What is HSKK? A guide to the Chinese speaking test

What is HSKK and who takes it?

HSK tests listening, reading and writing; HSKK tests speaking. The official level pages are on chinesetest.cn. If you are new to HSK, start with What is HSK.

In Vietnam, HSK 3–6 are taken together with HSKK: HSK 3 with HSKK beginner, HSK 4 with intermediate, HSK 5 and HSK 6 with advanced. Fees are therefore usually a combined HSK + HSKK fee; see HSK fees. Taken alone, HSKK cost 530,000 VND (beginner), 670,000 VND (intermediate) and 800,000 VND (advanced) at HNUE and Thai Nguyen University in 2026.

The three HSKK levels: items and timing

Each level has its own preparation time and test time. Reference vocabulary on Hanzi Pass: about 200 words for beginner, 900 for intermediate and 3,000 for advanced.

• Beginner (初级): 27 items – 13 minutes of test, 7 minutes of preparation, 20 minutes in total.
• Intermediate (中级): 14 items – 13 minutes of test, 10 minutes of preparation, 23 minutes in total.
• Advanced (高级): 6 items – 15 minutes of test, 10 minutes of preparation, 25 minutes in total.
• All levels: maximum 100 points, pass at 60.

HSKK beginner (初级): 3 parts

• 听后重复 – Listen and repeat (15 items): repeat a short sentence exactly, e.g. 我每天早上七点起床。Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang qī diǎn qǐchuáng. – I get up at seven every morning.
• 听后回答 – Listen and answer (10 items): give a short reply, e.g. 你喜欢喝茶吗？– 我喜欢喝茶。(Do you like tea? – I like tea.)
• 回答问题 – Answer the question (2 items): talk about a familiar topic such as family, hobbies or work; aim for at least five sentences.

HSKK intermediate (中级) and advanced (高级)

Intermediate has 听后重复 – listen and repeat (10 items, longer sentences than at beginner), 看图说话 – describe the picture (2 items) and 回答问题 – answer the question (2 items). For the picture task, describe what happens and tell it as a short story with a beginning and an end.

Advanced has 听后复述 – listen and retell (3 items), 朗读 – read aloud (1 item) and 回答问题 – answer the question (2 items). Note that 听后复述 means retelling the content in your own words, not repeating it word for word.

Preparation time and scoring

Total preparation time is 7 minutes at beginner and 10 minutes at intermediate and advanced. Exactly when it is given (at the start or before each part) and whether you may take notes while listening are not confirmed, so ask your test centre before the day.

CTI publishes only the total of 100 and the pass mark of 60, not the points per part. Hanzi Pass mock tests use estimated weights; at beginner, for example, 15 repeat items × 2 points, 10 short answers × 3 points and 2 long answers × 20 points.

How AI scoring of HSKK works on Hanzi Pass

When you record an answer in speaking practice or in an HSKK mock test (for example the beginner mock test), speech recognition transcribes it and each answer is scored on five criteria, then scaled to the points of its part.

For listen-and-repeat items, the score is based on how many characters you said match the original sentence, multiplied by your pronunciation score. The free plan includes 3 AI speaking checks a day; Premium includes 100 a month.

• Pronunciation: 30%.
• Tones, syllable by syllable: 20%.
• Fluency: 20%.
• Content (relevant and complete): 20%.
• Grammar: 10%.

Limits of the AI score

The AI score is an estimate for practice, not an official score, and it does not replace an examiner. The weights per part are estimates too, because CTI does not publish them.

For answers of 1–2.5 minutes the audio is split into chunks, so syllable-level feedback can be less detailed than for short items. Content and grammar are judged on the transcript, so a misrecognised word can skew the feedback. Use AI scores to track your progress, and ask a teacher to listen when you can.

Tips for each part and tone practice

Tones are where many learners lose points. Practise with the tone trainer: tell apart 妈 mā – mother, 麻 má – hemp, 马 mǎ – horse, 骂 mà – to scold; remember tone sandhi, e.g. 你好 nǐ hǎo is said ní hǎo and 不是 bù shì is said bú shì.

• Listen and repeat: hold the sentence in meaning chunks rather than single characters; clear and complete beats fast.
• Short answers: reuse the structure of the question to answer in a full sentence (你周末做什么？– 我周末去看电影。).
• Describe the picture: who – where – what – result; link with 先 xiān – first, 然后 ránhòu – then, 最后 zuìhòu – finally.
• Listen and retell: note the main points if allowed and retell in time order; your own words are fine.
• Read aloud: use the preparation time to mark pauses and hard characters; read evenly without breaking words.
• Answer the question: opening – two or three reasons or examples – conclusion; use the full time and avoid long silences.

HSKK after the switch to HSK 3.0

On 13 December 2026, HSK moves to the HSK 3.0 standard worldwide. According to secondary sources, the new HSK 3–6 include their own speaking test of about 15–23 minutes. Detailed rules for candidates in Vietnam have not been fully published; check chinesetest.cn and your test centre before registering.

Whatever the format, the core skills stay the same: accurate tones, listening comprehension and well-organised answers. See HSK 3.0 vs HSK 2.0 and the 2026 HSK test dates.

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