HSK Practice Tests: Sample Questions for Levels 1-6
Ready to take the HSK but unsure about what you’ll find on the exam?
Not to worry—we’ll explore HSK questions together!
In this post, you’ll find practice HSK tests for Levels 1-6, along with answer hints, descriptions for each section—reading, listening and writing—plus helpful tips for succeeding.
Contents
- HSK 1 Listening
- HSK 1 Reading
- HSK 2 Listening
- HSK 2 Reading
- HSK 3 Listening
- HSK 3 Reading
- HSK 3 Writing
- HSK 4 Listening
- HSK 4 Reading
- HSK 4 Writing
- HSK 5 Listening
- HSK 5 Reading
- HSK 5 Writing
- HSK 6 Listening
- HSK 6 Reading
- HSK 6 Writing
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HSK 1 Listening
Recordings for HSK Level 1 are played twice. There are five questions per section.
Section 1
Check if the picture matches the spoken word or phrase. Cross it out if they don’t match.
Tip: Pay close attention as the words tested in this section usually have close meanings.
报纸 (bào zhǐ) — newspaper
Given photo: a book
Section 2
Check the correct photo based on the sentence you hear.
苹果 (píng guǒ) — apple
Given photos:
A) Books
B) A phone
C) An apple
Section 3
Select the best photo based on the spoken dialogue.
Tip: Pay attention to key words.
女： 你好！
(nǚ: nǐ hǎo!)
F: Hello!
男： 你好，很高兴认识你！
(nán: nǐ hǎo, hěn gāo xīng rèn shí nǐ!)
M: Hello, nice to meet you!
Given photos:
A) Two people greeting each other
B) A watermelon
C) A home
D) A girl sleeping
E) Attending a class
Hint: The key word is 认识.
Section 4
Answer a question about the sentence you hear.
Tip: Regular listening practice will help here. There’s usually nothing tricky to the question as long as you understand the recording.
我有点不舒服。我星期五去医院看病。
(wǒ yǒu diǎn bù shū fu. wǒ xīng qī wǔ qù yī yuàn kàn bìng.)
I’m not feeling so well. I’m going to the hospital on Friday.
问： 我星期几看病？
(wèn: wǒ xīng qī jǐ kàn bìng?)
Q: When am I going to visit the hospital?
HSK 1 Reading
Reading for HSK Level 1 is about speed. There are five questions per section.
Tip: Pay attention to the nouns and verbs in each question.
Section 1
Check if the photo and the word match. Cross it out if it doesn’t match.
Given photo: a laptop
Given word: 水果 (shuǐ guǒ) — fruit
Section 2
Select the photo that matches the sentence.
他在睡觉呢。(tā zài shuì jiào ne.) — He’s sleeping.
Given photos:
A) Two students
B) Cup of coffee
C) Train
D) Man sleeping
E) Surgeon
Section 3
Answer a multiple-choice question.
你喝水吗？(nǐ hē shuǐ ma?) — Do you want some water?
A) 中国人 (zhōng guó rén) — Chinese (person)
B) 七点了 (qī diǎn le) — It’s 7 o’clock
C) 苹果 (píng guǒ) — apple
D) 二十块 (èr shí kuài) — 20 kuai
E) 好的，谢谢！(hǎo de, xiè xiè!) — Sure, thanks!
Section 4
Select the option that best completes the blank.
你叫什么 (nǐ jiào shén me) __？— What’s your __?
A) 家 (jiā) — home
B) 火车站 (huǒ chē zhàn) — train station
C) 对不起 (duì bu qǐ) — sorry
D) 名字 (míng zì) — name
E) 看见 (kàn jiàn) — see
HSK 2 Listening
Recordings for HSK Level 2 are played twice. There are 10 questions for Sections 1-3 and five questions for Section 4.
Tip: As with Level 1, pay attention to key nouns and verbs.
Section 1
Check if the picture matches the spoken word or phrase. Cross it out if it doesn’t. See HSK 1 Listening: Section 1.
Section 2
Select the photo that best fits the spoken dialogue.
男： 你喜欢什么运动？
(nán: nǐ xǐ huan shén me yùn dòng?)
M: What sports do you like?
女： 我最喜欢踢足球。
(nǚ: wǒ zuì xǐ huan tī zú qiú.)
F: I like to play soccer.
Given pictures:
A) A girl
B) A book
C) A clock
D) Person playing football
E) A tired person
Section 3
Answer a multiple-choice question about a short dialogue.
男： 小王，这里有几个杯子，哪个是你的？
(nán: xiǎo wáng, zhè lǐ yǒu jǐ gè bēi zi, nǎ gè shì nǐ de?)
M: Xiao Wang, there are a few cups here, which one’s yours?)
女： 左边那个红色的是我的。
(nǚ: zuǒ bian nà gè hóng sè de shì wǒ de .)
F: The red one on the left is mine.
问： 小王的杯子是什么颜色的？
(wèn: xiǎo wáng de bēi zi shì shén me yán sè de?)
Q: What color is Xiao Wang’s cup?
A) 红色 (hóng sè) — red
B) 黑色 (hēi sè) — black
C) 白色 (bái sè) — white
Section 4
Again, answer a multiple-choice question about a short dialogue.
Tip: The difficulty is slightly higher in this section.
女： 请在这儿写您的名字。
(nǚ: qǐng zài zhèr xiě nín de míng zì.)
F: Please write your name here.
男： 是这儿吗？
(nán: shì zhè er ma?)
M: Here?
女： 不是，是这儿。
(nǚ: bú shì, shì zhèr.)
F: No, here.
男： 好，谢谢。
(nán: hǎo, xiè xiè.)
M: Okay, thanks.
问： 男的要写什么？
(wèn: nán de yào xiě shén me?)
Q: What does the man have to write?
A) 名字 (míng zì) — name
B) 时间 (shí jiān) — time
C) 房间号 (fáng jiān hào) — room number
HSK 2 Reading
There are five questions for Sections 1-3 and 10 questions for Section 4.
Section 1
Match five sentences with five photos.
Section 2
Select the option that best fills the blank.
我刚刚运动完，__非常累。
(wǒ gāng gāng yùn dòng wán, __ fēi cháng lèi.)
I just exercised, __ I’m very tired.
A) 现在 (xiàn zài) — now
B) 便宜 (pián yi) — cheap
C) 理想 (lǐ xiǎng) — ideal
Section 3
Read two sentences and check if the meanings correspond. If they don’t, put a cross.
Tip: Read the sentences carefully. No shortcuts here—you have to understand both to get the answer.
妹妹现在上班了，每天都很忙，所以玩儿的时间很少。
(mèi mei xiàn zài shàng bān le, měi tiān dōu hěn máng, suǒ yǐ wánr de shí jiān hěn shǎo.)
My little sister is now working and is busy every day, so she has very little time to play.
妹妹工作很忙。
(mèi mei gōng zuò hěn máng.)
My little sister is busy at work.
Section 4
Select the option that best corresponds with the given sentence.
他还在教室里学习。
(tā hái zài jiào shì lǐ xué xí.)
He’s still studying in the classroom.
A) 他们两个人在问路。
(tā men liǎng gè rén zài wèn lù.)
They’re asking for directions.
B) 上班的时候，他觉得很累。
(shàng bān de shí hou, tā jué dé hěn lèi.)
At work, he felt tired.
C) 太好了，我们明天就去买。
(tài hǎo le, wǒ men míng tiān jiù qù mǎi.)
That’s great! We’ll buy it tomorrow.
D) 你看，她叫王小雨。
(nǐ kàn ， tā jiào wáng xiǎo yǔ.)
Look, she’s called Wang Xiao Yu.
E) 他在哪儿呢？你看见他了吗？
(tā zài nǎr ne? nǐ kàn jiàn tā le ma?)
Where is he? Have you seen him?
HSK 3 Listening
From HSK Level 3 onwards, recordings are played once. There are 10 questions per section.
Tip: Here, try to identify verbs and adjectives. Prepare for this by jotting down key words you hear during listening practice.
For instance:
男： 今天穿得很正式啊，有什么事吗？
(nán: jīn tiān chuān dé hěn zhèng shì a, yǒu shén me shì ma?)
M: You’re dressing very formally today, what’s up?
女： 下午的会议邀请了几个外国人，我的任务是翻译。
(nǚ: xià wǔ de huì yì yāo qǐng le jǐ gè wài guó rén, wǒ de rèn wu shì fān yì.)
F: We invited a few foreigners, I’m the translator.
男： 明白了，是那几个校长吧？你们这是国际会议啊。
(nán: míng bái le, shì nà jǐ gè xiào zhǎng ba? nǐ men zhè shì guó jì huì yì a.)
M: I get it, it’s those principals right? So you guys are (part of) the international conference.
女： 完全正确。
(nǚ: wán quán zhèng què.)
F: Correct.
问： 女的打扮得怎么样？
(wèn: nǚ de dǎ ban dé zěn me yàng?)
Q: How was the female dressed?
Some key words:
- 穿 (chuān) — wear
- 正式 (zhèng shì) — formal
- 翻译 (fān yì) — translate, translator, translation
- 校长 (xiào zhǎng) — principal
- 会议 (huì yì) — conference
During the exam, you likely won’t have time to write down the important words. However, your practice will help you learn to identify them, and eventually, you’ll be able to make mental notes of the key terms.
Section 1
Choose the photo that best matches the dialogue.
男： 喂，请问张经理在吗？
(nán: wéi, qǐng wèn zhāng jīng lǐ zài ma?)
M: Hi, is Manager Zhang here?
女： 他正在开会，您半个小时以后再打，好吗？
(nǚ: tā zhèng zài kāi huì, nín bàn gè xiǎo shí yǐ hòu zài dǎ, hǎo ma?)
F: He’s in a meeting now, can you call back half an hour later?
Here, out of five possible photos, you’d select the picture of a receptionist picking up a phone.
Section 2
Listen to a short recording, then check if the spoken sentence corresponds to what you heard. Cross it out if it doesn’t.
今天我想早点儿回家。看了看手表，才五点。
(jīn tiān wǒ xiǎng zǎo diǎnr huí jiā. kàn le kàn shǒu biǎo, cái wǔ diǎn.)
Today I wanted to go home earlier. Upon looking at my watch, it was only 5 o’clock.
过了一会儿再看表，还是五点我这才发现我的手表不走了。
(guò le yí huìr zài kàn biǎo, hái shì wǔ diǎn, wǒ zhè cái fā xiàn wǒ de shǒu biǎo bù zǒu le.)
After a while of looking at my watch, it was still 5 o’clock, and I realized that my watch stopped moving.
那块儿手表不是他的。
(nà kuàir shǒu biǎo bú shì tā de.)
That watch is not his.
Section 3
Answer a multiple-choice question based on the two-line spoken dialogue.
男： 小王，帮我开一下门，好吗？谢谢！
(nán: xiǎo wáng, bāng wǒ kāi yí xià mén, hǎo ma? xiè xie!)
M: Xiao Wang, help me open the door, will ya? Thanks!
女： 没问题。您去超市了？买了这么多东西。
(nǚ: méi wèn tí. nín qù chāo shì le? mǎi le zhè me duō dōng xī.)
F: No problem. You went to the supermarket? You bought so many things!
问： 男的想让小王做什么？
(wèn: nán de xiǎng ràng xiǎo wáng zuò shén me?)
Q: What did the man want Xiao Wang to do?
A) 开门 (kāi mén) — Open the door
B) 拿东西 (ná dōng xī) — Carry something
C) 去超市买东西 (qù chāo shì mǎi dōng xī) — Go to the supermarket to buy something
Section 4
Answer a multiple-choice question based on the dialogue.
Note: This section’s recordings are slightly longer than in Section 3.
女： 晚饭做好了，准备吃饭了。
(nǚ: wǎn fàn zuò hǎo le, zhǔn bèi chī fàn le.)
F: Dinner is ready, get ready to eat.
男： 等一会儿，比赛还有三分钟就结束了。
(nán: děng yí huìr, bǐ sài hái yǒu sān fēn zhōng jiù jié shù le.)
M: Hang on, the match is gonna end in three minutes.
女： 快点儿吧，一起吃，菜冷了就不好吃了。
(nǚ: kuài diǎnr ba, yì qǐ chī, cài lěng le jiù bù hào chī le.)
F: Hurry up, let’s eat together, the food won’t taste as good when cold.
男： 你先吃，我马上就看完了。
(nán: nǐ xiān chī, wǒ mǎ shàng jiù kàn wán le.)
M: You eat first, I’ll be done in a moment.
问： 男的在做什么？
(wèn: nán de zài zuò shén me?)
Q: What is the man doing?
A) 洗澡 (xǐ zǎo) — Taking a shower
B) 吃饭 (chī fàn) — Eating
C) 看电视 (kàn diàn shì) — Watching TV
HSK 3 Reading
There are 10 questions per section.
Section 1
Select the multiple choice option that corresponds with the given passage.
生日快乐！这是我给你买的礼物，喜欢不喜欢？
(shēng rì kuài lè! zhè shì wǒ gěi nǐ mǎi de lǐ wù, xǐ huān bù xǐ huān?)
Happy birthday! This is my present for you, do you like it?
A) 爷爷教了我很多次。
(yé ye jiāo le wǒ hěn duō cì.)
Grandpa taught me a lot of times.
B) 做作业遇到不会的词语时，你用铅笔在旁边记一下。
(zuò zuò yè yù dào bú huì de cí yǔ shí , nǐ yòng qiān bǐ zài páng biān jì yí xià.)
When you encounter words you don’t know, jot them down on the side with your pencil.
C) 我还以为你忘了呢，你真好！
(wǒ hái yǐ wéi nǐ wàng le ne, nǐ zhēn hǎo!)
And here I thought you forgot, how nice of you!
D) 决定了没？去还是不去？
(jué dìng le méi? qù hái shì bù qù?)
Decided yet? Are you going or not going?
E) 你先吃个苹果吧，我去给你做面条儿。
(nǐ xiān chī gè píng guǒ ba, wǒ qù gěi nǐ zuò miàn tiáor.)
You can eat an apple first, I’ll make some noodles for you.
Section 2
Fill the blank in each question with the best option from the given list.
现在是三点一__，别担心，我们不会迟到。
(xiàn zài shì sān diǎn yī __， bié dān xīn ，wǒ men bù huì chí dào.)
It’s now __ three, don’t worry, we won’t be late.
A) 刻 (kè) — quarter (past)
B) 双 (shuāng) — pair
C) 音乐 (yīn yuè) — music
D) 其他 (qí tā) — others
E) 干净 (gān jìng) — clean
Section 3
Answer a multiple-choice question based on the given sentence(s).
Tip: Often, all of the answers will seem sensible, so pay attention to the question.
小时候弟弟比我矮，现在却超过我了，看着他一米八二的个子，我真是羡 慕极了。
(xiǎo shí hòu dì di bǐ wǒ ǎi, xiàn zài què chāo guò wǒ le, kàn zhe tā yì mǐ bā èr de gè zi, wǒ zhēn shì xiàn mù jí le.)
When we were little, my little brother was shorter than me, but he’s now surpassed me and looking at his height at 1.82 m, I’m full of admiration.
问：根据这句话，可以知道现在：
(wèn: gēn jù zhè jù huà, kě yǐ zhī dào xiàn zài:)
Q: From this sentence, we know that now:
A) 我一米八 (wǒ yì mǐ bā) — I’m 1.82m tall
B) 我比弟弟矮 (wǒ bǐ dì di ǎi) — I’m shorter than my little brother
C) 弟弟个子矮 (dì di gè zi ǎi) — My little brother is short
D) 我同情弟弟 (wǒ tóng qíng dì di) — I feel for my little brother
Hint: The key word in the question is 现在.
您是来参加今天会议的吗？您来早了一点儿，现在才八点半。您先进来坐吧。
(nín shì lái cān jiā jīn tiān huì yì de ma? nín lái zǎo le yì diǎnr, xiàn zài cái bā diǎn bàn. nín xiān jìn lái zuò ba.)
Are you here to participate in today’s conference? You’re a bit early, it’s only 8:30. Please come in first and have a seat.
问：会议最可能几点开始？
(wèn: huì yì zuì kě néng jǐ diǎn kāi shǐ?)
Q: When will the conference start?
A) 八点 (bā diǎn) — 8:00
B) 八点半 (bā diǎn bàn) — 8:30
C) 九点 (jiǔ diǎn) — 9:00
HSK 3 Writing
There are five questions per section.
Section 1
Rearrange the given words to form a logical sentence.
自己的 (zì jǐ de) — (possessive pronoun) own
每个人 (měi gè rén) — everyone, every person
优点和缺点 (yōu diǎn hé quē diǎn) — strengths and weaknesses, pros and cons
都 (dōu) — all
有 (yǒu) — have
Section 2
Each sentence has a missing character. Given the pinyin, write the corresponding character.
今天的云很多，看不见（tài）阳。
(jīn tiān de yún hěn duō, kàn bú jiàn [tài] yáng.)
There are loads of clouds today, can’t see the sun.
HSK 4 Listening
Higher level HSK listening sections test your ability to comprehend and retain information for a period of time. There are 10 questions in Section 1, 15 in Section 2 and 20 in Section 3.
Tip: Strong vocabulary and training in speed comprehension will help you succeed in these sections.
Section 1
Listen to a short recording. Check if the spoken sentence corresponds to the recording. Cross it out if it doesn’t.
Tip: Pay attention to key verbs and adjectives.
现在我很少看电视，其中一个原因是，广告太多了，不管什么时间，
(xiàn zài wǒ hěn shǎo kàn diàn shì, qí zhōng yí gè yuán yīn shì, guǎng gào tài duō le, bù guǎn shén me shí jiān,)
I watch very little television nowadays. One of the main reasons is that there are just too many ads, whatever the time,
也不管什么节目，只要你打开电视，总能看到那么多的广告，浪费我的时间。
(yě bù guǎn shén me jié mù, zhǐ yào nǐ dǎ kāi diàn shì, zǒng néng kàn dào nà me duō de guǎng gào, làng fèi wǒ de shí jiān.)
whatever program is showing, if you switch on the television, you’ll always see a lot of commercials, wasting my time.
他喜欢看电视广告。
(tā xǐ huan kàn diàn shì guǎng gào.)
He likes to watch television commercials.
Section 2
Answer a multiple-choice question based on the dialogue.
女： 该加油了，去机场的路上有加油站吗？
(nǚ: gāi jiā yóu le, qù jī chǎng de lù shàng yǒu jiā yóu zhàn ma?)
F: It’s time to fill up the gas tank, is there a gas station on our way to the airport?
男： 有，你放心吧。
(nán: yǒu, nǐ fàng xīn ba.)
M: Yeah [there is], don’t worry about it.
问： 男的主要是什么意思？
(wèn: nán de zhǔ yào shì shén me yì si?)
Q: What does the man mean?
A) 去机场 (qù jī chǎng) — Go to the airport
B) 快到了 (kuài dào le) — He’s there soon
C) 油是满的 (yóu shì mǎn de) — Gas tank is full
D) 有加油站 (yǒu jiā yóu zhàn) — There’s a gas station
Section 3
Answer a multiple-choice question based on a longer spoken dialogue.
男： 把这个文件复印五份，一会儿拿到会议室发给大家。
(nán: bǎ zhè ge wén jiàn fù yìn wǔ fèn, yì huìr ná dào huì yì shì fā gěi dà jiā.)
M: Please photocopy five copies of this document, and take it to the conference room for everyone later.
女： 好的。会议是下午三点吗？
(nǚ: hǎo de. huì yì shì xià wǔ sān diǎn ma?)
F: Okay. Is the meeting at 3 o’clock?
男： 改了。三点半，推迟了半个小时。
(nán: gǎi le. sān diǎn bàn, tuī chí le bàn gè xiǎo shí.)
M: It changed. 3:30, it was delayed for half an hour.
女： 好，六零二会议室没变吧？
(nǚ: hǎo, liù líng èr huì yì shì méi biàn ba?)
F: Alright, the conference room didn’t change from 602, right?
男： 对，没变。
(nán: duì, méi biàn .)
M: No, it didn’t change.
问： 会议几点开始？
(wèn: huì yì jǐ diǎn kāi shǐ?)
Q: When does the conference start?
A) 两点 (liǎng diǎn) — 2:00
B) 三点 (sān diǎn) — 3:00
C) 三点半 (sān diǎn bàn) — 3:30
D) 六点 (liù diǎn) — 6:00
HSK 4 Reading
There are five questions in Section 1, 10 in Section 2 and 20 in Section 3.
Section 1
Select the option that best completes the blank in each sentence.
研究证明，人们的心情会__天气的变化而变化。
(yán jiū zhèng míng ， rén men de xīn qíng huì __ tiān qì de biàn huà ér biàn huà.)
Studies show that people’s moods will __ the weather changes.
A) 随着 (suí zhe) — follow
B) 尝 (cháng) — taste
C) 春节 (chūn jié) — spring festival
D) 收拾 (shōu shi) — tidy up
E) 提醒 (tí xǐng) — remind
Section 2
Put three given sentences in the correct logical order.
Tips: Pay attention to conjunctions. These are often telltale signs of sentence order.
Don’t translate the phrases to your native language and then put them in order. This will likely just slow you down and confuse you.
A) 茶不仅仅是一种饮料
(chá bù jǐn jǐn shì yì zhǒng yǐn liào)
tea isn’t only a drink
B) 它在中国有着几千年的历史
(tā zài zhōng guó yǒu zhe jǐ qiān nián de lì shǐ)
it has thousands of years of history in China
C) 而且还是一种文化
(ér qiě hái shì yì zhǒng wén huà)
and it’s a culture
Section 3
Read a short passage and answer the questions.
Tip: Level 4 contains more difficult phrases, plus longer paragraphs in more specialized contexts.
Unnerving as it is to see large chunks of text at the end of the exam, know that the level of difficulty is usually not too high. Reading each passage carefully should get you to the answer.
森林里，动物们决定举办一个晚会，这次演出吸引了几乎所有的动物。他们 都很积极，准备的节目各有特点，小鸟要给大家唱歌，老虎要跳舞，小猫要画画儿，猴子要讲故事，狮子说他给大家照相，熊猫说：“我不会表演，但是我可以当观众，为大家鼓掌。” 最后只剩下小牛了，她想了好久，忽然得意地说：“我负责为大家送免费的牛奶！”
(sēn lín lǐ, dòng wù men jué dìng jǔ bàn yí gè wǎn huì, zhè cì yǎn chū xī yǐn le jī hū suǒ yǒu de dòng wù. tā men dōu hěn jī jí, zhǔn bèi de jié mù gè yǒu tè diǎn, xiǎo niǎo yào gěi dà jiā chàng gē, lǎo hǔ yào tiào wǔ, xiǎo māo yào huà huàr, hóu zi yào jiǎng gù shi, shī zi shuō tā gěi dà jiā zhào xiàng, xióng māo shuō: “ wǒ bú huì biǎo yǎn, dàn shì wǒ kě yǐ dāng guān zhòng, wèi dà jiā gǔ zhǎng .” zuì hòu zhǐ shèng xià xiǎo niú le, tā xiǎng le hǎo jiǔ, hū rán dé yì dì shuō: “ wǒ fù zé wèi dà jiā sòng miǎn fèi de niú nǎi!”)
In the forest, the animals decided to host a party. This performance attracted almost all the animals. They were all very motivated, and the prepared shows all had their specialties. The little bird was going to sing to everyone, the tiger was going to dance, the kitten was going to draw, the monkey was going to tell stories, the lion said he’d take photographs for everyone. The panda said, “I don’t know any show talents, but I can be the audience and applaud for everyone.” At last, only the small cow was left, she thought for a long time, and suddenly said with glee, “I’ll be responsible for delivering free milk to everyone!”
谁打算为大家讲故事？
(shuí dǎ suàn wéi dà jiā jiǎng gù shi?)
Who intended to tell stories to everyone?
A) 狗 (gǒu) — Dog
B) 马 (mǎ) — Horse
C) 猴子 (hóu zi) — Monkey
D) 小猪 (xiǎo zhū) — Piglet
小牛负责为大家：
(xiǎo niú fù zé wéi dà jiā:)
The little cow was responsible for:
A) 报名 (bào míng) — Registering
B) 送牛奶 (sòng niú nǎi) — Delivering milk
C) 填写地址 (tián xiě dì zhǐ) — Filling in addresses
D) 做巧克力 (zuò qiǎo kè lì) — Making chocolate
HSK 4 Writing
There are five questions per section.
Section 1
Rearrange the given words to form a logical sentence. See HSK 3 Writing: Section 1.
Section 2
Create a short sentence based on the given word and photo.
Given photo: a woman holding a video camera
Given word: 风景 (fēng jǐng) — landscape
Sample answer:
她用录相机拍风景。
(tā yòng lù xiàng jī pāi fēng jǐng.)
She uses a video camera to take pictures of the landscape.
HSK 5 Listening
At this point, you should be able to hear key words automatically. Instead, succeeding at this level means understanding the gist and tone of each recording. This requires a lot of practice.
There are 20 questions in Section 1 and 25 in Section 2.
Since HSK 5 and 6 are the advanced levels, pinyin will not be included in the sample questions and answers.
Tip: In the month or so preceding your HSK test, devote plenty of time to listening exercises. Use a variety of contexts and aim for improving the speed of comprehension.
For more tips, see HSK 6.
Section 1
Answer a multiple-choice question based on the short dialogue.
Tip: These questions usually test your ability to read between the lines.
女： 明天上午九点我准时到。
F: Tomorrow I’ll arrive at 9 o’clock sharp.
男： 我觉得还是提前几分钟吧。
M: I still think we should arrive a couple of minutes early.
问： 男的主要是什么意思？
Q: What does the man mean?
A) 九点太早了 — 9 o’clock is too early
B) 他不会迟到 — He won’t be late
C) 可能不参加 — He won’t participate
D) 应该早点儿来 — Should arrive earlier
Section 2
Answer a question based on longer recordings.
一个很有名的作家坐火车去外地。
A famous author went to a foreign place by train.
当火车上的工作人员检查车票时，他翻了每个口袋，也没有找到自己的车票。
When the staff on the train checked the tickets, he turned every pocket, but couldn’t find his train ticket.
正好这个工作人员认识他，于是就安慰他说：“没关系，如果您实在找不到车票，那也没事。”
It was fortunate, then, that the operator recognized him and said, “It’s all right, if you really can’t find your ticket, that’s fine as well.”
“怎么能没事呢？我必须找到那张车票，不然的话，我怎么知道自己要去哪儿呢？”
“How can it be fine? I must find the ticket, or else, how am I supposed to know where I’m heading to?”
问： 作家找不到车票，工作人员是怎么做的？
Q: When the author didn’t find his ticket, what did the train operator do?
A) 让他补票 — Allowed him to buy another ticket
B) 帮他找车票 — Helped him find it
C) 表示没关系 — Said it was OK
D) 让他一定找到 — Let him look for it
HSK 5 Reading
There are 15 questions in Section 1, 10 in Section 2 and 20 in Section 3.
Section 1
For each blank in the passage, select the option that fits best.
Tip: This section tests your ability to understand the connotations of various synonyms. It also tests your ability to quickly comprehend texts in different contexts.
孔子是中国古代很有学问的人。有一次路上遇到两个小孩在争论，就走上前去问他们原因。
Confucius was a very well-learned man in ancient China. Once when he was on the road, he saw two children arguing and approached them, asking them why.
一个小孩说：“我 __ 太阳刚出来时离我们比较近，而到了中午,太阳就离我们远了。但是他觉得不对。”
One child said, “I __ that the sun is nearer to us when it first rises, and when noon approaches, the sun distances itself from us. But he thinks otherwise.”
孔子很有兴趣地问道：“你们能说说自己的 __ 吗？”
Interested, Confucius asked, “Can you tell your __ ?”
那个小孩说：“太阳刚出来的时候很大；到了中午，它就变小了。这说明太阳刚出来时离我们近，中午离我们远。”
The child said, “When the sun just rises, it’s very big, but when noon approaches, it becomes smaller. This clearly illustrates that when the sun just rises, it is nearer to us, and is more distant at noon.”
另一个小孩说：“太阳刚出来时，__ 不热；到了中午，就很热了。这说明太阳刚出来时离我们远，中午离我们近。”
The other child said, “When the sun just comes out, __ not hot; when noon comes, it becomes very hot. This shows that when the sun just rises, it’s farther away from us, and when noon comes, it’s closer to us.”
孔子听了他们的话，一时也不知道该怎么回答。 两个小孩笑着说：“ __ ？”
As he was listening to them, for a short while, he also didn’t know how to respond. The two children said, smiling, ” __ ?”
Blank 1:
A) 了解 — understand
B) 讨论 — discuss
C) 认为 — think
D) 认识 — know (a person)
Blank 2:
A) 态度 — attitude
B) 理由 — reason
C) 机会 — opportunity
D) 思想 — thought
Blank 3:
A) 天气 — weather
B) 气候 — climate
C) 温度 — temperature
D) 气温 — air temperature
Blank 4:
A) 你说，我说得对吗？ — Say, do you think I’m right?
B) 太阳离我们多远？ — How far is the Sun away from us?
C) 为什么你这么聪明呢？ — Why are you so clever?
D) 谁说你的知识很丰富呢？ — Who said you’re so clever?
Note: I do think choosing (D) for the final answer changes the tone of this story. If you think it’s strange, you’re not alone!
Section 2
Select the multiple-choice option that most closely matches the passage’s meaning.
Tip: This section aims to test your reading comprehension.
讲故事的人，往往在最吸引人的地方故意停下来。他这样做的目的，是为了引起大家的好奇心，让人有更大的兴趣听下去。讲故事的人，也可以利用这个机会观察一下大家的态度，以便接下来讲得更好。这种做法，中国人把它 叫做 “卖关子”。
Storytellers often stop when it’s most enticing. The reason for [him in] doing this is to arouse people’s curiosity and to invoke their interest in listening to the rest of the story. Storytellers can also use this opportunity to observe everyone’s attitudes, as to do an even better job at telling the rest of the story. This is what Chinese people call “keeping people in suspense.”
A) 卖关子可以吸引听众 — Keeping people in suspense can attract audiences
B) 讲故事的人没有好奇心 — Storytellers have no curiosity
C) 讲故事时不应该停下来 — We shouldn’t stop when telling stories
D) 听故事的人喜欢卖关子 — People listening to stories like to keep others in suspense
Section 3
Answer multiple-choice questions based on the passage you read.
Tip: While the passages usually aren’t difficult, the answers are designed to be similar and confusing. Read carefully, but not slowly. Once again, this is a challenge of speed.
世界上有三种丈夫：
There are three types of husbands in this world:
第一种是不闻不问的丈夫。在你把一件衣服穿了两年之后，他总算注意到 了：“亲爱的,这是件新衣服吧？” 讨论这种丈夫没有什么意义，我们就随便他吧。至少他有一个优点：能够让你自由地打扮。
The first is the indifferent type. When you have worn an article of clothing for two years, he finally notices it. “Honey, is this [piece of clothing] new?” [Since] It’s pointless to discuss this type of husband, let’s leave it be. At least he has an advantage—he’ll let you dress up freely.
第二种是理想的丈夫。对你穿的衣服真正地感兴趣，并会提出建议。他能理解时尚，领会时尚，喜欢谈论时尚，知道什么最适合你，以及你最需要什么，他赞美你胜过赞美其他女人。如果你碰到这样一个男人，一定要把他抓住——他可是极为稀有的，很难遇到。
The second type is the ideal husband. He takes a genuine interest in what you wear and makes proposals. He understands fashion, he understands fashion, he likes discussing fashion, he knows what fits you best and what you need most, and he lavishes praise on you, that you are more beautiful than other women. If you meet a man like this, you should cling on [to him]—he is rare and extremely difficult to encounter.
第三种是管得太多的丈夫。他比你自己还清楚你适合穿什么，他决定你现在穿的衣服样式是好还是不好，他决定你应该去哪家商店买衣服。有时候，这种男人的选择会跟上目前的时代，不过大多数时候，他都受他母亲衣着的影响，所以他的眼光——说得客气一点——至少停留在 20 年以前。
The third type is the nosy husband. He’s clearer about what fits you more than yourself. He decides whether the style of clothing you’re wearing is good or not, and he decides which store to go to for shopping for clothes. Sometimes, the choices made by these types of men will be capable of following the trends, but most of the time, he is vastly affected by his mother’s fashion sense, so his tastes—to put it nicely—are outdated by at least 20 years.
第一种丈夫：
The first type of husband:
A) 常给妻子买新衣服 — often buys new clothes for his wife
B) 很少注意到妻子的衣服 — very rarely notices what his wife wears
C) 不太喜欢妻子穿新衣服 — doesn’t like his wife wearing new clothes
D) 对妻子的衣服有很多要求 — has a lot of demands as to what his wife wears
第三段中画线词语 “稀有” 最可能是什么意思？
What could the underlined word “稀有” mean?
A) 适合 — Appropriate
B) 真实 — Real
C) 非常少 — Very little
D) 容易找到 — Easy to find
关于第三种丈夫，下列哪项正确？
About the third type of husband, which of the following is correct?
A) 喜欢赞美妻子 — Likes to praise his wife
B) 常和妻子去商店 — Often goes shopping with his wife
C) 很受女人的欢迎 — Very popular among the ladies
D) 他的选择经常跟不上时代 — His choices are often out of style (cannot catch up with the times)
第三种丈夫在哪方面受到母亲的影响？
What is it about the third type of husband that is affected by the mother?
A) 性格 — Personality
B) 穿衣打扮 — Dressing up style
C) 交际方式 — Interaction with others
D) 处理问题的方式 — How he deals with problems
HSK 5 Writing
There are eight questions in Section 1 and 2 in Section 2.
Section 1
Rearrange the given words into logical sentences.
大笑 — laugh heartily
忍不住 — can’t help but
起来 — get up
他 — he
Section 2
Write a short paragraph based on the given material. Given material may be a photo or a list of words that must be included in the passage. Paragraphs are usually limited to less than 100 words; 5-7 sentences should suffice.
Tips: You’re not being tested on literary flair. Simply come up with a believable scenario that allows you to use the words logically.
Pay attention to your word count—it’s easy to go over such a low word limit.
Lastly, plan your scenario BEFORE you start writing. It only needs to take a minute or two, but you’ll thank yourself for doing it!
请结合下列词语（要全部使用），写一篇80字左右的短文。
Please use the words below (you must use them all), and write a short passage of about 80 words.
元旦 — New Year’s Eve
放松 — relax
礼物 — present
表演 — show
善良 — kind
Sample answer:
元旦快到了。我们一家人有一个习惯 —— 每到元旦放假的时候，我们都会出国旅游放松一下。我们经常会到一些名胜古迹观光，看一些比较地道的表演。我爸妈都是很外向的人，所以每次旅游的时候一定会认识到各种各样的人，幸好他们人缘好，遇上的都是一些心地善良的人。
New Year’s Eve is coming. Our family has a tradition—each time the New Year’s Eve holiday arrives, we like to go abroad and travel in order to relax a little. We often like to visit some historical sites and watch some local shows. My parents are quite extroverted, so every time we travel, we’re bound to run into all kinds of people, and it’s fortunate that they’re good with people—those they meet are often kind-hearted folks.
HSK 6 Listening
In the HSK Level 6 listening sections, you have to be able to tune in to the context right away.
For instance, if the recording is about flights, you might pay attention to information like departing city and destination city, distance of flight, length of flight, etc.
A fable about an old man losing his horse might inspire you to focus more on understanding the gist of the story. Understanding the overall meaning will give you context in which to place the specific details.
As an HSK 6 test taker, no pinyin or English translations will be provided in the sample passages from here on out, but English translations will be provided for the questions, answer options and hints.
There are 15 questions for Sections 1-2 and 20 questions in Section 3.
Tips: At this level, I highly recommend against taking notes. I found that taking notes during practice exams distracted me from listening to the recordings. If you’re used to notetaking, the only way to eliminate it is through practice.
That said, several sections are considerably longer, and you might not be able to remember the information without notes. If that’s true for you, I recommend you take notes in your mother tongue. Writing in Chinese will likely just waste your time.
Section 1
Select the option that best corresponds with the recording.
Tip: Answers aren’t too tricky. You’re really being tested on listening comprehension.
毫无疑问，书是人类最好的朋友、最好的老师，是人类获得知识的重要途径之一。
A) 读书有许多好处 — Reading has lots of benefits
B) 老师是最好的朋友 — A teacher is our best friend
C) 父母是最好的老师 — Parents are our best teachers
D) 现代人不喜欢读书 — Modern people don’t like reading
Section 2
Answer questions based on the long dialogue you hear. The conversation is presented as an interview.
Tip: Conversations in the HSK Level 6 exam might have over 30 lines of dialogue. But again, the answers aren’t meant to be tricky.
女： 欢迎一代武侠小说大师金庸先生。您好，最近很多人都在议论，说您正在修改自己的武侠小说？
男： 是这样的，到现在已经改了七年，我把自己以前的作品全部改完了。 从 《书剑恩仇录》开始改，有十五部小说，每一部小说差不多都要改， 现在已经全部改完了，新的修改本也已经全部出版了。
男： 最初是工作上需要的。主要是我在《新晚报》做编辑，《新晚报》需要这样一篇稿子， 人家知道我喜欢谈论武侠小说，算是比较了解的，所以我就被抓来写了。
女： 您的读者遍布全球华人世界，无论什么职业、什么性别。 您有没有考虑过，为什么您的作品大家都能接受？
男： 我觉得是忠孝仁爱这种道德观念，对待朋友应该要真诚， 对待父母应该孝敬，这种价值观念是中国人大致一样的。
女： 您曾经说过，说武侠小说是没有前途的，因为这些古代的事情离现在的生活越来越远了。 但是在现实中我们恰恰看到您的小说被无数遍地改编成电视剧、 电影,然后又编成电脑游戏，是每一代年轻人都喜爱的文化产品， 这和您的话之间有矛盾吗？
男： 我没有说武侠小说没有前途，我意思是说要发掘武侠小说越来越困难了。
女： 要再写下去越来越困难？
男： 对，我想将来这个武侠小说的前途不是写古代了，可能是写现代了。
女： 作为人生的境界来说，您现在最希望自己能够达到的一种境界是什么？
男： 我现在年纪大了，我希望可以平平淡淡过生活，有机会能够游山玩水一下。
问： 男的刚刚完成了一项什么工作？
Q: What did the man just finish doing?
A) 修改自己的作品 — Modifying his own work
B) 完成第15部小说 — Completing his 15th novel
C) 把小说改编成电影 — Adapting his novel into a movie
D) 成为《新晚报》编辑 — Becoming the editor of “新晚报”
问： 男的最初写小说的原因是什么？
Q: What was the original reason that the man started writing novels?
A) 兴趣爱好 — Hobby
B) 工作需要 — Out of necessity at work
C) 为了赚钱 — To make money
D) 为了证明自己 — To prove himself worthy
问： 男的的作品为什么很受欢迎？
Q: Why are the man’s novels so popular?
A) 能让人感到安慰 — Makes people feel consolation
B) 体现中国武术精神 — Embodies the spirit of Chinese martial arts
C) 体现中国价值观念 — Embodies traditional Chinese values
D) 反映中国传统生活方式 — Reflects Chinese people’s traditional ways of living
问： 男的认为武侠小说的前途是什么？
Q: What does the man think about the future of WuXia novels?
A) 情节曲折奇特 — Plots become complicated and eccentric)
B) 表现传统美德 — Manifest traditional moral values (in the stories)
C) 具有中国风格 — Have more of a Chinese style
D) 反映现代生活 — Reflects modern life
问： 男的希望以后过什么样的生活？
Q: What type of life does the man hope to live?
A) 朴素传统 — Simple and traditional
B) 忙碌充实 — Busy and fulfilling
C) 平淡悠闲 — Plain and carefree
D) 时尚现代 — Contemporary and modern
Section 3
Answer questions based on the spoken passage. These are usually presented as stories, short reports or opinion pieces.
Tip: Recordings here are noticeably shorter, but also more difficult. The key is remembering the information long enough to answer the questions.
古时候，有个商人献给国王三个外表一模一样的金人，
同时出了一道题目：这三个金人哪个最有价值？
国王想了许多办法，请来珠宝匠检查，称重量，看做工，
都是一模一样 的。怎么办？最后，有一位老大臣说他有办法。
他拿了三根稻草，把第一根插入第一个金人的耳朵里，稻草从另一个耳朵出来了。
第二个金人的稻草从嘴巴里掉了出来。
而第三个金人，稻草进去后掉进了肚子里，什么响动也没有。
老臣说：“第三个金人最有价值。” 商人说答案正确。
这个故事告诉我们，最有价值的人，不一定是最能说的人。
老天给我们 两只耳朵一个嘴巴，本来就是让我们多听少说的。
善于倾听，才是成熟的人 最基本的素质。
问： “金人”问题是谁解决的？
Q: Who resolved this problem of the “Golden Statue?”
A) 国王 — The King
B) 商人 — The Merchant
C) 大臣 — The Old Official
D) 珠宝匠 — The Jewelry Smith
问： 问题是怎么解决的？
Q: How was the problem resolved?
A) 称重量 — Weighing [the three statutes)
B) 用稻草 — Using straw
C) 检查质量 — Inspecting the quality
D) 凭经验判断 — Judging by experience
问： 这段话主要想告诉我们什么？
Q: What does this passage mainly want to tell us?
A) 要有眼光 — To have a keen eye (for things)
B) 要多听少说 — To listen more and speak less
C) 不可轻信别人 — Don’t trust others easily
D) 不可盲目乐观 — Don’t be blindly optimistic
HSK 6 Reading
There are 10 questions for Sections 1-3 and 20 in Section 4.
Section 1
Select which of the four sentences has an error.
Tips: This is a test of pure linguistic ability as the errors are not always obvious.
Having a keen eye for word order, conjunctions, adjectives and the like will help you tremendously. Further, using your pencil or finger as a pointer will help ensure you don’t miss words, and should improve your reading accuracy and comprehension.
Finally, don’t waste unnecessary time on any one question. If you really can’t determine which is wrong, skip it and come back later.
A) 附近河流的河水主要来自雨水、冰雪融水和地下水，流量丰富，含沙量小，水质好。
B) 他的作品始终如一地关注社会最底层的小人物的命运，文字富有浓郁的理想主义色彩。
C) 取得成绩不盲目乐观，遇到困难不失望悲观，这是许多成功人士成就事业后的经验总结。
(D) 岳飞是中国南宋时期的英雄，他率领岳家军打败敌人屡次。后人为了纪念他，在杭州建了一座岳王庙。
Hint:
A) tests you on short phrases constructed from compound words. For instance, 流量丰富 means “the volume is plentiful.”
B) this sentence tests if you know what 始终如一 (consistently) means, and if you know whether 浓郁 (rich) can be used in conjunction with 色彩 (color).
C) This mainly tests whether you can read longer sections, like the second part of the sentence, where the bit before the particle 的 is just a descriptor for 经验总结 (lessons learned).
D) This sentence tests your knowledge of word order with the word 屡次 (repeatedly).
Section 2
Select the option that best fills each of the blanks in the given sentence.
Tip: The options are usually very close synonyms that require an understanding of their precise connotations. Start by noting the words you do know to eliminate wrong answers.
椅子的舒适问题，只要设计时考虑人体结构的__，便可以解决。设计一把椅子而__了人体的结构，就像设计蛋盒而不顾蛋的__ 。
A) 特征、忽略、形状 — characteristic, ignore, shape
B) 本质、忽视、形态 — essence, ignore, shape
C) 特点、忘记、外观 — distinguishing feature, forget, appearance
D) 构造、违反、外貌 — structure, disobey/violate, appearance
Section 3
Read a passage with blanks. Allocate the correct option from the given list to each blank.
Tip: Read the options before reading the passage so you know what to focus on. Make sure to read carefully.
曹操得到一只大象，很想知道这只大象到底有多重。官员们都纷纷议论，发表自己的意见。有人说, __。可是怎样才能造出比大象还大的秤呢？有人说，把它砍成小块儿，然后再称。可是把大象杀了，知道重量又有什么意义呢？大家想了很多办法，可是都行不通。
就在这时，曹操的小儿子曹冲对父亲说：“爸爸,我有个办法可以称大象！” __ ，曹操一听，连连叫好，立刻安排人准备称象，并且让大家都过去观看。
大家来到河边，看见河里停着一只大船。曹冲叫人把象牵到船上，等船身稳定时，他就在船舷与水面齐平的地方，画了一条线。然后，曹冲再叫人把象牵到岸上来。之后，他让人把大大小小的石头，__，船身就一点儿一点儿往下沉。等船上的那条线和水面再 次平齐的时候，曹冲就叫人停止装石头。官员们都睁大了眼睛，__ 。他们连声称赞：“好办法！好办法！”这时候，谁都 明白，__ ，把重量加起来，就知道这头大象有多重了。曹操得意地望着众人，心里想：你们还不如我的这个小儿子聪明呢！
A) 一块儿一块儿地往船上装 — Loaded them onto the ship one by one
B) 制造一个巨大的秤来称 — Create a giant scale to weigh
C) 只要把船里的石头都称一下 — If [one will] only weigh the rocks on the ship
D) 然后他就把办法告诉了曹操 — And then he told CaoCao his idea
E) 这才终于弄清了是怎么回事儿 — Finally, they understood what was going on
Section 4
Answer questions based on the passage you read.
Tip: Pay careful attention to each question. Most of the options will be mentioned in the passage, but are irrelevant to the question at hand.
1864年，杨全仁由山东到北京做鸡鸭生意，由于他聪明勤快，加之平时省 吃俭用，在生意红火的同时，原始积累也越积越多。一天，杨全仁在前门外看到 一家叫 “德聚全” 的干果铺要转让，便毅然将其买了下来。有了自己的铺子，起个什么字号好呢？于是，杨全仁请来一位风水先生商议。那位风水先生看了店铺 之后，对杨全仁说：“鉴于以前这间店铺甚为倒运，晦气难除。现在你除非将 ‘德聚全’ 的旧字号颠倒过来，即改称 ‘全聚德’ ，方可冲其霉运，踏上坦途”。
风水先生一席话，说得杨全仁眉开眼笑，因为 “全聚德” 这个字号正中他的下怀。一来他的名字中有一个 “全” 字，二来 “聚德” 就是聚拢德行，可以向世人表明自己做生意讲德行。于是，他果断决定将店铺的字号定名为 “全聚德” 。
杨全仁改 “德聚全” 为 “全聚德”，变干果铺为饭庄，主营北京烤鸭，兼营酱卤菜和炒菜。精明的他深知要想生意兴隆，就得有好厨师。当得知专为宫廷做御膳挂炉烤鸭的金华馆内有一位姓孙的老师傅，烤鸭技术十分了得时，他就千方 百计与其套近乎、交朋友，经常一起饮酒下棋，相互间的关系越来越密切。后来孙师傅终于被杨全仁说动，在重金礼聘下来到了 “全聚德”。
孙师傅来到 “全聚德” 之后，便把原来的烤炉改为炉身高大、炉膛肚大、一 炉可烤十多只鸭子的挂炉，还可以一面烤，一面往里面续鸭。经他烤出的鸭子，外形美观，丰盈饱满，鲜美酥香，肥而不腻，瘦而不柴，为 “全聚德” 烤鸭赢得了 “京师美馔，莫妙于鸭” 的美誉。
新中国成立后，“全聚德” 成为国家外事活动宴请外宾的重要饭店。一次，周恩来总理在 “全聚德” 宴请外宾时，一位外宾好奇地问起“全聚德”三个字的涵义，周总理解释说：“全而无缺，聚而不散，仁德至上”。这一解释，精辟地概括 了百年 “全聚德” 一贯的经营思想。“全而无缺” 意味着 “全聚德” 在经营烤鸭以外，还广纳鲁、川、淮、粤等菜系，菜 品丰富，质量上乘无缺憾；“聚而不散” 意味着天下宾客在此 聚餐聚情，情意深厚；“仁德至上” 则集中体现了 “全聚德” 人以仁德之心真诚为宾客服务、为社会服务的企业理念，这也正是 “全聚德” 的商魂所在，也是它被誉为 “中华第一吃” 的根本原因。
风水先生的建议是：
The Feng Shui Master’s advice is:
A) 经营烤鸭 — to sell roast duck
B) 转让店铺 — to sell the shop
C) 改变字号 — to change the (shop) name
D) 请好的厨师 — to hire a good chef
第 2 段中 “正中他的下怀” 的意思是：
The phrase “正中他的下怀” in the second paragraph means:
A) 令他很有信心 — makes him confident
B) 让他十分犹豫 — makes him very hesitant
C) 非常合他的心意 — suits him very well
D) 和他起的名字一样 — same as the name he thought up
孙师傅对北京烤鸭做了哪方面的改进？
What did Master Sun improve in the Beijing Roast Duck [cooking process]?
A) 工具 — Tools
B) 材料 — Ingredients
C) 种类 — Type
D) 经营方式 — Operating method
周恩来总理对“全”的解释是：
Zhou En Lai’s explanation for the character “全” is:
A) 服务全面 — well-rounded excellence in service
B) 菜系齐全 — a comprehensive choice of dishes
C) 最受欢迎 — most popular
D) 全心全意 — completely devoted
HSK 6 Writing
The HSK 6 Writing portion will ask you to write a passage of about 400 words summarizing the text you read.
Texts are typically 1,000-1,500 words long and must be read within a 10-minute time limit. You cannot take notes, and the text will be taken from you after 10 minutes.
Like the real test, I won’t provide English translations for the text, although I do have sample notes beneath the passage with English translations.
Tips: The text is usually not that difficult. You should have plenty of time to read it at least twice, if not more.
The difficulty is producing an accurate summary from memory without going over the word limit. The key is practice. Practicing this section will help you learn to identify which details to leave out and which are essential to include.
When practicing, check your work for the following:
- No additions. Don’t make anything up that wasn’t in the passage.
- Write like a robot. This is bad for creative writing, but perfect for summaries.
- Use your own words. This helps you leave behind unimportant details.
Example:
父亲是个赚钱的高手，儿子是个花钱的高手，父亲一笔生意能赚上百万，儿子一挥手就能用掉近十万。 父亲常常劝儿子：“学些本事，不要只顾着吃喝玩乐，万一有一天我破产了，你可怎么办？” 儿子从来没有当回事，他如此能干的父亲怎么会破产呢？ 他想：就算他死了，也会给我留下一大笔遗产。
然而造化弄人，父亲真的破产了。 儿子的生活一落千丈，曾经的“好朋友” 都消失了，儿子受不了这样的打击，呆在房间里准备自杀。 父亲破门而入，用力 给了儿子一个耳光：“没出息，钱是我赚的，也是我赔的，与你不相干，我都没想死，你凭什么死！”
儿子被打醒了，不知所措，问父亲：“现在我该怎么办？”
父亲考虑了一会儿说：“凭我的面子，也许还能给你找个事做，就怕你吃不了这个苦。”
“让我试试吧。” 儿子说，他下定决心要自立自强。
于是儿子便到了父亲的朋友林先生的公司做了一个小职员。 工作很辛苦，开 始儿子也想过辞职，但一想到自己富贵时的朋友不再理他，有钱时的女友也讥讽他时，他坚持了下来。 他要用自己的努力换取别人真正的尊重。
儿子遗传了父亲聪明的头脑和坚韧的性格，再加上自己的刻苦和林先生的指教，他的工作干得有声有色，职位也一步步提升。 不几年的工夫，他就当上了公司的总经理，并且娶了一个贤惠的太太。 看着自己的家因为自己的努力变得越来越美满，他感到前所未有的充实。
然而，幸福与不幸总是联系在一起的。 正当儿子的事业如日中天的时候，父亲病倒了，儿子想尽一切办法都无法换回父亲的命。 临终前，父亲拉着儿子的手，满脸微笑，很满足的样子。
儿子不知道这是为什么，直到有一天，一个律师找到他……
律师将一份文件交给他，那是父亲的遗嘱，上面写着将自己的财产分成两半，一半送给林先生，条件是他必须将儿子培养成有用之才，另一半留给能干的儿子，暂由林先生掌管经营。 如果儿子依然花天酒地，一事无成，这一半就捐给慈善机构。
原来父亲并未破产。 儿子觉得父亲这样做实在令人难以理解。
律师又将一封信交给他：
亲爱的儿子：
当你看到这封信时，我已经不在人世了，你也知道我并非真的破产。 是的，儿子，我没有破产，我只不过用我的全部家当做了我有生以来最大的一笔生意，我成功了。 看着你一天天成长，我觉得我这笔生意做得很值。 如果我将我的财产留给你，也许不用几年就会被你败光，而你也会因为无人管教而成为废物。 现在我用我有价的财产换来了一个无价的能干的儿子，这怎么能不让我高兴！
儿子，相信你也能理解父亲的苦心，如果不是这样，你怎么会找到一个真正 爱你的妻子和一群真正能够患难与共的朋友呢？
好好干！ 儿子，我相信你一定能超过我，创造更多的财富和价值。
Hint:
Here’s a list of things that would be good to include in the summary:
- 爸爸会赚钱，儿子只会花钱
Dad can earn money, but the son can only spend it
- 有一天，爸爸破产了
One day, dad went broke
- 儿子的朋友全离开了他，一时想不开，他闭上房门想自杀
His son’s friends all left him, and not being able to accept that, he attempted suicide
- 爸爸及时赶到，并骂醒儿子，介绍儿子到朋友林先生的公司工作
Dad finds him in time and gives him a good scolding, the son finally awakens and the father introduced him to work at a friend’s company
- 儿子一开始想放弃但是想到有钱时的朋友和女友如何抛弃他，他不甘心，而且发奋图强工作下去
He wanted to give up initially, but thinking back to how his friends and girlfriend gave up on him, he was spurred to work hard
- 他的工作表现蒸蒸日上，很快成为公司的总经理，之后娶了一位贤良淑德的老婆，感到很满足
His work performance improved significantly, he soon became the company’s executive manager, married a good wife, and felt satisfied
- 同时，他的爸爸却患上重病而去世了
At the same time, his father passed away from a grave illness
- 临死之前，爸爸却显得非常开心，让儿子感到很奇怪
Before his death, his father was happy, which made the son confused
- 有一天律师把遗嘱交给儿子，让他得知真相：原来爸爸把遗产分成两半，一半给林先生，一半分给儿子，但如果儿子不生性，儿子的一半捐给慈善机构
A lawyer came one day and handed the son his father’s will, where he learned the truth, his dad split his inheritance into two, one for Mr. Lin and another for his son, but if his son wasn’t going to change for the better, it would be donated to charitable organizations - 爸爸从来没有破产，他假装破产让儿子变乖，希望他可以出人头地，找到好的归宿，好的挚友
Dad was never broke, he only pretended to be in hopes his son will turn good, be able to form a nice family and find some great friends)
Remember: the content of the HSK isn’t meant to be difficult if you prepare for it reasonably with the right resources.
There are tons of sample tests, HSK apps, course books and flashcard sets that can help you study for the exam, including FluentU which has multimedia flashcard decks for all levels. These flashcards are also connected to the language program’s video library so you can see terms used in Chinese media clips.
Now that you know what kind of HSK questions you’ll see on the exam, you can better prepare for them. Time to get studying!
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