HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) is the Chinese Proficiency Test. It is widely used by academic institutions and employers to evaluate candidate's Mandarin level. It is composed of 6 levels and requires the student to master a total of 5000 vocabulary words.

1. The HSK Exam
Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, also
known as the Chinese Proficiency
Test

2. Why take the HSK?
• You want to attend a Chinese university
and pursue a Chinese language
curriculum there
• You want to get a scholarship for
foreigners at a Chinese university
• You need to show your Chinese
proficiency level for employment purposes
• You want to measure your Chinese
proficiency (and brag about it)

3. Structure of the HSK exam
• HSK 1, 2 and 3 are heavily grammar
based
• HSK 4, 5 and 6 build your vocabulary
• Getting to HSK 3 is relatively easy
because there is not much specific
vocabulary up to this level. By HSK 3, you
only need to master 600 words
• Getting from HSK 4 to HSK 6 requires
mastering 4400 words

4. HSK Vocabulary Breakdown
HSK
Level
Words Learned
1 150 vocabulary words
2 150 vocabulary words
3 300 vocabulary words
4 600 vocabulary words
5 1,300 vocabulary words
6 2,500 vocabulary words
TOTAL 5,000 vocabulary words

5. Time Allocation for the HSK
Test
HSK
Level
Listening Listening
: fill in
score
card
Reading Writing Fill in
personal
information
Total
minutes
1 15 min 3 min 17 min N/A 5 min 40 min
2 25 min 3 min 22 min N/A 5 min 55 min
3 35 min 5 min 30 min 15 min 5 min 90 min
4 30 min 5 min 40 min 25 min 5 min 105 min
5 30 min 5 min 45 min 40 min 5 min 125 min
6 35 min 5 min 50 min 45 min 5 min 140 min

6. What does each HSK level
mean?
HSK
Level
Skill Level
1 Very rudimentary understanding of the Chinese language and its
basic concepts
2 Student can engage in simple conversation and respond to daily
life situations
3 Daily life can be comfortably mastered (some Chinese universities
require HSK 3 or 4 for enrolment)
4 Student can engage in more challenging topics of conversation and
express his/her points clearly and comprehensively
5 Student can properly engage in daily Chinese life, understand
cultural nuances and appreciate media coverage in the Chinese
language
6 No more problems should exist for the student in daily life, at work
or in any social context. The basis for true exposure to the Chinese
culture.

7. HSK 3 is a milestone
• You achieve Mandarin Chinese
intermediate proficiency
• You will have learned 600 vocabulary
words
• You are done learning all the Chinese
grammar
• You start writing, or typing (if you are the
majority of students). Japanese and
Korean students usually have very little
hard time with Chinese characters.

8. How many hours to study for
each HSK level?
HSK Level Hours Needed
1 30 hours
2 30 hours
3 60 hours
4 120 hours
5 180 hours
6 250 hours
Data based on a student studying two-hours per day one-to-one, with a
trained teacher. Students in group classes will need more hours. Source:
studyhsk.com.

9. How to Study for the HSK
• Get the vocabulary list for each HSK level
• Make Flashcards – create them yourself or
use an app to help you memorize
vocabulary
• Take mock HSK tests under time
constraints to see how you would do on
exam day
• Get an HSK trained teacher to learn
material and tips for the test

10. Where to find study
materials?
• Confucius Institute – a good source of exam
examples
• Hanban Website – the organization that
administers the HSK test
• Beijing Language and Culture University books
– BLCU developed the HSK
• StudyHSK Blog – Extensive explanation of
some HSK vocabulary

11. Miscellaneous
• HSK Test Dates
• HSK Test Registration
• Find an HSK Test Center
• And… Good Luck!