Introduction
In March 2020, HSK's management organization, the International Chinese Test, announced through Twitter that the current HSK test and the Chinese proficiency standard on which it is based will be reformed. Since then, more details about the upcoming changes have been published.
The new HSK (3.0 or 2021) will include three major stages: elementary, intermediate and advanced. Each of these stages will be divided into three levels, for a total of nine levels.
| Level | Band | Syllables | Characters | Vocab Words | Grammar Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | Band 1 | 269 | 300 | 500 | 48 |
| Band 2 | 468 (+199) | 600 (+300) | 1,272 (+772) | 129 (+81) | |
| Band 3 | 608 (+140) | 900 (+300) | 2,245 (+973) | 210 (+81) | |
| Intermediate | Band 4 | 724 (+116) | 1,200 (+300) | 3,245 (+1,000) | 286 (+76) |
| Band 5 | 822 (+98) | 1,500 (+300) | 4,316 (+1,071) | 357 (+71) | |
| Band 6 | 908 (+86) | 1,800 (+300) | 5,456 (+1,140) | 424 (+67) | |
| Advanced | Band 7-9 | 1,110 (+202) | 3,000 (+1,200) | 11,092 (+5,636) | 572 (+148) |
Starting from March 2022, the new HSK will look like this:
The first six levels of the new HSK have their own requirements for the number of vocabulary, Chinese characters, syllables, and syllables. Chinese grammar Essentials that students should master. In addition, each of these levels will be independent and self-contained.
However, this structure will change at an advanced stage. Although there will still be separate tests for levels 1-6, just like the current HSK, only one test will be conducted for the three highest levels of the new HSK. All students at the advanced level will take the same test and then be assigned to 7, 8, or 9 levels based on their scores.
The advanced stage of the new HSK is for students who want to study for a master's or doctoral degree in China. It also aims to meet the needs of students majoring in Chinese or other sinology-related fields.
The new HSK will be more suitable for students of all levels, from elementary to advanced.