HSK 3.0: test structure by level
HSK 3.0 — under the HSK test syllabus released in November 2025 and implemented from July 2026 — has a separate test for each of Levels 1–6 and one combined test for Levels 7–9; per the official sample paper, HSK Level 3 has 70 questions in about 83 minutes.
Questions and times per the HSK 3.0 sample papers
| Level | Questions | Listening | Reading | Writing | Whole test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 40 | 20 questions, about 12 min | 20 questions, 20 min | – | about 40 min |
| HSK 2 | 60 | 25 questions, about 17 min | 25 questions, 25 min | Character writing: 10 questions, 10 min | about 60 min |
| HSK 3 | 70 | 30 questions, about 23 min | 30 questions, 30 min | Character writing: 10 questions, 20 min | about 83 min |
| HSK 4 | 70 | 32 questions, about 20 min | 32 questions, 30 min | Writing: 6 questions, 25 min | about 85 min |
| HSK 5 | 72 | 35 questions, about 25 min | 35 questions, 35 min | Writing: 2 questions, 40 min | about 110 min |
| HSK 6 | 82 | 40 questions, about 30 min | 40 questions, 40 min | Writing: 2 questions, 45 min | about 125 min |
| HSK 7–9 | 91 | 40 questions, about 33 min | 40 questions, 50 min | Writing: 2 questions, 55 min | about 200 min |
Speaking tests (Levels 3–6)
| Speaking test | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| HSK 3 Speaking | 15 | about 15 min |
| HSK 4 Speaking | 5 | about 20 min |
| HSK 5 Speaking | 5 | about 23 min |
| HSK 6 Speaking | 5 | about 23 min |
- The HSK 7–9 test also has a Translation part (4 questions, about 42 minutes) and a Speaking part (5 questions, about 20 minutes).
- The whole-test time for Levels 1–6 includes 5 minutes for filling in personal information.
- The question counts and times above are taken from the notes on the cover of the HSK 3.0 sample papers compiled by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC).
- This page does not list HSK 3.0 passing scores; see the notices on chinesetest.cn.
Frequently asked questions
- How many questions are in HSK 3.0 Level 3?
- Per the official sample paper, HSK Level 3 has 70 questions: 30 listening, 30 reading and 10 character-writing, and the whole test takes about 83 minutes.
- When does HSK 3.0 take effect?
- The new HSK test syllabus was released in November 2025 and states July 2026 as its implementation date.
- How many levels does HSK 3.0 have?
- The syllabus describes Levels 1 to 6 individually and Levels 7–9 as one combined test.
- What is in the HSK Level 3 speaking test?
- Per the sample paper, the HSK Level 3 speaking test has 15 questions in about 15 minutes.