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HSK 6 study guide: the new test, its speaking paper and a 24-week plan (video)

HSK 6 from 13 December 2026: 5,400 words, an 82-question paper and a 23-minute speaking test. Test day, reading pace, the new words and a 24-week plan.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Start
  2. 0:24The short answer
  3. 0:44Who asks for HSK 6
  4. 1:10Your test date decides
  5. 1:36What's on the test
  6. 2:30The speaking paper
  7. 3:19Reading and writing
  8. 4:145,400 words
  9. 5:03HSK 7 to 9 and pass marks
  10. 5:40Plan and practice tests
  11. 6:40What to do next

Transcript

Start

HSK 6 used to be the top of China's Mandarin exam. A separate advanced test has sat above it since 2022. And from 13 December, most old HSK 6 words belong to that test. From SayMei Guides, by Mei Lin: the HSK 6 study guide. The new test, its speaking paper, and a 24-week plan.

The short answer

The short answer. HSK 6 is the sixth of nine levels, and the top of the HSK 1 to 6 papers. From 13 December, it tests 5,400 words in a written paper, plus a short speaking paper. And from a solid HSK 5, plan on about six months of daily study.

Who asks for HSK 6

Who asks for HSK 6? Most Chinese-taught degrees ask for less: level 4 to enter, and level 5 by graduation. But Peking University asks for HSK 6 on every graduate degree taught in Chinese, with 210 for humanities and 65 in writing. BLCU's doctorate in teaching Chinese asks for it too. For a work permit, though, HSK 6 earns no more points than HSK 5.

Your test date decides

So which HSK 6 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. For December, paper bookings close on 16 November, and computer bookings on 3 December. Your centre may close sooner. And expect to book the new speaking paper together with the written one.

What's on the test

What's on the written paper? 82 questions, in characters only. Reading has gap-fills, sentences to put back into texts, and five long articles with four questions each. Writing asks for a practical notice of at least 150 characters, and an argument essay of at least 300. The old paper had 101 questions, the new one 82, and it's a quarter of an hour shorter. Writing keeps its 45 minutes. The old error-spotting task, 语病, is gone, and the old summary becomes two essays of your own. And plan for a long morning. One Hong Kong centre starts HSK 6 at nine, and the speaking paper at half past eleven. You speak last, right after 45 minutes of essays. 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 23 minutes, and ten of those are preparation. First, you retell two short passages, each heard once, with no time to prepare. Then you tell a story from four photos. Last, you answer two printed questions, for two and a half minutes each. So start with the retell. Each passage lasts about half a minute, and you get a minute and a half to tell it back. Keep its chain: the situation, what happened, and the point it makes. The last question quotes a saying. 最好的投资就是投资自己。 The best investment is investing in yourself. Do you agree? Two and a half minutes is a long time alone. So plan a view, two reasons with an example each, and a one-line ending.

Reading and writing

How fast do you need to read? We counted every character in the reading section of the official sample papers. HSK 6 asks for about 115 characters a minute. HSK 5 asks 90, and HSK 4 asks 61. The long articles are where it gets hard. Each runs about 460 to 610 characters, and you get about two and a half minutes to read one. That's about 200 characters a minute, close to a native adult reading aloud. So time yourself on a 500-character news article. Writing gives you 45 minutes. In the sample, you need a 室友, a flatmate, so you write an online notice. Then an essay: does scientific progress help or hold back people's all-round development? On paper you write by hand, and the syllabus expects 700 characters from memory.

5,400 words

Now, the words. The new HSK 6 adds 1,800, for 5,400 in all. On our count of the old HSK 6 list, only 707 are still HSK 6, and 1,582 moved up to HSK 7 to 9. The idioms went first, like 一丝不苟, meticulous. Nearly half the new list had never been on any HSK list. 性价比, value for money. 远程, remote. 账单, bill. If you passed the old HSK 6, about 2,150 words are left to learn. The payoff: the new list covers about 86% of the words people say on screen, against 77% for the old one.

HSK 7 to 9 and pass marks

So what sits above HSK 6? Levels 7, 8 and 9 share one exam, and your score decides the level. It tests 11,000 words, by computer only, on its own dates. And it adds translation, from English into Chinese. What score do you need for HSK 6? On the old paper, 180 of 300. For the new one, nobody can tell you yet: on 27 October, we found no new score scale. So when a university quotes a score, ask what it will accept on the new paper. And treat 60% on practice tests as a floor.

Plan and practice tests

Twenty-four weeks from a solid HSK 5 works if you study most days: about 12 new words a day for 22 weeks. Start with a daily retell and long articles. Then timed reading and photo stories. Then both essays every week. Keep the last two weeks for review. If you passed the old HSK 6, expect closer to seven months. Which practice tests? CLEC's official sample is free, so do it first, untimed. HSK Mock sells two new-format papers at $11.99 each. And SayMei's two HSK 6 practice tests, each with a speaking paper, are free with an account. SayMei wrote every question, so they're practice tests in the new HSK format. Where does SayMei fit? It helps most with the speaking paper: retelling, describing and arguing out loud. It won't grade your essays. If you need detailed essay feedback, a human teacher is the better buy.

What to do next

So, what next? Check what your programme asks for. Pick a realistic date: 13 December would mean almost 40 new words a day. Start the daily retell 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.

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