Mandarin Month: Is it Even Worth Taking the HSK Exam?
In the lead up to our Mandarin Month mixer on June 24 June 25, where you'll be able to meet with Beijing's best Mandarin schools, we'll be dishing out some language-learning advice on a daily basis. Read on if you don't want to wait to get started on improving your 中文. Mandarin Month is sponsored by Sanfine International Hospital.
The HSK exam or 汉语水平考试 hànyǔ shuǐpíng kǎoshì is the only standardized test for Mandarin Chinese proficiency for non-native speakers. For many Chinese language students, passing an HSK test and receiving the certificate is the goal for learning Chinese. It is feared and worshiped as the benchmark for those of us studying Chinese language, with many job descriptions requiring a certain level to apply and as the way to win a scholarship to study Chinese in China (tuition, accommodation, and some expenses are often subsidized).
There are two parts: an oral test called HSKK, and a written test composed of listening, reading, and writing sections. There are six levels for HSK, which require students to memorize a cumulative vocabulary list of 150 words for HSK 1 up to 5,000 words for HSK 6. The HSK speaking test is slightly simpler, as it's split into just three levels – beginner, intermediate, and advanced – but instead of an examiner, you listen to a recording and your answers are recorded, shipped off, and marked remotely.
So, are HSK exams really worth taking, especially when you factor in all of the money (see above), stress, cramming, and past papers involved in succeeding …
Firstly, it is my point of view that HSK exams are not the benchmark for fluency. In fact, the old HSK format was a more advanced and superior way to measure Chinese language skills with its ranking method etc. Regardless, the new exam format is effectively a longer version of Match with multiple-choice answers, which ensures that you always have a 25 percent chance of being correct. With a clear vocabulary list, there is no confusion over what exactly you need to revise (or cram). As a result, the structure of the test is not varied enough to truly test your language level, and is instead more of an extended memorization exercise.
If you struggle under exam conditions or find it difficult to cram characters, the HSK exam can be tough. It is structured so that you are pushed for time in each section, with approximately 45 seconds per questions across the entire exam, especially as the levels go up. This pressure can make the most confident of students panic or make their hands start cramping up with the amount of characters to write or block out (the test is marked by a computer). If you are lucky enough to do the test on a computer (available in China), you shouldn’t have this issue but on the contrary, this means you have to know the correct pinyin for all the characters that you want to write. If you are gifted with good memorisation skills, then this will probably easier for you than others.
Getting HSK certified is important for two reasons: scholarships and jobs. As the only benchmark for Chinese fluency, it is recommended for anyone interested in working in China or as part of a Chinese company to take the test. However, provided you pass the HSK exam, the certificate is only valid for two years from the date of the test. Granted, employers don’t usually check when you passed, and assuming you haven’t completely forgotten all your Chinese, you can probably get away with simply stating that you have done so in the past.
In order to make HSK more accessible internationally, the organiser’s Hanban matches HSK’s six levels with the six levels of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), but the German and French associations of Chinese language teachers disagree. Instead, they rate HSK Level 6 as equivalent to B2 or C1, not at C2 as Hanban estimate. Most teachers don’t recommend that you take anything below HSK Level 3, as Levels 1 and 2 exams provide the pinyin above the characters, no writing section, and only need knowledge of 150 or 300 words, respectively.
At the end of the day, the ability to use your Chinese language skills to chat with locals, haggle like a true Beijinger or even give someone directions, is just as a rewarding, if not better, use of your Chinese than passing a test. Being able to communicate with locals who can’t speak your language feels like a much bigger and better achievement than completing a test after having sat in a room for two hours. If you make the effort to speak Chinese and get real life experience, people will appreciate it a lot more than if you wave your HSK certificate in their face.
Having said that, I have just signed myself up to take the HSK exam before I leave China, because if I pass, it will be a good addition to my CV, and if I don't, I can still tell people and employers that my Chinese language skills are pretty advanced. I’m sure if you're reading this, you're likely to be considering or have already signed up to take the test, but just remember that one two-hour exam is not the end of the world if it doesn’t go as well as hoped. Well, that’s what I keep telling myself anyway!
Keep on track with your studies with all of our 2017 Mandarin Month content here, and don't forget to register for our June 24 June 25 mixer here.
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Images: Confucius Institute, Live the Language
