HSK study plan: how to prepare, level by level

An HSK study plan has one fixed point, the exam date, and everything else is counted backwards from it. This plan is written for the new format, HSK 3.0, which replaces the old six-level test at regular sessions from 13 December 2026. Background on the change is on the main HSK page.

The classic advice still holds: start early, know the format, practise regularly, get help, and stay calm on the day. Below, those five points are turned into a timetable.

Choose the level before you plan

Pick the level from a requirement, not from pride. If a university or employer has named a level, that settles it. If nobody has, sit one official sample paper at home. Kungfucius's rule of thumb: around 60 per cent without preparation means the level is within reach in twelve weeks. Below 40 per cent, choose the level beneath or give yourself much longer.

Be careful with old numbers. Under the old exam, HSK 4 meant 1,200 words, which Kungfucius regards as a high A2. The new HSK 4 asks for 2,000 words and may come close to B1, as argued on the HSK 4 page. Anyone who "almost passed HSK 4" in 2024 is not almost at the new one.

If your target is a university in Taiwan, you are preparing for the wrong exam: see HSK vs TOCFL.

How long does it take to prepare for the HSK?

There are no official hour figures. The table gives the cumulative word counts of the current syllabus and Kungfucius's own planning estimates for a learner who studies steadily and has passed, or could pass, the level before. They are estimates, not promises.

Level	Words (cumulative)	New words at this level	Kungfucius's estimate of study hours from the previous level	At one hour a day
HSK 1	300	300	80 to 120 (from zero)	3 to 4 months
HSK 2	500	200	60 to 100	2 to 3 months
HSK 3	1,000	500	150 to 250	5 to 8 months
HSK 4	2,000	1,000	300 to 450	10 to 15 months
HSK 5	3,600	1,600	500 to 700	1.5 to 2 years
HSK 6	5,400	1,800	600 to 900	1.5 to 2.5 years

The twelve-week plan below is therefore exam preparation, not a way to climb a whole level from scratch. It assumes you already know most of the grammar and at least two thirds of the words. If you do not, repeat the middle block until you do, and book a later date.

A 12-week HSK study plan

Plan for 60 to 90 minutes a day at HSK 3 and above, less at HSK 1 and 2.

Weeks	Focus	What to do
1	Diagnosis and logistics	Sit one sample paper untimed. Mark every unknown word in the syllabus list. Register, and ask the test centre about paper or computer, the speaking test and the fee
2 to 5	Build	New words daily, in sentences. 20 minutes of listening and 20 minutes of reading a day. Two grammar points a week. One short spoken recording every day
6	First full mock	Timed, in one sitting. Start an error log: which section, which question type, why it went wrong
7 to 9	Weak sections	Half of each session on your worst section. Reading against the clock. Two written texts a week, corrected by a tutor or teacher. Speaking tasks under exam timing
10	Second full mock	Compare with week 6. Stop adding new words at the end of this week
11	Third full mock	In the exact format you will sit, paper or computer. Work through the error log
12	Taper	Reviews, easy listening, one section a day at most. Check documents, route and time. Sleep

Vocabulary and characters

Work only from the 2025 syllabus list. Chinese Testing International publishes the syllabus, sample questions and two online demo versions of the new exam on chinesetest.cn. Decks and books that promise "HSK 4 in 1,200 words" describe the old exam.

Put the words you do not know into Anki, each with an example sentence and audio. Kungfucius's limit is 20 minutes of reviews a day, which carries roughly ten new cards. Do the sum for your level: 1,000 new words for HSK 4 in twelve weeks would mean twelve a day, every day. That is why the plan assumes you start with most of them.

Use Pleco for every lookup while reading, and send to your review queue only the words that are on the list or that you have met twice. Pay attention to measure words and fixed pairs of verb and object, which the exam likes to test.

For characters, the syllabus has two lists: characters you must recognise and a much shorter list you must write by hand. Practise handwriting only for the second list, a few characters a day, and ask your centre how writing is handled on the computer version.

Listening and reading speed

Listening cannot be crammed. Do it daily from week 1: first exam-style recordings, then, from HSK 4 upwards, some unscripted audio as well, so that your ear does not depend on studio voices. Read the answer options before the recording starts. That is technique, not cheating.

From HSK 4 up, time is the usual reason candidates lose marks in reading. Train speed directly:

• Read a short text at your level every day with a timer, and note characters per minute once a week.
• Read the question before the passage, then scan for the answer.
• Never stop at an unknown word during timed practice. Guess, mark it, move on.
• Read widely below your level. Easy pages build speed; hard pages build only patience.

Writing and the speaking test

Writing begins at HSK 2, and the tasks grow with each level. Write two short pieces a week from week 7 and have them corrected. A tutor or a study partner earns their keep here, since you cannot see your own errors.

HSK 3 to 6 now come with a speaking test at the same level, although test centres are not all handling it identically at launch. Do not leave it to the final week. Record one minute a day from week 2: retell a short text, describe a picture, answer a question. Listen to yesterday's recording before making today's. It is unpleasant and it works.

Mock exams and exam day

Three full timed mocks is the minimum. Pass marks for the new format had not been published when this plan was written, so do not rely on the old thresholds. Kungfucius's rule: sit the exam when two mocks in a row are at 70 per cent or better.

For the day itself:

• Sleep properly for two nights before, not only the last one.
• Eat breakfast, and arrive early with your admission ticket and the same ID you registered with.
• On the computer-based test, check headphones and volume before the listening section starts.
• If you do not know an answer, choose one and move on. Blank answers earn nothing.
• Keep a sense of proportion. It is a test of Chinese, not of your worth as a person, and it can be retaken.

Check that your materials are up to date

Before you buy or download anything, check which version of the HSK it was made for. The recent update of the exam increased the number of words, and the jump is especially large at HSK 4: the old level asked for 1,200 words, the new one for 2,000. A textbook, word list or Anki deck built for the old HSK 4 leaves you about 800 words short. The same check applies to mock papers, because the question types changed with the new format.

Speed is of the essence

In some parts of the test, time is the real opponent. The reading sections in particular are built so that a careful reader does not finish. Knowing the words is not enough. You have to recognise them at speed. Train with a timer from the first mock paper, read a little every day to raise your pace, and learn to move on from a question that is costing you too long.

What to do next

• Download the syllabus list and a sample paper for your level today, and sit the paper this week.
• Count back twelve weeks from the next exam date at your centre. If the diagnosis says you need longer, take the later session.
• Fix your daily slot and your first mock date in the calendar before you study a single word.