HSK tests online: how to check your Chinese level

October 10, 2026 · 6 min read

You can check your Chinese level online in a few minutes: open the word test for your level — from the HSK 1 test to the HSK 6 test — and see how many of the twenty words you know. But "HSK test" means three different things, and each result tells you something different. Below: how they differ, what to do with your score, and where to find a mock exam in the real format.

What people call an HSK test: the exam, a mock test and a word test

• The real HSK exam. The international Chinese proficiency exam for non-native speakers. You take it at a test centre on a set date, for a fee, and only the real exam gives you a certificate. How to register and what it costs is in our article on the HSK exam.
• An HSK mock test. A practice paper in the same format: the same sections, the same question types, the same time limit. No certificate, but it shows how many points you'd score today.
• A vocabulary test for a level. A quick check of the words every question of that level is built on. It takes minutes and answers "what level am I at", not "will I pass".

The usual order: a word test to find your level and your gaps, a mock exam once the level's words feel familiar, and the real exam once you pass the mock test consistently.

• 考试kǎoshìexam
• 测试cèshìtest; to test
• 水平shuǐpínglevel
• 听力tīnglìlistening; hearing
• 阅读yuèdúreading; to read
• 成绩chéngjìgrade, score

Free HSK test online: six tests on the words of each level

We have six mini-tests, one per level. Each has 20 multiple-choice questions with four options, of three kinds: hear a word and pick its meaning, read a word in characters and pick its meaning, or see the English meaning and pick the characters. After each answer you see the right option with pinyin and hear the word. At the end you get your score and a list of the words you got wrong.

The questions are drawn at random from the level's list, so the test is different every time. Take it as often as you like: free, no sign-up, three or four minutes per try. The numbers in the table follow the new HSK 3.0 syllabus, which has more words than the old one; details are in our article on HSK 3.0.

What a Chinese level test shows, and what it doesn't

A mini-test answers one question: do you know the level's vocabulary — by ear, in characters and by meaning? That's the foundation: no exam question can be solved without the words. But the exam tests more than words, and here's what our test won't show:

• Listening. The test plays one word. The exam plays sentences and dialogues, and you have to follow them at the speed of the recording.
• Reading against the clock. Recognizing a word and getting through a text in the minutes you're given are different skills.
• Writing. From level 3 the exam has a writing section. In the test you only need to recognize characters.
• Speaking. The test doesn't listen to you speak.
• Grammar. Words are checked one at a time, not in a sentence.

So 20 out of 20 means "I know the words of this level", not "I'll pass the exam". For the second, you need a mock exam.

What your score means and what to do next

Treat the numbers as a guide, not a verdict: with twenty questions a couple of mistakes can be chance. Take the test two or three times and look at the average.

• Fewer than half right. This level isn't yours yet. Start it from the beginning, with lessons or the word list, topic by topic. If it's HSK 2 or higher, try the test one level down.
• Half to 12 out of 20. Some words are familiar, but the base isn't there yet. Go through the level's list topic by topic and come back to the test in a few days.
• 13–17 out of 20. You know most of the words. Close the gaps: open the words you missed and go through the level's list — for example HSK 3 if you took the HSK 3 test.
• 18–20 out of 20. Your vocabulary for this level is ready. Two ways from here: the next level, or a mock exam if you plan to sit the real one.

Which level you need for what, and what people can do at each one, is in our article on the HSK levels.

HSK mock test: where to find one and how to take it at home

We have a mock exam in the new HSK format for all six levels: the recording plays twice, the clock runs, and at the end you get a score for each section. The first paper of each level is open to everyone; during the beta the other papers and a review of every question open free with a Nomto account. Official sample papers for every level are on the exam's website, chinesetest.cn, and printed collections of practice papers exist too. To make a result at home look like the real thing, take the paper under exam rules:

• Set a timer for your level's time limit — it's in the table below.
• Do the whole paper in one go. No dictionary, no phone, no "just a minute" breaks.
• Don't pause or rewind the recording. Listen to it as it plays — there's no "back" button at the exam.
• Write your answers by hand if your level has a writing section.
• Go through every mistake. Didn't know the word, didn't catch it, ran out of time — three different causes, each with its own fix.

It's worth doing your first mock paper when you're about halfway through a level: that way you see early what's lagging. A level-by-level study plan is in our article "HSK preparation".

What the real exam tests: HSK 1, HSK 3 and the other levels

The table shows the current exam format, as published on chinesetest.cn for 2026. The score column gives the maximum and the passing score.

For example, HSK 3 currently has 80 questions: 40 listening, 30 reading and 10 writing. Since 2025 the HSKK speaking test is taken together with levels 3–6 on the same day: your answers are recorded, and the pass mark is 60 out of 100. Check how your own test centre handles it.

The format is changing: the new HSK 3.0 syllabus was published in November 2025, and the first exam sessions under it are scheduled for December 2026. Check the number of questions and the pass marks of the new format on the exam's website or with your test centre. Either way, vocabulary stays the foundation — and you can test it right now.