HSK 3

The content on this site is targeting the “old” HSK 2.0 test which is currently still in use for HSK level 3. We will add similar information for HSK 3.0 once available. For HSK 3.0 we do, however, already have a translated vocabulary list.

To quickly get you where you want to get, here are further pages for HSK 3 you might want to look at:

HSK 3 exam structure

The HSK 3 test is structured into a listening, reading and writing part. The exam lasts about 90 minutes starting with 5 minutes of filling in your personal details on the exam sheet followed by around 35 minutes for listening, a 5 minute gap for answering listening questions, 30 minutes for reading and 15 minutes for writing. The listening part consists of a total of 40 questions, reading has 30 questions to answer and writing finishes things up with 10 questions. Below we have laid out the test structure in more detail so you know what to expect:

HSK 3 listening part

HSK 3 Listening Part 1 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 3)

Questions 1-10: You listen to a dialog twice. On the exam paper you will see various images with letters. You then have to enter the letter for the picture that corresponds best to the dialog you’ve listened to into the box next to the question number.

HSK 3 Listening Part 2 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 3)

Questions 11-20: You again need to listen to a sentence or short text twice followed by a statement that is also on the exam paper. You then have to determine, whether that statement is correct or not.

HSK 3 Listening Part 3 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 3)

Questions 21-30: You listen to a dialog between two people followed by a question asked by a third voice, the whole sequence is played twice. You then need to determine which of the options presented to you on the exam paper best answers the question.

HSK 3 Listening Part 4 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 3)

Questions 31-40: You listen to a 4-5 sentence dialog between two people followed by a question asked by a third voice, the whole sequence is again played twice. You then need to determine which of the options presented to you on the exam paper best answers the question.

HSK 3 reading part

HSK 3 Reading Part 1 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 3)

Questions 41-50: You get a total of 20 sentences, 10 on top with letters in front of them and 10 below with empty boxes on the right. You need to match the sentences above and below by adding the correct letter on the right of the lower 10 sentences.

HSK 3 Reading Part 2 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 3)

Questions 51-60: The next task is to take some words presented on the top (all with letters in front of them) and correctly put them into sentences by adding the corresponding letter into the gap.

HSK 3 Reading Part 3 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 3)

Questions 61-70: In the final reading segment you get a short phrase followed by a question and you need to determine which of the three options best answers the question.

HSK 3 writing part

HSK 3 Writing Part 1 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 3)

Questions 71-75: In each point you get a list of several words and need to construct a sentence using all words.

HSK 3 Writing Part 2 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 3)

Questions 76-80: Part two of writing provides you with sentences with gaps and Pinyin. You then have to fill in the gaps with the correct character or word that is provided in Pinyin.

How to prepare for HSK 3

There is no right or wrong way to prepare for HSK 3. The most important thing is to familiarize yourself with all 300 HSK 3 vocabularies (on top of 300 HSK 1 & 2 vocabularies, so a total of 600 words and phrases) and the exam itself. Here are a few things that might help with that:

HSK 3 flashcards

Flashcards are a great way to learn vocabularies and with the number of websites and apps providing flashcards nowadays, it’s difficult to know which one to pick. We suggest you’ll use Anki which is a free flashcard application with countless flashcard decks for any language. Simply download the application to your computer or download their app to your mobile phone (small payment required for iOS). Then either purchase Pinhok’s HSK vocabulary deck online or search for one of the free HSK decks within the shared Anki decks and you should be ready to go!

HSK 3 practice tests

Once you have internalized all 300 HSK 3 vocabularies, mock exams are probably the most efficient way to prepare for the exam itself. Below you can find 4 websites that provide a number of past exam papers for you to go through:

HSK 3 books

In terms of books, there are plenty of books to choose from. For vocabulary books, you can go to our partner site Pinhok Languages to find their popular HSK vocabulary books. This should cover all vocabulary related needs you have.

The second type of books are HSK 3 mock exams. Those exams are very similar to the practice tests listed above but any one of those books usually contains a lot more of them. You can purchase those kinds of books in any good book shop if you are in Mainland China or on Amazon if you are living abroad.

HSK 3 vocabulary list

To get an HSK 3 vocabulary list in book form, please you can go to our partner site Pinhok Languages to find their popular HSK vocabulary books. This should cover all vocabulary related needs you have.

You can also find all vocabularies for HSK 3 in our HSK 3 vocabulary list and take a look at example sentences on our HSK 3 example sentences page.

Finally, there’s also a Youtube video available containing all HSK 3 vocabularies so you can directly practice the pronunciation for all words.

Taking the test

We have answered most of the general questions regarding HSK test on our HSK Frequently Asked Questions page. Below are a couple of questions and topics that are HSK 3 specific:

HSK 3 scores

There are 100 points for each of the three parts available, 100 points for listening, 100 points for reading and 100 points for writing. Therefore, a score of 300 would be maximum points. 180 points are needed to pass HSK 3.

HSK 3 exam dates

You can find the official HSK exam dates by going to the official HSK website from Hanban (Chinese only unfortunately, but a good learning experience). To make sense of that page, a couple of terms explained:

新汉语水平考试(HSK)This is the normal HSK test
新增汉语水平网络考试(HSK)This refers to the new HSK online test
考试时间Time of test
考试科目Test subject
报名截止日期Registration deadline
纸笔考试Pen and paper test
网络考试Online test
成绩公布日期Date the results come out

How much does HSK 3 cost?

Fees for HSK tests vary depending on country and test centre. When writing this article (March 27, 2019), the fee for HSK 3 at the Confucius Institute in Nebraska was USD 40, at Hong Kong University it was HKD 460. So costs do vary and will probably change over time, simply contact your test centre or teacher for more information.

Can I take HSK 3 online?

Yes and no. There is now a 网络考试 available, however, to take that test, you would still have to go to a test centre that supports computer based HSK tests and take the test there. So strictly speaking, you would take the test online (as in on a website or web application), but not from the comfort of your home. For details on that it’s best to talk to your closest test centre.

Where can I take the HSK 3 test?

You can use the “Search Test Center” functionality on Chinesetest.cn to look for a test centre closest to you. If you want to take the test on a computer, make sure the test centre supports that option.

How can I register for HSK 3?

You can either register online on Chinesetest.cn or directly at the test centre closest to you.

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