I. Test Content

There are 4 sections in HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) as shown in the table below:

II. HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) Scoring System

1. About the scores of HSK (Elementary-Intermediate)

A section score of HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) is a scale score with 50 as the score mean and 15 as the standard deviation, while the total score is a scale score with 200 as the score mean and 60 the standard deviation. These scores show the relative position of the candidate in a standard sample group. The table below helps to locate the relative position of a candidate in the whole group. The right column indicates the percentage occupied by those whose scores are lower than the corresponding scores in the standard HSK reference group. Therefore, as it shows, the total score of HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) is not simply an add-up of the section scores.

2. Score ranges for each section of HSK (Elementary-Intermediate)

*There is a bottom line set below Level 3 for HSK (Elementary) purely out of the convenience to set a criterion for awarding certificates but not to assess the basic proficiency levels. Scores within this range are not eligible for HSK Certificate (Elementary).

3. HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) Certificate Grades and Score Levels

4. Interpretation of the HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) score levels

•  Level 3: The candidate has the elementary (low) competence in Chinese. A candidate at this level can gain HSK Elementary Certificate Grade C, which is prescribed by the Ministry of Education as the minimal level in Chinese proficiency for an international student to study in a Bachelor’s Degree programme in science, engineering, agriculture and western medicine in a Chinese college or university.

Level 4: The candidate has the elementary (middle) competence in Chinese and can gain the HSK Elementary Certificate Grade B

Level 5: The candidate has the elementary (high) competence in Chinese and can be granted the HSK Elementary Certificate Grade A.

•  Level 6: The candidate has acquired the intermediate (low) competence in Chinese and can get the HSK Intermediate Certificate Grade C.

Level 7: The candidate has the intermediate (high) Chinese language competence and is eligible for the HSK Intermediate Certificate Grade B.

Level 8: The candidate has acquired the intermediate (high) Chinese language competence and can be awarded the HSK Intermediate Certificate Grade A.

III. Prerequisites to be awarded the HSK Certificate

1, The total score should be higher than the minimal level in the related grade.

2, Three of the four section scores shall exceed the minimal level in the related grade.

3, One of the four section scores is allowed to be less than the minimal level in the related grade, but shall not be less by more than one level. If so, one can only get a certificate of the lower grade.

The above three preconditions are set in an effort to encourage the all round development in all aspects of language skills, and an imbalanced development in certain language skills will affect the candidate in getting an HSK certificate.

1. About Applicants of HSK
　　HSK (Basic) applies to those learners with the basic Chinese proficiencies, namely, those who have taken 100 to 800 hours of regular modern Chinese learning (including those with the equivalent learning experiences). HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) is for those who are at the elementary and intermediate level in Chinese proficiency, i.e. those who have taken 400-2000 regular hours of modern Chinese courses (including those whose proficiency in Chinese is similar to that standard). The HSK (Advanced) 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 learning (including those whose proficiency in Chinese is similar to that standard).

2. The functions of HSK Certificates
　　（1）to certify that the holder has acquired 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 taking the Chinese language course depending on the level of certification.
　　（3）as a basis for the employers to evaluate the Chinese proficiency of the job applicants.

3. HSK organizer and certificate issuer
　　CNCCPT is the organizer of HSK.
　　And the CNCCPT Office and the HSK Center of BLCU are both in charge of the HSK affairs.

4. Test Dates and Venues
　　HSK is held regularly in Mainland China. The following is the time schedule of 2008 HSK tests.
　　(1) HSK (Basic): 2 tests
　　The 1st test
　　Time: April
　　The 2nd test
　　Time: November
　　(2) HSK (Elementary-Intermediate): 3 tests
　　The 1st test
　　Time: April
　　The 2nd test
　　Time: June
　　The 3rd test
　　Time: November
　　(3) HSK (Advanced): 2 tests
　　The 1st test
　　Time: April
　　The 2nd test
　　Time: October
　　Click here for details about the time schedule of tests in Mainland China
　　Click here for details about test centers in Mainland China
　　HSK tests will be arranged in light of the actual local circumstances in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other countries. For details about the time schedule please enquire at the local test center. Click here for details about test centers in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other countries.。

5. Registration Procedures
　　（1）Candidates shall bring two recent 30 x 40 mm photos without headwear when registering and present a photo-bearing identification, such as a passport or residence permit.
　　（2）Candidates have to pay the fees for the test and registration. In China, it is ￥200 RMB for HSK Basic (including ￥70 RMB for the registration fee); ￥250 RMB for HSK Elementary-Intermediate (including ￥70 RMB for the registration fee) and ￥400 RMB for HSK Advanced (including ￥70 RMB for the registration fee) (as to fees to be paid in other countries or by students of ethnic minorities, please contact local test centers). Fees for the test and registration are non-refundable. And postage is included in the fees. When a candidate cannot take the test in time due to some insurmountable reasons and notifies in advance the test center at which he registered before the test date, with the approval of the center (with the signature and stamp of the center), one test opportunity will be retained for the candidate and he or she will only pay the registration fee if he takes the next test in the future.
　　（3）Candidates living where there are no local test centers may register by mail. Applications must be sent to the test center by registered mail at least one week before the final registration deadline and enclose a photocopy of an official piece of identification, a resume (including the Chinese and English names, sex, nationality, date of birth), a detailed mail address and two recent 30 x 40 photos without head wear. Meanwhile fees for the test and registration shall be remitted to the registration site by post. No telephone registration will be accepted. And the admission ticket will be given to the candidate in person upon his or her arrival at the testing site.
　　（4）Candidates will be given the admission ticket and the HSK User Handbook. Candidates shall take the exam according to the time and place specified on the admission ticket.

6. Preparation for HSK
　　As a standardized test of general language proficiency, HSK is not based on any particular textbook or course of study. Therefore candidates may refer to any textbook in preparing for the test. Nevertheless, it is important that all candidates read HSK Test Syllabus carefully, a guide for the pre-test preparation. It contains an introduction to HSK, a sample HSK test paper and the key, HSK glossary and a CD of the sample listening questions.
　　To be admitted to the test room, every examinee will be required to present his or her admission ticket and a photo-bearing ID certificate (ID card, passport or a residence permit). No candidates will be allowed to enter the test room without the afore-mentioned two evidences. The candidates whose admission ticket is missing can only be admitted to the test room till the ticket is reissued (with handling charges). Tape recorders, cameras, dictionaries, notebooks, textbooks and other unnecessary objects mustn’t be taken into the room. Mobile phones and MP3 shall be switch off and put inside bags, which shall be placed at an area designated by the invigilators.
　　Candidates arriving five minutes late (since the start of listening comprehension test) may be admitted to the testing room and start the test right away. If examinees are 5 to 35 minutes late for the test, they may not start until the next section begins and no extra test time is to be offset for the late arrivals. Thirty-five minutes after the beginning of the exam, no candidates will be admitted to the test room.

7. Things to note during the test
　　（1）Once in the test room, candidates shall put the admission ticket and the ID certificate on the upper right corner of the desk for the inspection of invigilators. All the activities of the candidates are subject to the instructions of the supervisor.
　　（2）Duration for HSK (Basic) is about 135 minutes; HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) about 145 minutes without break; and HSK (Advanced) about 180 minutes with a break after the written test. In principle candidates shall not leave the test room during the course of the test. If so under some exceptional circumstances, the candidate shall gain the permission from the supervisor.
　　（3）HSK has a strict control of the time limits for each section of the test and candidates shall answer the corresponding test questions within a given time period and avoid jumping to the later sections or turning back to the previous ones during the test.
　　（4）Candidates shall not take the test papers or answer sheets out of the room, or tear apart, replace or copy the contents of the test.
　　（5）Candidates shall abide by the test instructions and rules and those who violate the rules will be warned and not even allowed to continue the test by the organizer.
　　（6）Before answering the test questions, candidates shall fill in their names (Chinese and English), the test paper code, nationality code, the test center code and the candidate’s number according to the admission ticket. Candidates should also draw a bar like this [■] to indicate their sex. The test paper code is on the upper right corner. The nationality code is a fixed number created by the test center for each country and nationality for all HSK tests. For example, the code for Japan is 525, France 610, etc. The candidate’s number is a serial number of registration. The test center code is the number for the place where the test is held. For example, the admission ticket of a Japanese student called Kimula Yuko is like this.
　　While filling in the information, candidates should write the numbers first in the blanks on the left and then draw a bar on the corresponding numbers on the right like this

　　Since its inception till now, HSK has grown for more than two decades, during which HSK was always nurtured and cared about by leaders of the Ministry of Education, the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language and Beijing Language and Culture University. Accompanying these 20 years of study, exploration and innovation, the HSK Center of BLCU, like a baby growing into a strong adult, also evolves and becomes the only professional institution dedicated to R&D and implementation of HSK in China.

　　The HSK Center of BLCU was established in 1989 and it is more than a developer, designer and implementer of HSK, but an institution that combines “industry, academics and research”. “Industry” denotes HSK design and test implementation, which is the central task of the Center. Only in 2004, the Center has designed more than 10,000 HSK questions. “Academics” means teaching. The Center is the only institution to prepare Master’s degree candidates and Ph.D students in the field of Chinese language Test in China. Currently there are one tutor for Ph.D students and 8 Master student tutors. 2 doctors and 50 masters have graduated from the Center.And “Research” refers to the scientific research. Remarkable achievements have been scored in HSK studies, test theory and test technology research at the Center, which can be shown by more than 50 finished or on-going research projects, over 30 published books and about 200 papers. In general, while “Industry” bears directly on the immediate interests of HSK, “Academics” and “Research” are focused on its future return, providing a long-term intellectual and technical guarantee to the scientific and sustainable development of HSK.