while with a paper-based test, one must remember the characters, their strokes and their order, and write them out.

Test takers with outstanding results can win a scholarship for short-term language study in China.

Structure

HSK 3.0 (2025)

On November 15, 2025, the official HSK 3.0 exam syllabus was released at the 2025 World Chinese Language Conference in Beijing, resolving the years of uncertainty following the 2021 framework announcement.

Built upon the 2021 standard, the syllabus lowered the vocabulary requirements at the beginner and intermediate levels. It also made speaking tests mandatory from Level 3 onwards. The syllabus took effect November 18, 2025, a global trial exam was held January 31, 2026, and a full worldwide implementation is scheduled for July 2026.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"

|+ New HSK 3.0 (2025) syllabus

! rowspan="2" | Level

! rowspan="2" | Band

! colspan="2" | Words

! colspan="2" | Characters (recognition)

! colspan="2" | Characters (writing)

! colspan="2" | Grammar points

|- style="font-size:85%;"

! introduced

! cumulative

! introduced

! cumulative

! introduced

! cumulative

! introduced

! cumulative

| rowspan="3" | Beginner || 1

| 300 || 300 || 246 || 246 || 0 || 0 || 70 || 70

| 2 || 200 || 500 || 125 || 371 || 100 || 100 || 78 || 148

| 3 || 500 || 1000 || 284 || 655 || 150 || 250 || 96 || 244

| rowspan="3" | Intermediate || 4 || 1000 || 2000 || 441 || 1096 || 150 || 400 || 95 || 339

| 5 || 1600 || 3600 || 431 || 1527 || 150 || 550 || 70 || 409

| 6 || 1800 || 5400 || 413 || 1940 || 150 || 700 || 50 || 459

| Advanced || 7–9 || 5600 || 11000 || 1148 || 3088 || 500 || 1200 || 134 || 593

| colspan="2" | Total || colspan="2" | 11000 || colspan="2" | 3088 || colspan="2" | 1200 || colspan="2" | 593

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center"

|+ New HSK 3.0 (2025) exam structure

! rowspan="3" | Level

! colspan="6" | Written test

! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Speaking test

! colspan="2" | Listening !! colspan="2" | Reading !! colspan="2" | Writing

! Questions !! Time !! Questions !! Time !! Questions !! Time !! Items !! Time

| HSK 1

| 20 || ~12 min

| 20 || 20 min

| colspan="2" | Not tested

| HSK 2

| 25 || ~17 min

| 25 || 25 min

| 10 || 10 min

| colspan="2" | Not tested

| HSK 3

| 30 || ~23 min

| 30 || 30 min

| 10 || 20 min

| 15 || ~15 min

| HSK 4

| 32 || ~20 min

| 32 || 30 min

| 6 || 25 min

| 5 || ~20 min

| HSK 5

| 35 || ~25 min

| 35 || 35 min

| 2 || 40 min

| 5 || ~23 min

| HSK 6

| 40 || ~30 min

| 40 || 40 min

| 2 || 45 min

| 5 || ~23 min

HSK 3.0 (2021-2025)

In 2020, an internal Chinese academic paper discussed that the Chinese Proficiency Standards would undergo a change: a hybrid paradigm of "Three Stages and Nine Levels" characterized by all-in-one integration. The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China announced further details regarding HSK 3.0 on April 1, 2021. Among the information shared was a wordlist for each individual stage, and a date for the introduction of the new test—July 1, 2021. Newer grammar practice materials for the intermediate and advanced levels published by the Beijing Language and Culture University Press were released in September and December 2022.

HSK 2021 3.0 included a focus on handwritten Chinese characters and translation, which was not included in HSK 2.0. Also there was a redistribution of words in each level. For instance, some words were previously grouped under Level 3, but then were under Level 1 in HSK 3.0.

Although the HSK 7-9 exam officially launched in March 2022, the launch of the 1-6 levels was delayed for this entire period. The HSK 1-6 exams remained on HSK 2.0 until the official release of the 2025 revision.

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2" | Level

! rowspan="2" | Band

! colspan="2" | Syllables

! colspan="2" | Characters (recognition)

! colspan="2" | Characters (writing)

! colspan="2" | Words

! colspan="2" | Grammar points

|- style="font-size:85%;"

! introduced

! cumulative

! introduced

! cumulative

! introduced

! cumulative

! introduced

! cumulative

! introduced

! cumulative

| rowspan="3" | Beginner || 1

| align="center" | 269 || align="center" | 269

| align="center" | 300 || align="center" | 300

| rowspan="3" align="center" | 300

| align="center" | 500 || align="center" | 500

| align="center" | 48 || align="center" | 48

| 2 || align="center" | 199 || align="center" | 468 || align="center" | 300 || align="center" | 600 || align="center" | 772 || align="center" | 1272 || align="center" | 81 || align="center" | 129

| 3 || align="center" | 140 || align="center" | 608 || align="center" | 300 || align="center" | 900 || align="center" | 973 || align="center" | 2245 || align="center" | 81 || align="center" | 210

| rowspan="3" | Intermediate || 4 || align="center" | 116 || align="center" | 724 || align="center" | 300 || align="center" | 1200 || rowspan="3" align="center" | 400 || rowspan="3" align="center" | 700 || align="center" | 1000 || align="center" | 3245 || align="center" | 76 || align="center" | 286

| 5 || align="center" | 98 || align="center" | 822 || align="center" | 300 || align="center" | 1500 || align="center" | 1071 || align="center" | 4316 || align="center" | 71 || align="center" | 357

| 6 || align="center" | 86 || align="center" | 908 || align="center" | 300 || align="center" | 1800 || align="center" | 1140 || align="center" | 5456 || align="center" | 67 || align="center" | 424

| Advanced || 7–9 || align="center" | 202 || align="center" | 1110 || align="center" | 1200 || align="center" | 3000 || align="center" | 500 || align="center" | 1200 || align="center" | 5636 || align="center" | 11092 || align="center" | 148 || align="center" | 572

| colspan="2" | Total || colspan="2" align="center" | 1110 || colspan="2" align="center" | 3000 || colspan="2" align="center" | 1200 || colspan="2" align="center" | 11092 || colspan="2" align="center" | 572

HSK 2.0 (2010–2021)

The previous format was introduced in 2010, with a philosophy of testing "comprehensive language and communication ability".

Written test

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2" | Level

! colspan="4" | Vocabulary

! colspan="3" | Written test

! rowspan="2" | Description

Hanban provides examples of the exam for the different levels together with a list of words that need to be known for each level. However, the German and French

| 6 || 5000 || 2663 || C2 || B2-C1 || B2 || B1+ to B2 || B2

| 5 || 2500 || 1685 || C1 || B1-B2 || B1 || A2+ to B1 || B1

| 4 || 1200 || 1064 || B2 || A2 || A2 || A1+ to A2 || A2

| 3 || 600 || 618 || B1 || A1-A2 || A1 || A1.1 to A1.2 || A1

| 2 || 300 || 348 || A2 || A1.1 || A1.1 (without writing) || A1.1 || Below A1

| 1 || 150 || 174 || A1 || Below A1 || Below A1 || Below A1 || Below A1

Before 2010

{| class="wikitable" align="right" style="margin-left: 1em"

! Test Rank (等第)

! Vocabulary (cumulative)

! Score (级别)

! Certificate

!ROWSPAN="4" ALIGN="center"|HSK

Advanced

|ROWSPAN="4" align="center"|Characters: 2865 Words: 8840

|align="center"|11

| Advanced A

|align="center"|10

| Advanced B

|align="center"|9

| Advanced C*

|align="center"| -

| none

!ROWSPAN="7" ALIGN="center"|HSK

Elementary/

Intermediate

|ROWSPAN="3" ALIGN="center"|Characters: 2194 Words: 5257

|align="center"|8

| Intermediate A

|align="center"|7

| Intermediate B

|align="center"|6

| Intermediate C

|ROWSPAN="4" ALIGN="center"|Characters: 1603 Words: 3052

|align="center"|5

| Elementary A

|align="center"|4

| Elementary B

|align="center"|3

| Elementary C**

|align="center"| -

| none

!ROWSPAN="4" ALIGN="center"|HSK

Basic

|ROWSPAN="4" ALIGN="center"|Characters: 800 Words: 1033

|align="center"|3

| Basic A

|align="center"|2

| Basic B

|align="center"|1

| Basic C

|align="center"| -

| none

|COLSPAN="4"|*Generally signifies a professional level. **Generally required for non-language academic programs.

Ranking

Formerly, there were 11 possible ranks (1-11) and 3 test formats (Basic, Elementary/Intermediate, and Advanced). A rank of between 3 and 8 was needed to enroll in a Chinese university, depending on the subject being studied. A score of 9 or higher was a common business standard.

A student taking the Basic test (HSK) could attain a rank of 1 through 3 (1-3), or fail to meet requirements and thus not receive a rank. The Elementary/Intermediate test (HSK) covered ranks 3-8 (3-8), with ranks below 3 not considered. Likewise, the Advanced test (HSK) covered ranks 9-11 (9-11), with scores below 9 not considered.

Content

The previous format for both Basic and Elementary/Intermediate HSK included four sections: listening comprehension, grammar structures, reading comprehension, and written expressions. Aside from the written expressions portion (which requires writing of Chinese characters), these two tests were completely multiple-choice. The Advanced HSK however, added an additional two portions: spoken and written.

Test dates and locations

The HSK is held at designated test centers in China and abroad.

List of language proficiency tests

References

External links

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Official HSK Website
News on publishing the word list for the 2021 version of HSK (March 31, 2021)
2021 HSK word list (plain text file that can be imported into Pleco)
Official HSK Website at Hanban
List of Chinese characters needed to be known to pass HSK
List of HSK words by level on Wiktionary
Exam Centre: Yale-China Chinese Language Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong