General Introduction

China's Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, known as HSK or the Chinese Proficiency Test is a standardized test at the state level designed and developed by the HSK Center of Beijing Language and Culture University to measure the Chinese proficiency of foreigners, overseas Chinese and students from Chinese national minorities.

HSK includes two levels, i.e. the Elementary-Intermediate Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK Elementary-Intermediate) and the Advanced Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK Advanced). HSK is held regularly in China and other countries each year. Certificates of HSK will be issued to those who have secured the required scores.

HSK applies to those who are at the elementary and intermediate level in Chinese proficiency, i.e., who have taken 400-2000 regular hours of modern Chinese courses (including those whose proficiency in Chinese is similar to that standard). The Advanced HSK is designed to measure the Chinese proficiency of those who are proficient in Chinese, i.e. who have taken 3000 regular hours or more modern Chinese courses (including those whose proficiency in Chinese is similar to that standard). Applicants who are interested in taking HSK shall make sure the test is applicable to them. HSK and the issuing of HSK certificates are supervised by the State Commission of Chinese Proficiency Test under the Ministry of Education in China.

HSK Function

The HSK Certificate serves

1) to certify that the holder has obtained the required Chinese Proficiency to enter a college or university as an undergraduate or graduate student.

2) to certify that the holder can be exempt from studying Chinese courses depending on the level of certification.

3)as a basis for the employment institutions to evaluate the Chinese proficiency of their employees.

Application Requirements

According to the regulations made by the Ministry of Education in China, any foreign student who wants to apply for undergraduate programs in universities in China must take HSK and receive at least one of the following certificates:

1. Intermediate level C required for admission to a college or university of arts, such as Chinese literature, history, philosophy, etc. and Chinese medicine.

2. Elementary level C required for admission to a college or university of science or technology.

Procedures of Registration

1) To register, an applicant is required to:

a) submit two 30×40 mm photos without head wear.

b) show photobearing identification, such as an I.D. card, or passport.

2) Applicants shall pay the following fees for the test and registration:

a) HSK Elementary-Intermediate; RMB 180 yuan for the test, RMB 70 yuan for the registration.

b) HSK Advanced; RMB 250 yuan for the test, RMB 150 yuan for the registration. Other fees may differ for tests administered in other countries or to national minorities. Fees for the test and registration will not be refunded under any circumstances.

3) An applicant not near to a testing location may register by mail and should send the following:

a) a copy of the identification paper.

b) a resume to include name, sex, nationality, and date of birth, address.

c) two 30x40mm photos without head wear. All applications must be sent by registered mail at least one week before the registration deadline. No registration may be made by telephone.

4) Agencies will issue admission tickets and handbooks to those registered. Examinees must report to the testing room according to the time and place written on the admission ticket. The admission ticket becomes invalid after the test date. The admission ticket will be issued to the examinee upon arrival at the testing site.

Preparations for the test

The test aims at measuring the examinees' general competence in Chinese, so HSK is not based on any particular textbook or Chinese course. Examinees may refer to any textbook in preparing for the test.

Examinees are encouraged to read the HSK Guide that describes the organization and content of the tests. The HSK Guide, available for purchase at all agencies, provides a description of HSK, sample test papers and a key, a vocabulary list covered in HSK, and is accompanied by a cassette tape recording of listening section of the sample test.

Examinees are required to enter the testing room with his/her admission ticket and photobearing identification paper (such as an ID card or passport). It is impossible for examinees to enter the testing room without his ID and admission ticket. Examinees should have nothing on their desks but their test books, answer sheets, pencils, and erasers.

The use of tape-recorders, cameras, dictionaries, notebooks, textbooks or papers of any kind is prohibited. Examinees who are late to the test (beginning with listening) for less than five minutes can enter the testing room; those late for five to thirty-five minutes may enter the testing room when the first part (listening) is finished; and those late for more than 35 minutes are not permitted to take part in the test.

Issuing of the HSK certificate and its period of validity

The HSK certificate and score report will be mailed to the HSK centers or agencies by the sponsoring institution within two months after the test date. The candidates may get the certificate and score report either by collecting themselves at the test center or by mail from the test center.

The HSK certificate has permanent validity, whereas the period of validity of the score report, as a certification for foreign students to enter a college or university in China, is two years (beginning from the date when the test is administered).

Advisory services Information and other services concerning HSK are provided by the Office of State commission of Chinese Proficiency Test, the HSK Department of the Office of the State Leading Group for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, and the HSK center of Beijing Language and Culture University. The HSK Guide, sample test papers and tapes are available for purchase at all agencies.

For details, please consult the local Chinese embassy or consulate, or directly consult the State HSK Commission (Tel: 0086-10-82303682, Fax: 0086-10-82303915; Address: Office of State HSK Commission, No 15 Xueyuan Lu, Haidian District, Beijing, PRC, Postcode: 100083).

Timetable for HSK Test

1. National Test Dates

HSK Basic is offered twice a year on fixed dates.

1) the second Sunday in January 2:30 p. m. (Beijing time)

2) the fourth Sunday in May 2:30 p. m. (Beijing time)

HSK Elementary-Intermediate is offered three times a year on fixed dates.

1) the second Sunday in January 9:00 a. m. (Beijing time)

2) the fourth Sunday in May 9:00 a. m. (Beijing time)

3) July 25, 9:00 a. m. (Beijing time)

HSK Advanced is administered once a year on a fixed date

the second Sunday in May 9:00 a. m. (Beijing time)