New HSK Test 3.0
In March 2021, Ministry of Education released the new Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education. The new standards have been officially implemented on July 1, 2021.
HSK Official has announced that the new HSK test 3.0 will be divided into three levels and nine bands.
Elementary: Band 1 to 3
Intermediate: Band 4 to 6
Advanced: Band 7 to 9
About the new HSK test 3.0
The new HSK test 3.0 uses Four-dimension Benchmarks include syllable, character, vocabulary and grammar to determine test taker’s Chinese proficiency. Each level and band has its own specific requirements for each dimension.
The new HSK test 3.0 will examine test taker’s verbal communication abilities include listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation. Test takers need to be able to apply these communication abilities to talk about different topics in various situations.
Handwriting Chinese characters and translation have been newly added. Test takers need to write the required characters at band 1 to 3. The requirement includes the number of characters to be written per minute. From band 4, test takers have spoken and written translation skills will be examined.
Based on the new standards, we expect the new HSK test 3.0 will become more difficult than the current HSK test 2.0. It requires more vocabulary, grammar concepts and handwriting. For instance, HSK test 3.0 band 3 requires 2245 vocabulary compare to current HSK test 2.0 level 3 requires only 600 vocabulary. HSK test 3.0 will be developed under the new standards. The new test contents and learning materials have yet to be developed.
Timeline for changes to the current HSK test
The current HSK levels 1-6 test will remain unchanged in the near future. The current test contents, certificates and learning materials are still valid for the foreseeable future. HSK levels 1-6 test will be gradually adjusted according to the new standards based on the actual situation of Chinese learners in different countries in the next 3 to 5 years.
We will update our content after any official information is released. If you are planning to take HSK 2.0, you can continue to use the current HSK practice materials. If you want to ready for the new HSK test 3.0, you should start practicing handwriting Chinese characters and translation. (How to Write Chinese Characters)
New HSK 3.0 Level 1 (Band 1)New HSK 3.0 Level 2 (Band 2)
New HSK 3.0 Level 3 (Band 3)
New HSK 3.0 Level 4 (Band 4)
New HSK 3.0 Level 5 (Band 5)
New HSK 3.0 Level 6 (Band 6)
New HSK 3.0 Level 7 (Band 7)
New HSK 3.0 Level 8 (Band 8)
New HSK 3.0 Level 9 (Band 9)
New HSK 3.0 Quantitative Criteria
Comparison of HSK Test 3.0 and 2.0
New HSK 3.0 Syllable, Character, Vocabulary, Grammar List
