HSK Exam Format: Levels, Sections, Timing & Question Types
The HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, the Chinese Proficiency Test) is the international standardised test of Chinese for non-native speakers, run by Chinese Testing International. It assesses how well you can use Chinese in daily, academic and professional life. In its classic format, the format this guide details and the format Solvi's practice paper uses, the HSK has six levels, and each level is a separate exam: you register for the one level that matches your ability. Levels 1 and 2 test listening and reading only. Levels 3 to 6 add a writing section. Speaking is not part of the written exam at any of the six levels; it is tested separately by the HSKK (see below). A newer standard, HSK 3.0, reorganises the levels into nine; the last section of this guide explains what is changing and when.
The six levels at a glance
| Level | Listening | Reading | Writing | Total questions | Total time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 20 | 20 | Not tested | 40 | 40 min |
| HSK 2 | 35 | 25 | Not tested | 60 | 55 min |
| HSK 3 | 40 | 30 | 10 | 80 | 90 min |
| HSK 4 | 45 | 40 | 15 | 100 | 105 min |
| HSK 5 | 45 | 45 | 10 | 100 | 125 min |
| HSK 6 | 50 | 50 | 1 | 101 | 140 min |
Total time includes 5 minutes at the start for filling in personal information. The listening time in the official tables also includes a few minutes at the end of the section for transferring your answers to the answer sheet: 3 minutes at Levels 1 and 2, 5 minutes at Levels 3 to 6. The vocabulary the official introductions set for each level is cumulative: 150 words at Level 1, 300 at Level 2, 600 at Level 3, 1,200 at Level 4, 2,500 at Level 5, and 5,000 or more at Level 6. At Levels 1 and 2 the paper prints pinyin alongside the characters; from Level 3 the paper is characters only.
Listening: every recording plays once
Listening is the first section at every level, and every item is played once only, so there is no replaying a dialogue you missed. The section lasts about 15 minutes at Level 1, 25 at Level 2, 35 at Level 3, 30 at Level 4, 30 at Level 5 and 35 at Level 6, plus the answer transfer time noted above. The task types grow with the level: at the lower levels you judge whether a statement matches what you heard and match or choose pictures; higher levels are built from short dialogues, longer conversations and passages, each followed by questions with four options. At Level 6 the section includes interviews as well as passages.
Reading: 17 minutes at Level 1, 50 at Level 6
The reading section lasts 17 minutes at Level 1, 22 at Level 2, 30 at Level 3, 40 at Level 4, 45 at Level 5 and 50 at Level 6. Across the levels the same family of tasks recurs: matching sentences or dialogues to pictures or statements, filling blanks in sentences and passages with the right word or sentence (cloze), putting jumbled sentences in the correct order, and answering comprehension questions on short passages. Level 6 adds a part where you pick out the one sentence of four that has faulty wording or formulation.
Writing: starts at Level 3
| Level | Writing tasks | Time |
|---|---|---|
| HSK 3 | 5 items building a sentence from given words, and 5 items writing the character that matches a given pinyin | 15 min |
| HSK 4 | 10 items building a sentence from given words, and 5 items writing a sentence about a picture using a given word | 25 min |
| HSK 5 | 8 items building a sentence from given words, and 2 short compositions of about 80 characters: one using a set of given words, one based on a picture | 40 min |
| HSK 6 | 1 composition: read a narrative of about 1,000 characters in 10 minutes, then retell it in about 400 characters in 35 minutes, with a title of your own and no opinions added | 45 min |
Writing is the section candidates most often underprepare, because it is the only part of the six-level exam that asks you to produce characters rather than choose an answer. Note that Solvi's mock exams do not include writing at any level: the practice below is listening and reading only.
HSK 4 in detail: the paper Solvi practices
HSK 4 is the intermediate level: the official introduction describes it as the level at which you can converse in Chinese on a wide range of topics and communicate fluently with native speakers, built on 1,200 words. Its paper has 100 questions in three sections. Solvi's mock is the official practice paper H41001, and its two tested sections break down like this:
| Section and part | What you do | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Listening, Part 1 | Hear a short statement or exchange and judge a statement about it true or false | 10 |
| Listening, Part 2 | Hear a short dialogue and answer one question on it, four options | 15 |
| Listening, Part 3 | Hear longer dialogues and passages and answer questions on them, four options | 20 |
| Reading, Part 1 | Choose the word that fills the blank in a sentence or short dialogue | 10 |
| Reading, Part 2 | Put three jumbled sentences in the correct order | 10 |
| Reading, Part 3 | Read short passages and answer a question on each, four options | 20 |
In the real exam the HSK 4 listening section runs about 30 minutes (plus 5 minutes to transfer answers), reading runs 40 minutes, and writing runs 25 minutes. On Solvi you take the 45 listening questions and the 40 reading questions under the same timing, each listening question plays once, and each section is scored out of 100. How the scores and the 180-point pass mark work is covered in the HSK scoring guide.
Speaking is a separate test: the HSKK
In the six-level format, speaking has its own exam, the HSKK (Hanyu Shuiping Kouyu Kaoshi, the HSK speaking test), taken separately from the written HSK and recorded on the day. It has three levels that line up with the written levels: Basic (aligned with HSK 1 and 2, about 20 minutes), Intermediate (HSK 3 and 4, about 23 minutes) and Advanced (HSK 5 and 6, about 25 minutes). Each HSKK level is scored out of 100 with a pass mark of 60. Whether you need an HSKK score at all depends on the university or employer asking; the written HSK certificate itself reports no speaking score.
HSK 3.0: nine levels, rolling out through 2026
Alongside the classic format, a revised standard is being introduced. The Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (standard GF0025-2021), issued on 24 March 2021 and in force from 1 July 2021, reorganise Chinese proficiency into three stages and nine levels: elementary (Levels 1 to 3), intermediate (Levels 4 to 6) and advanced (Levels 7 to 9). Levels 7 to 9 are new, and they work differently: a single combined advanced exam covers all three levels and awards Level 7, 8 or 9 according to your score, testing listening, reading, writing, translation and speaking together. Chinese Testing International has published a revised examination syllabus for the nine levels (published November 2025, marked for implementation in July 2026) on chinesetest.cn, and test centres are switching over during 2026, so the format of a given sitting depends on the centre and the date. Check chinesetest.cn when you register, and do not assume a practice paper in the classic format matches a 3.0 sitting. Solvi's paper is a classic-format HSK 4 paper.
Take the HSK 4 mock exam
The official HSK 4 practice paper H41001: 45 listening and 40 reading questions, timed, scored out of 100 per section, with bilingual explanations for every question.
Frequently asked questions
How many levels does the HSK have?
Six in the classic format, Level 1 to Level 6, each a separate exam. HSK 3.0 reorganises proficiency into nine levels in three stages and adds Levels 7 to 9 as a single combined advanced exam.
Does the HSK test speaking?
Not in the classic written exam. Speaking is the separate HSKK test. The HSK 3.0 advanced exam (Levels 7 to 9) includes speaking and translation in the same sitting.
How long is HSK 4?
105 minutes in total: listening about 30 minutes plus 5 minutes to transfer answers, reading 40 minutes, writing 25 minutes, and 5 minutes at the start for personal information.
What does Solvi cover?
One level so far: HSK 4, paper H41001, listening and reading only, with the full listening transcript published alongside the mock.
Sources
All format, timing and question count facts on this page come from Chinese Testing International's official HSK level introductions and test bulletin (test targets, test content tables, durations and results certificates for Levels I to VI), as published on chinesetest.cn and reproduced by Confucius Institute test centres; the HSK 4 part breakdown is read from the official practice paper H41001 itself. The HSK 3.0 facts come from the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021) and the revised HSK examination syllabus linked from chinesetest.cn.