HSK 4 study guide: the new test, its speaking paper and a 16-week plan (video)
HSK 4 from 13 December 2026: 2,000 words, a 70-question paper and a 20-minute speaking test. Who asks for it, its reading pace and a 16-week plan.
Chapters
- 0:00Start
- 0:23The short answer
- 0:44Who asks for HSK 4
- 1:12Your test date decides
- 1:39What's on the test
- 2:33The speaking paper
- 3:28Reading and writing
- 4:122,000 words
- 4:56Pass mark and plan
- 5:44Practice tests
- 6:28What to do next
Transcript
Start
HSK 4 is the level that opens Chinese-taught degrees in China. And from 13 December, it asks for 800 more words than before. Plus its own speaking paper, on the same morning. From SayMei Guides, by Mei Lin: the HSK 4 study guide. The new test, its speaking paper, and a 16-week plan.
The short answer
The short answer. HSK 4 is the middle level of China's official Mandarin exam. From 13 December, it tests 2,000 words in a written paper, plus a short speaking paper. The new pass mark isn't published. And if you study most days, about four months from HSK 3 is a realistic plan.
Who asks for HSK 4
Who asks for HSK 4? In 2018, China's education ministry made level 4 the floor for programmes taught in Chinese, with level 5 by graduation. The Chinese Government Scholarship asks for HSK 4 on master's and PhD programmes taught in Chinese. But Tsinghua recommends HSK 5 for one bachelor's. So HSK 4 gets you through the door, and HSK 5 is where many programmes want you by the end.
Your test date decides
So which HSK 4 will you sit? The 13 December sitting is the first to use the new HSK, called HSK 3.0. Earlier sittings, like 7 November, use the old paper and its list of 1,200 words. For December, paper bookings close on 16 November, and computer bookings on 3 December. Your centre may close sooner. And expect to book the speaking paper together with the written one.
What's on the test
What's on the written paper? 70 questions, in characters only, with no pinyin. Listening is 32 of them. In reading, you fill gaps from a bank of six words, answer questions on short texts, and put missing sentences back into two articles. Writing asks for a sentence from a picture and a word, then a short essay. The old paper had 100 questions. The new one is about 20 minutes shorter: listening and reading each lose ten minutes. Writing keeps all 25, but now ends with an essay. So a shorter paper doesn't mean an easier one. And plan for a long morning. One Hong Kong centre starts HSK 4 at nine, and the speaking paper at half past eleven. Bring water and something to eat, and arrive 30 minutes early. Latecomers aren't let into the speaking test at all.
The speaking paper
Now, the speaking paper. Five items in about 20 minutes, and half of that is preparation. First, you retell two short passages, each heard once, in 40 seconds each, with no time to prepare. Then you tell a story from three photos. Last, you answer two printed questions, two minutes each. So start with the retell. The first sample passage begins 我们俩打算今年九月五号结婚。 The two of us plan to marry on 5 September this year. Then it gives the reason: they met on that day, seven years ago. A good retell keeps the facts and the reason, in your own words. The questions ask about your own life. 如果给你七天假，你打算怎么安排？ If you had seven days off, how would you plan them? Two minutes is longer than it sounds, so plan three points, and an example for each.
Reading and writing
How fast do you need to read? We counted every character in the reading section of both official sample papers. The new paper asks for about 61 characters a minute, the old one 58. A native adult reads about 390 silently. So aim to finish a 170-character text in about two minutes, with a stopwatch. Writing gives you 25 minutes. First, a picture and a word, like 结账, settle the bill, and you write a sentence that uses both. Then an essay of at least 80 characters, about something like your most memorable trip. On paper you write by hand, and by HSK 4 the syllabus expects 400 characters from memory.
2,000 words
Now, the words. The new HSK 4 adds 1,000, for 2,000 in all. We matched each one against the old lists. 512 were old HSK 4 words. And 385 had never been on any HSK list. They're mostly everyday modern Chinese. 支付, pay. 换乘, change trains. 目的地, destination. If you passed the old HSK 4, you already know 1,140 of the new HSK 1 to 4 words, and 838 are left to learn. The payoff: the new list covers about 79% of the words people say on screen, against 70% for the old one.
Pass mark and plan
What score do you need? On the old HSK 4, you pass with 180 of 300. For the new paper, nobody can tell you yet. On 27 October, we found no new score scale. So when a university asks for HSK 4 with 180, ask what it will accept. And treat 60% on practice tests as a floor. Sixteen weeks from a solid HSK 3 works if you study most days: about ten new words a day for 14 weeks. Weeks one to four: words by ear, and a short clip retold each day. Five to eight: timed reading, and a photo story a day. Nine to twelve: an essay and a two-minute answer a day. Thirteen to sixteen: the last words, then review.
Practice tests
Which practice tests? CLEC's official sample is free, with both papers, so do it first, untimed. CTI's online trial shows the computer test. HSK Mock sells two new-format papers at $8.99 each. And SayMei's HSK 4 practice test, with both papers, is free with an account. SayMei wrote every question, so it's a practice test in the new HSK format, not an official paper. Where does SayMei fit? It helps most with the speaking paper: retelling, describing and answering out loud. It won't mark your handwriting or grade your essay. If you need a scored essay, a human teacher is the better buy.
What to do next
So, what next? Check what your programme asks for. Book before your centre's deadline. Take the official sample, untimed. Start the retell habit now. And save a full practice test for the end. You can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's teacher, in a short spoken lesson at your level. The full guide, with every source, is on the page at saymei dot app.