HSK 4

The content on this site is targeting the “old” HSK 2.0 test which is currently still in use for HSK level 4. 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 4 you might want to look at:

HSK 4 exam structure

The HSK 4 test is structured into a listening, reading and writing part. The exam lasts about 105 minutes starting with 5 minutes of filling in your personal details on the exam sheet followed by around 30 minutes for listening, a 5 minute gap for answering listening questions, 40 minutes for reading and 25 minutes for writing. The listening part consists of a total of 45 questions, reading has 40 questions to answer and writing finishes things up with 15 questions. Below we have laid out the test structure in more detail so you know what to expect:

HSK 4 listening part

HSK 4 Listening Part 1 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 4)

Questions 1-10: A short phrase is read once followed by a statement, you need to determine whether the statement is correct or not.

HSK 4 Listening Part 2 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 4)

Questions 11-25: You listen to a dialog between two people followed by a question asked by a third voice, the whole sequence is played once only. You then need to determine which of the options presented to you on the exam paper best answers the question.

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

Questions 26-45: You listen to a 4-5 sentence long dialog or monologue once followed by 1-2 questions. You then have to determine which of the answers on the exam paper fits best.

HSK 4 reading part

HSK 4 Reading Part 1 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 4)

Questions 46-55: The first 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 4 Reading Part 2 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 4)

Questions 56-65: Here you get three sentences for each question and you have to order the sentences correctly using the letters next to the respective sentences.

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

Questions 66-85: In the final reading segment you get a short phrase followed by a question and you need to determine which of the four options best answers the question.

HSK 4 writing part

HSK 4 Writing Part 1 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 4)

Questions 86-95: In each point you get a list of several words and need to construct a sentence using all words.

HSK 4 Writing Part 2 (Source: China Education Center Mock Test HSK 4)

Questions 96-100: You finish the test off with 5 questions consisting of one image and one word each. You then have to use that word in a sentence based on the image.

How to prepare for HSK 4

There is no right or wrong way to prepare for HSK 4. The most important thing is to familiarize yourself with all 600 HSK 4 vocabularies (on top of 500 HSK 1, 2 & 3 vocabularies, so a total of 1200 words and phrases) and the exam itself. Here are a few things that might help with that:

HSK 4 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 4 practice tests

Once you have internalized all 600 HSK 4 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 4 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 4 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 4 vocabulary list

To get an HSK 4 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 4 in our HSK 4 vocabulary list and take a look at example sentences on our HSK 4 example sentences page.

Finally, there’s also a Youtube video available containing all HSK 4 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 4 specific:

HSK 4 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 4.

HSK 4 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).

How much does HSK 4 cost?

Fees for HSK tests vary depending on country and test centre. When writing this article (March 27, 2019), the fee for HSK 4 at the Confucius Institute in Nebraska was USD 50, at Hong Kong University it was HKD 560. So costs do vary and will probably change over time, simply contact your test centre or teacher for more information.

Can I take HSK 4 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 4 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 4?

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

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