HSK - Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi
HSK stands for Hànyu Shuipíng Kaoshì and is the most important Chinese proficiency test in use today. It is arranged regularly both in China and abroad. If you need to prove your Chinese ability for a professional or educational application, this is the test you should take. Even if you don't need a certificate, taking a standardised test like this comes with other benefits, such as giving you a fair assessment of how far you have come, as well as highlighting some of your current weaknesses.
If you live in Taiwan, you should check out TOCFL and consider taking that instead.
?????? (Hànyu Shuipíng Kaoshì) "Mandarin Proficiency Exam"
Before we go into the details of the test itself, let's break the name down. The acronym HSK is used so often that it shouldn't be too hard to remember, but few native speakers will know what you're talking about unless you use the full name in Chinese.
These words are all very common in themselves, so learning them is useful regardless if you plan to talk about the HSK test or not!
New and old HSK
The test was restructured in 2010 and this is often called "the new HSK" and everything before that is "the old HSK" and won't be discussed further in this article.
Six levels of proficiency
The new HSK is divided into six levels of proficiency. Originally, these were meant to correspond directly to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels, but after a lot of controversy, this has been retracted.
This is an estimation of the six levels:
*These more reasonable levels are from the German Association of Chinese Language Teachers.
From this comparison, it can be seen that there is a slight inflation in Chinese proficiency exams (this is not limited to the HSK). The organisers seem to want to portray their exams as more advanced than they really is and truly advanced levels (C1 and C2 in CEFR) aren't even covered by the exam. I don't mean to belittle the achievements of students who have passed HSK 6, but even then you have a long way to mastery of Chinese.
Resources related to HSK
If you live in Taiwan, you should check out TOCFL and consider taking that instead.
?????? (Hànyu Shuipíng Kaoshì) "Mandarin Proficiency Exam"
Before we go into the details of the test itself, let's break the name down. The acronym HSK is used so often that it shouldn't be too hard to remember, but few native speakers will know what you're talking about unless you use the full name in Chinese.
- ?? (hànyu) "Mandarin" (literally "the language of the Han people")
- ?? (shuipíng) "level" (here level of proficiency)
- ?? (kaoshì) "test, exam"
These words are all very common in themselves, so learning them is useful regardless if you plan to talk about the HSK test or not!
New and old HSK
The test was restructured in 2010 and this is often called "the new HSK" and everything before that is "the old HSK" and won't be discussed further in this article.
Six levels of proficiency
The new HSK is divided into six levels of proficiency. Originally, these were meant to correspond directly to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels, but after a lot of controversy, this has been retracted.
This is an estimation of the six levels:
| HSK level | CEFR level | CEFR description |
| 1 | - | - |
| 2 | A1 | beginner |
| 3 | A1.1 | beginner |
| 4 | A2 | elementary |
| 5 | B1 | intermediate |
| 6 | B2 | intermediate |
*These more reasonable levels are from the German Association of Chinese Language Teachers.
From this comparison, it can be seen that there is a slight inflation in Chinese proficiency exams (this is not limited to the HSK). The organisers seem to want to portray their exams as more advanced than they really is and truly advanced levels (C1 and C2 in CEFR) aren't even covered by the exam. I don't mean to belittle the achievements of students who have passed HSK 6, but even then you have a long way to mastery of Chinese.
Resources related to HSK
- Hanban official website - This is the home of the non-governmental organisation behind the HSK (albeit with links to the Ministry of Education).
- Search test centers - Do you want to take the HSK? Use this website to find a test center close to where you live or study.
- Test resources - This page lists numerous mock exams (more than you will ever need), mostly for reading and listening. Excellent practice!
- New HSK vocabulary lists - Even though learning words isn't the best way to learn a language or even prepare for an exam, it can be useful to know what's expected.
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