The HSK Test, or Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, is ‘The Chinese Proficiency Test.’ The HSK test was designed by HSK Center of Beijing Language and Culture University. The HSK test was revamped in 2009 by Hanban, the Chinese Language Council International. The HSK test is the People’s Republic of China’s official test of proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. Though the HSK test is most commonly taken by foreigners it is required that Chinese citizens of ethnic minority groups as well as Overseas Chinese take the HSK test to attend university in China.
This leads us to a common question regarding the HSK test- why take it? Many simply take the HSK test because they wish to track their progress in learning Chinese. The HSK test is without a doubt the most widely reputed test of proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and as it allows you to test at three levels, elementary (for students with 100 to 800 hours of training), intermediate (for students with 400 to 2000 hours of training), or advanced (for students with 3000 or more hours of experience), it can provide an excellent yardstick by which to measure your progress as a student.
Between the three tests there are 6 possible levels at which you can score: 1 (Elementary), 2 (Elementary with Honors), 3 (Intermediate), 4 (Intermediate with Honors), 5 (Advanced), and 6 (Advanced with Honors). For practical benchmarks Hanban says level 1 students “are learners who can understand and use some simple Chinese characters and sentences to communicate,” that level 2 users are adept enough to use Chinese in their “daily lives,” and that level 3 users are “learners who can use Chinese to serve the demands of their personal lives, studies and work, and are capable of completing most […] communicative tasks.” Hanban states that it is not until approximately level 5, with a vocabulary of more than 2500 characters, that students are able to fully comprehend a Chinese language newspaper or film.
Aside from personal interest, many students also take the HSK test for career or educational goals. All foreigners wishing to study at a Chinese university must take the HSK test, though grade required to enroll varies by area of study. Finally many jobs in fields such as international business or translation work require or prefer applicants to hold an HSK proficiency of a certain level.
Whether for employment or just plain old curiosity, the HSK is one of the most effective ways to benchmark your level of proficiency in the Chinese Language. If you plan to study or work in China you may just want to see how you stack up.
Here are some useful links to more HSK practice materials.