HSK vs TOCFL: which Chinese test should you take?

In short: the HSK is far better known, and it is the default choice. If you only want one Chinese certificate and have no particular country in mind, take the HSK. The TOCFL is the right test when your plans point to Taiwan.

The rest of this page explains why, sets the two tests side by side, and covers the cases where the default is wrong.

The short version, in order of importance

1. The HSK is the test people have heard of. It is sat in far more places by far more people, and an employer or admissions office outside Taiwan is much more likely to know what "HSK 5" means than what "TOCFL Level 4" means.
2. The TOCFL makes most sense if your life is in Taiwan. Studying at a Taiwanese university, applying for a Taiwanese government scholarship or working there are the situations where it is asked for by name, and where the HSK often does not count.
3. Traditional versus Simplified characters matters less than you think. It is a real difference, but recognition decides the choice. A well-known certificate in the "wrong" script is more useful than an obscure one in the right script.
4. The TOCFL does not have a bad reputation. It is a serious, well-made exam. It is simply a lot less common.

Kungfucius says: a certificate is worth what the person reading it has heard of.

Who runs each test

The HSK, 漢語水平考試 (汉语水平考试) Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì, is mainland China's exam, organised by Chinese Testing International. According to figures published in China Daily in November 2025, it has about 1,477 test centres in 168 countries, and around 750,000 people were expected to sit it that year.

The TOCFL, 華語文能力測驗 (华语文能力测验) Huáyǔwén Nénglì Cèyàn, is Taiwan's exam. It is run by the Steering Committee for the Test Of Proficiency-Huayu, usually shortened to SC-TOP, under Taiwan's Ministry of Education. It has been offered abroad since 2006 and is held in a few dozen countries, usually through Taiwan's education offices, Taiwan Education Centers and partner universities.

HSK and TOCFL compared

	HSK	TOCFL
Run by	Chinese Testing International, mainland China	SC-TOP, under Taiwan's Ministry of Education
Characters	Simplified	Traditional in Taiwan; Traditional or Simplified at overseas test sites
Levels	9 levels in three stages (1 to 3, 4 to 6, 7 to 9)	Novice 1 and 2, then Levels 1 to 6 in Bands A, B and C
CEFR claim	No official mapping for the new format	Levels 1 to 6 are presented as A1 to C2
Format	Fixed paper per level, on paper or computer; Levels 7 to 9 are one combined exam	In Taiwan, listening and reading is a computer-adaptive test that places you; speaking and writing are separate tests
Where	About 1,477 centres in 168 countries	Taiwan, plus a few dozen countries
How often	Sessions most months, depending on the centre	Around ten sessions a year in Taiwan; often one to a few a year abroad
Fee	Set locally and rising by level, for example £45 to £95 in London	NT$2,000 for listening and reading in Taiwan in 2026; set locally abroad
Validity	Two years for applications to Chinese universities	No expiry date, but results are only kept for two years
Asked for by	Mainland universities, Chinese government scholarships, employers worldwide	Taiwanese universities, Taiwan's government scholarships, employers in Taiwan

A few of these rows need a sentence more.

Levels and CEFR. The TOCFL's organisers align Levels 1 to 6 with A1 to C2, and since 2021 the score report also shows a level on Taiwan's own TBCL scale. The HSK has no official CEFR mapping for the new nine-level test. An older claim that HSK 1 to 6 matched A1 to C2 was disputed by European teachers' associations, who placed the old HSK 6 well below C2. The equivalence table gives a working comparison, which is an estimate, not an official conversion.

Validity. The TOCFL's own FAQ says its score reports and certificates have no expiry date. In practice the result has a two-year life anyway: SC-TOP only keeps records and allows downloads for two years from the test date, and the scholarship rules ask for a result from the previous two years. From 1 January 2026 the TOCFL issues digital score reports and certificates only.

Dates. In Taiwan the TOCFL listening and reading test runs several times a year, and registration closes a few weeks before each session. The new-format HSK has regular sessions from December 2026. Abroad, check the HSK calendar on chinesetest.cn and the "global tests" section on tocfl.edu.tw, because TOCFL dates outside Taiwan are set country by country and can be as rare as once a year.

Where each certificate is accepted

Mainland China. Universities ask for the HSK by name for programmes taught in Chinese, commonly Level 4 or 5. Chinese government scholarships for Chinese-taught study do the same, with the exact level set by each university. The TOCFL is not part of that system.

Taiwan. This is where the TOCFL is not optional. The 2026 guidelines of the Ministry of Education's Taiwan Scholarship require TOCFL Level 3 or higher for any degree programme not taught entirely in English, and state that no other Chinese test will be accepted. The Huayu Enrichment Scholarship, which pays a monthly stipend for language study in Taiwan, requires recipients on terms of nine months or longer to reach TOCFL Level 3, with a result no more than two years old. Taiwanese universities set their own TOCFL levels for Chinese-taught degrees. Some departments also accept an HSK result for admission, so ask, but do not assume.

Work and residency. In Taiwan the TOCFL also appears in labour rules, for example as proof of Mandarin for migrant workers moving into the long-term skilled worker scheme. In mainland China, an HSK certificate can earn points in the work permit system for foreigners.

Everywhere else. Outside the Chinese-speaking world, both are simply evidence that you know Chinese. Here the HSK's fame decides the matter. If a recruiter in Frankfurt or São Paulo has heard of one Chinese test, it is the HSK.

Traditional or Simplified characters

The HSK is Simplified only. The TOCFL is Traditional in Taiwan, and SC-TOP's FAQ confirms that overseas test sites offer a choice of Traditional or Simplified. So a learner who reads only Simplified can still sit the TOCFL abroad.

That removes most of the script argument. Sit the test in the script you actually read, but choose the test by who will read the certificate. The differences between the two sets are explained in Simplified vs Traditional.

Script is not the only difference. Each test uses the vocabulary and accent of its home, so a learner trained in Taipei will meet unfamiliar words in the HSK, and the reverse. A few weeks with the right word list and mock papers closes the gap.

Which is harder, HSK or TOCFL?

There is no official conversion, and the level numbers do not line up. As a rough guide from the published word lists: TOCFL Level 3 assumes about 2,500 words and Level 4 about 5,000, while the new HSK syllabus reaches 5,400 words at HSK 6. Number for number, a TOCFL level has traditionally asked for more than the HSK level with the same digit.

The formats differ too. The HSK gives you a fixed paper, so you pass or fail the level you registered for. The adaptive TOCFL in Taiwan tells you which level you reached, which is kinder to people who are unsure where they stand. See TOCFL to HSK for the level-by-level comparison.

Has either test changed recently?

The HSK has, a great deal. HSK 3.0 replaces the old six-level exam with a new syllabus and nine levels, and it becomes the regular format for Levels 1 to 6 from 13 December 2026.

The TOCFL has not had a comparable overhaul. Its level structure is the one introduced in 2013. The changes of recent years are administrative: the adaptive computer test for listening and reading in Taiwan, stricter registration and identity rules from September 2024, and digital-only certificates from 2026.

Which should you take?

• You have no specific plan and want one certificate: HSK.
• You are applying to a university or scholarship in mainland China: HSK, in the version and level they name.
• You are applying for the Taiwan Scholarship or the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship: TOCFL. The HSK will not be accepted.
• You are applying to a Taiwanese university for a Chinese-taught degree: TOCFL, unless the department confirms in writing that it takes the HSK.
• You live, study or work in Taiwan: TOCFL.
• You want it for a CV outside Asia: HSK.
• You read only Traditional characters and have no application in mind: TOCFL is the comfortable benchmark. Take the HSK later if a mainland requirement appears.
• You might need both countries: take the one with the nearer deadline first.

What to do next

1. Write down who will read the certificate, and check their requirement on their own website.
2. Count back from their deadline, allowing for results and for the two-year window.
3. Find the nearest test site and its next date, and check which character version it offers.
4. Sit one timed mock paper of the test you chose before you register for a level.