Prepare online for the HSK, your proof of Chinese for universities in China

The HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, or Chinese Proficiency Test) is the standardised test of Chinese as a second language. It is run by Chinese Testing International (CTI), a company specialising in international Chinese education and language testing. The HSK measures how well you use Chinese in daily life, study and work, with uniform scoring for all candidates worldwide.

According to CTI, international students need an HSK score for admission, graduation and scholarships in China. If you want to work in China, a high score proves your Chinese to employers and officials and improves your chances of a work visa. Universities also use the HSK for placement, course exemptions and credits.

Chinese universities and authorities need one common yardstick, because applicants come from many countries and learn Chinese in very different ways. According to the Shanghai city government, HSK 3.0 test centres exist in 168 countries. CTI is organised as a company and sells paid mock tests alongside the exams.

The HSK is moving from six to nine levels. It is based on the Chinese standard GF0025-2021, the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education. CTI calls the new model three stages with nine levels. Levels 1 to 3 form the elementary stage, 4 to 6 the intermediate stage and 7 to 9 the advanced stage.

The new HSK tests five skills, namely listening, speaking, reading, writing and, at advanced levels, translation. CTI has adjusted question types, number of questions, test length and listening speed. The syllabus sets out tasks, topics, vocabulary, grammar and Chinese characters for each level.

In the pilot, candidates for levels 3 to 6 had to register for the matching speaking test at the same time. Speaking is therefore more closely tied to the main exam in HSK 3.0 than in the current HSK.

In the current six-level HSK, HSK 1 and HSK 2 test only listening and reading. A writing section is added from HSK 3. The timings include five minutes for filling in personal details.

For HSK 1 to 4, CTI sets the pass mark at 60 percent of the points. For HSK 5 and 6, CTI's level pages state only the maximum score. At these levels your actual score matters most, and universities often set their own minimums.

The score report for HSK 1 and 2 shows listening, reading and a total. From HSK 3, a writing score is added. According to CTI, HSK 4 is aimed at intermediate learners with a strong foundation in listening, reading and writing. In HSK 4, listening takes about 30 minutes, reading 40 minutes and writing 25 minutes.

HSK 7-9 is a single exam for the three advanced levels. According to CTI, it is aimed at master's and doctoral students in China, students majoring in Chinese and professionals who do research or work in business, culture and technology in Chinese.

The exam covers listening, reading, writing, translation and speaking. Listening and reading texts come from news reports, negotiations, lectures, documentaries and academic writing. In writing you describe and analyse charts and defend your own opinion. In translation you translate texts from a foreign language into Chinese, both in writing and orally.

CTI calculates a score from 0 to 100 for each skill using item response theory, a statistical method that takes the difficulty of each item into account. The result is one of four outcomes, namely under level 7, level 7, level 8 or level 9. HSK 7-9 is currently available only as an internet-based test.

CTI applies the same rule to all HSK levels. A score counts as proof for two years from the test date. If you apply for a degree or scholarship in China, take the exam no more than two years before your application deadline. The call for applications from the university or scholarship provider names the HSK level required.

CTI does not map the HSK levels to the CEFR on its pages. The CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, describes language ability on six levels from A1 to C2. If a European university or employer asks for a CEFR level, ask them directly which HSK level they accept.

Besides the written HSK there is the HSKK, a separate speaking test. Some universities ask for both results. In the new HSK 3.0, speaking is more closely tied to the main exam, as the 2026 pilot showed.

Depending on the test centre, you take the HSK on paper or on a computer. In several countries outside China, CTI also offers an internet-based test at home, called the Home Edition. The test date search on chinesetest.cn shows whether it is available in your country, and you also register there.

Each test centre sets its own fee. The Confucius Institute in Bologna charged the amounts in the table for its June 2026 session.

In many countries, Confucius Institutes and some universities run the HSK. Registration closes several weeks before the test date. For the worldwide launch of HSK 3.0, it closes almost four weeks before the test day for the paper-based test and ten days before for the computer-based test. For the pilot test on 31 January 2026, results came out on 14 March, six weeks later.

Chinese takes English speakers far more study time than French or Spanish. The Foreign Service Institute of the US State Department places Mandarin in its most difficult category and plans about 2,200 class hours for English speakers to reach professional working proficiency.

Three hurdles make the difference. Chinese is a tonal language, in which the pitch of a syllable changes its meaning. The script consists of thousands of characters without an alphabet, and Pinyin, the romanised spelling, is only a learning aid. On top of that, there are hardly any words that English speakers recognise from their own language.

Many learners therefore learn Pinyin and the four tones of Standard Chinese first, before they start on characters. An online course with live classes helps, because a teacher corrects wrong tones at once. Apps with speech recognition add feedback between lessons.

This plan assumes you have passed HSK 3 or study securely at that level. It counts on eight to ten hours a week.

1 Check version and format in week 1

Ask your centre whether it offers the current HSK or HSK 3.0, on paper or on a computer. Then take a mock test, which CTI offers through its Do A Mock feature.

2 Build vocabulary and characters in weeks 2 to 8

Learn new words every day with a flashcard system that schedules spaced repetition. Read short texts without Pinyin so that you recognise the characters directly.

3 Practise listening under time pressure in weeks 5 to 10

Listen to dialogues at exam speed and answer the questions without pausing. The HSK 4 listening section lasts about 30 minutes.

4 Train writing and word order in weeks 6 to 10

Practise the tasks that ask you to put sentence parts in order and to build sentences. In the computer-based test you usually type characters through Pinyin input and choose the right character from a list of suggestions.

5 Sit mock exams in weeks 11 and 12

Take two complete mock exams in about 105 minutes each.

An online course for the HSK, the Chinese test run by CTI, should match your exam version and train every skill tested. These eight signs help you choose.

1. The course says whether it prepares you for the current HSK or HSK 3.0.
2. It starts with a placement test and states the target level.
3. Teachers correct your pronunciation, and especially your tones, live.
4. The course trains characters, not just Pinyin.
5. It practises in your exam format, on paper or on a computer with Pinyin input.
6. It prepares you for the speaking test, because HSK 3.0 ties speaking more closely to the exam and some universities ask for the HSKK.
7. It includes complete mock exams with time limits.
8. The provider states price, hours and duration up front and keeps the course fee separate from the exam fee.

Many learners combine a live course with an app for daily vocabulary. The live course covers tones, speaking and writing, and the app handles the repetition of characters and words.