HSK Information

HSK usually is comprised of three general categories: HSK Basic; HSK Elementary-Intermediate; & HSK Advanced. In addition to the "usual" HSK categories, The Confucius Institute at PSU is also offering the Young Learners Chinese Test (YCT) for children and the Business Chinese Test (BCT). To register, you need to decide which of the five test categories works best for you(the "usual" three plus the YCT and BCT), fill out the registration form and submit the other required registrations materials, and then include payment for the test fee for your particular exam along with the $10 registration fee.

The primary function or purpose of the HSK is to certify that non-native Chinese speakers are qualified to communicate in Chinese at the level required for business, school, and daily interactions. Proficiency in Chinese has increasingly become a qualification for those who want to study or work in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other locations or institutions where Chinese is either required or prefered. The HSK certificate provides official proof of sufficient Chinese language proficiency to apply for work in international companies and organizations or for admission into China's educational institutions at various levels. Another incentive for doing well is the reward of a scholarship to study in China for one month that is awarded to the top test scorers.

• HSK Basic (Levels 1, 2, 3)

  • HSK Basic is appropriate for students with 100 to 800 hours of formal education in modern Chinese, have mastered a vocabulary of 400 to 3,000 Chinese characters at the A and B levels, and are able to understand corresponding Chinese grammar structures.

  • HSK Basic has 140 items and lasts 135 minutes (2 hours 15 minutes). It is divided into three sections: listening, sentence structure, and reading comprehension. All questions are in multiple-choice format.

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• HSK Elementary-Intermediate (Elementary Levels 3, 4, 5; Intermediate Levels 6, 7, 8)

• HSK Elementary-Intermediate is appropriate for students with 400 to 2,000 hours of formal education in modern Chinese, have mastered a vocabulary of 2,000 to 5,000 Chinese characters at the A, B, and C levels, and are able to understand corresponding Chinese grammar structures.

• HSK Elementary-Intermediate has 170 items and lasts 145 minutes (2 hours 25 minutes). It is divided into four parts: listening, sentence structure, reading comprehension, and a cloze (fill in the blanks) section. Questions 1 to 154 are multiple-choice. Questions 155 to 170 are in cloze format requiring test-takers to fill in blank spaces at regular intervals with the appropriate Chinese characters.

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• HSK Advanced (Levels 9, 10, 11)

• HSK Advanced is appropriate for students with 3,000 or more hours of formal education in modern Chinese, have mastered a vocabulary of 5,000 or more Chinese characters at A, B, C, and D levels, and are able to understand corresponding Chinese grammar structures.

• HSK Advanced lasts 155 minutes (2 hours 35 minutes). HSK Advanced consists of three separately-timed subtests: a 120-item written test (objective), a writing composition section, and an oral test. The 120-item written test is further divided into three subsections: listening, reading, and cloze. A variety of objective-type questions are used including multiple-choice, matching, fill in the blank, and writing Chinese characters. The oral test takes the form of an interview.

• YCT Young Learners Chinese Test (Levels 1, 2, 3)

• YCT is intended primarily for students in elementary school & middle/junior high school students to age 15.

• BCT Business Chinese Test

• The (BCT) Business Chinese Test aims to assess communicative capabilities in applying Chinese language in conducting business activities. It consists of listening, reading, speaking and writing. It is suitable for anyone with Chinese language proficiency at the Elementary level or above.

There is a some overlap between the lowest level of one category and the highest level of the category below. For example, the highest level in HSK Basic is Level 3 (or Basic Level A), which overlaps the lowest level in HSK Elementary, i.e., Level 3 (or Elementary Level C). Questions to consider in deciding which HSK category to choose are: Why are you taking the exam and which certificate category/level do you actually need? How do you honestly rate your current level of proficiency under strict test conditions? The China Education Center Ltd (CEC) created an alphabetically organized, [HSK vocabulary list] that may be useful.

1. Print the [registration form] or pick one up at the Confucius Institute office (at the drop-off address below).

2. Fill out the registration form.

3. Completed registrations should include the following materials:

   • Two recent photos, maximum dimensions - passport-size (2" x 2" or 50mm x 50mm) or smaller are required. The preferred dimensions are 40mm x 30mm (or 1.6" x 1.2"). School photos larger than 2" x 2" or (50mm x 50mm) will not be accepted. The U.S. Dept of State's passport photo "Composition Checklist" is a good guide for doing your own photos, if necessary.
   • Valid identification with your photo (passport, driver license, student ID, or residence permit); you can send a copy if mailing the registration, but, you will still need to bring your real ID to the test location for the exam
   • Payment by check or money order in the amount based on the fee table below

4. Mail all registration materials by Friday, March 14, 2008 to the mailing address below; or, register in-person or drop-off your registration materials in the Confucius Institute office at PSU at the location below.

If you are registering by mail, please send your materials and payment (postmarked by March 14) to:

         Confucius Institute at PSU
         Portland State University
         P.O. Box 751, OIA-CI
         Portland, OR  97207

For registering in person or dropping off your registration materials and payment by Monday, March 17, 2007, stop in at:

         Confucius Institute at PSU
         632 SW Hall Street
         East Hall, Room 306, on the PSU campus

The HSK information on this site has been prepared by Confucius Institute at PSU with reference to the Hanban (The Office of Chinese Language Council International), HSK Center at Beijing Language & Culture University, China.org, CEC, China.com, & UBC HSK websites (located on our links and announcements page). The ultimate rights of interpretations of HSK policies remain with the Office of PRC HSK State Commission through the HSK Center at the address below:

HSK Center
15 Xueyuan Road
Haidian District, Beijing
P. R. China 100083

Fax: 86-10-62311093, 86-10-62311037
Tel: 86-10-62317150, 86-10-62317531 x 2685 or 2672