HSK (Chinese proficiency test)

Find out more about the HSK Chinese proficiency test and how to register to take the test.

The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) test is China's only official test of Chinese language proficiency for non-native speakers. It is open to foreign students, overseas Chinese, and members of ethnic minority groups in China, and provides the global standard for Chinese language proficiency from beginner to advanced level.

It also provides a concrete demonstration of your ability to prospective employers, foreign institutions and other international organisations.

The test is administered by Chinese Testing International Co Ltd (CTI), a professional international Chinese education and examination service that is affiliated with the Center for Language Education and Cooperation and a member of Chinese Plus.

In October 2011, The Confucius Institute at The University of Manchester became an official Test Centre for paper-based and PC based HSK tests.

The New HSK comprises six levels:

• Levels 1, 2 and 3 are entrance-level examinations that correspond to our basic level courses (Comprehensive 1-4, Conversational 1-4).
• Levels 4, 5 and 6 correspond to our intermediate and advanced level courses.

HSK examinations 2026

From now on we will be holding paper based exams on campus exams at the University of Manchester. Please note we will no longer be offering internet based exams.

Registration for the next exams on 16 May 2026 will open on the soon and registration will close 10 April 2026. More information about registering is available on our Registration page.

The payment deadline is 9am Friday, 17 April 2026.

These deadlines are earlier than the deadline stated on the Test Site website because of important internal administration that needs to be completed before the website deadline. 

Places are limited and will be issued on a first come first served basis. Within 7 days of registering you will receive an email with further information, including how to pay. Your place will only be confirmed once payment has been received.

Please email confucius@manchester.ac.uk if you have any queries about this.

Please note when creating your profile on chinesetest.cn that you must double-check all of your personal details are correct (full name, ID type etc) as it is very difficult to make changes.

Further details can be found in the table below.

Level	Duration (minutes)	Total Score	Passing Score	Starting Time
HSK 1	40	200	120	1.30pm
HSK 2	55	200	120	9am
HSK 3	90	300	180	1.30pm
HSK 4	105	300	180	9am
HSK 5	125	300	180	1.30pm
HSK 6	140	300	180	9am
HSKK Beginner	17	100	60	4.30pm
HSKK Intermediate	21	100	60	4.30pm
HSKK Advanced	25	100	60	4.30pm