From your first 300 words to near-native mastery across 11,000. See exactly what each HSK 3.0 level asks of you — papers, timing and vocabulary — then follow the roadmap.
Your roadmap
9 levelsCumulative vocabulary
11,000 words
9
Levels
3
Tiers
11,000
Words
HSK 3+
Speaking required
Beginner tier
Cumulative
up to 1,000 words
HSK 1–3 · 一级
Written
~40 min
Speaking
—
Greetings, numbers, dates, family and shopping — survive your first real conversations in Chinese.
HSK 1–3 · 二级
Written
~60 min
Speaking
—
Daily routines, weather, transport and simple requests — handle everyday situations and write short sentences of your own.
HSK 1–3 · 三级
Written
~83 min
Speaking
~15 min
Travel, health, study and work — read short passages, write simple messages and speak on familiar topics.
Intermediate tier
Cumulative
up to 5,400 words
Speaking is mandatory from HSK 3. Written and speaking papers are booked together, sat on the same day and counted as one registration.
HSK 4–6 · 四级
Written
~85 min
Speaking
~20 min
Express opinions on society and culture, follow longer texts, write short structured passages and speak in full answers.
HSK 4–6 · 五级
Written
~110 min
Speaking
~23 min
News, culture and abstract topics — read authentic materials, write full essays and speak fluently on given prompts.
HSK 4–6 · 六级
Written
~125 min
Speaking
~23 min
Academic and professional texts, precise expression, nuanced arguments and extended spoken response.
Advanced tier
Cumulative
up to 11,000 words
HSK 7–9
高等 · Advanced
11,000
Words
98
Questions
~210
Minutes
5
Papers
Complex argumentation, literature, professional communication and near-native mastery across academic, literary and technical registers.
The papers
HSK 3.0 separates skills into distinct papers. Here is what you practise in each one.
听力
Listening
Dialogues, announcements and short talks — pick the matching picture or answer.
阅读
Reading
Short passages and authentic texts — match, order and answer comprehension questions.
写作
Writing
From sentence building at HSK 2 to structured essays and chart description at HSK 6.
口语
Speaking
Repeat sentences, describe pictures and answer prompts. Required for HSK 3–6.
翻译
Translation
Written and spoken translation between Chinese and a foreign language — HSK 7–9 only.
Tip
Practise both together
Written and speaking papers share vocabulary. Our mock exams mirror the same-day format.
Take the free placement test and we will place you at the right level in about 10 minutes.
Word counts follow the official HSK 3.0 syllabus (cumulative). L · R · W = Listening, Reading, Writing. Speaking (口语) is a separate paper sat on the same day; for HSK 3–6 it must be booked together with the written paper. HSK 3.0 launches worldwide on 13 Dec 2026.
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