TOCFL exam guide: levels, format, fees and TOCFL vs HSK

TOCFL is Taiwan's test, run by SC-TOP

The TOCFL is Taiwan's standard test of Mandarin for non-native speakers. In Chinese it's 華語文能力測驗 Huáyǔwén Nénglì Cèyàn, the test of Huayu proficiency, the name Taiwan uses for Mandarin taught as a foreign language.

It's run by the Steering Committee for the Test Of Proficiency-Huayu, SC-TOP, which Taiwan's Ministry of Education set up at National Taiwan Normal University. The first test was held in December 2003, and it took the name TOCFL in 2010, according to SC-TOP's history page.

Two later changes matter to you. An adaptive version of the listening and reading test arrived in 2016. Then TOCFL 2.0 brought a revised word list, the one we use below.

The test doesn't follow any textbook. SC-TOP says its listening items come from daily life: conversations, adverts, announcements, lectures and weather forecasts. So the best preparation is a wide range of real Mandarin.

Eight levels in four bands, matched to CEFR

The TOCFL has four bands, each split into two levels. Band Novice holds Novice 1 and 2. Bands A, B and C hold Levels 1 to 6.

SC-TOP built Levels 1 to 6 on the Common European Framework, CEFR, and its speaking test page states the match level by level. The Novice levels sit below A1.

That makes the band names easy to decode:

• Band A, Levels 1 and 2. CEFR A1 and A2. You handle personal details, routines and simple descriptions.
• Band B, Levels 3 and 4. CEFR B1 and B2. You describe experiences, explain plans and argue a point with reasons.
• Band C, Levels 5 and 6. CEFR C1 and C2. You discuss abstract topics in formal Chinese.

SC-TOP also publishes a word list for each level. We counted the current one, and set it against the new HSK syllabus from China's Chinese Testing International, CTI, which you can read about in HSK 3.0 explained. Neither body publishes an official equivalence between the two exams, so the right-hand column is our match by word count:

Sources: CEFR from SC-TOP's level descriptors; TOCFL words are our count of SC-TOP's word list, file dated 23 September 2024; HSK words are cumulative totals from CLEC's 2025 syllabus.

The pattern we found is clear: a TOCFL level asks for more words than the HSK level with the same number. If someone tells you TOCFL Level 3 equals HSK 3, they're comparing labels. The word lists say otherwise.

What does TOCFL B2 mean?

"TOCFL B2" almost always means CEFR B2, which on the TOCFL is Level 4, the top of Band B. People also say "Band B" for the whole band, so check which one a programme means.

Level 4 is a big step, because SC-TOP's word list doubles from Level 3.

Its guidelines suggest 960 to 1,920 class hours for Level 4 if you study outside a Chinese-speaking area. Inside one, they halve the estimate.

Here's what Level 4 asks of your speaking, in SC-TOP's words: give "clear, detailed descriptions" and "systematically give detailed reasons" for your views. That's a speaker who can hold an argument as well as tell a story.

If your scholarship or job asks for B2, we suggest you plan for Level 4. If it asks for Band B, Level 3 may be enough, so ask before you book.

The main test is listening and reading, on a computer

The TOCFL's core test checks listening and reading together. In Taiwan it's now always the computerized adaptive test, CAT, and every 2026 sitting on SC-TOP's Taiwan schedule uses it.

Adaptive means the questions get harder or easier as you answer. You don't choose a band, and the test places you anywhere from Novice 1 to Level 6. That's why SC-TOP's FAQ suggests the CAT if you can't decide which band to take.

We read the CAT format page, and the test is short:

• Listening. About 35 questions in about 50 minutes. You get 10 seconds to answer each one before the test moves on.
• Reading. About 35 questions in 60 minutes. Answer fewer than 25 and your reading score is scaled down.
• Question types. Picture descriptions, short and long dialogues, monologues, gap filling and passages with questions.

SC-TOP still describes its older fixed-band tests too. Those have 50 multiple-choice questions per skill and take about an hour each.

Your score is a scale score, not a raw count. On the CAT, Level 3 needs 480 in listening and 490 in reading, per SC-TOP's cut-off table. You get a level for listening and a level for reading.

So budget your reading time, and practise the 10-second listening rhythm. Those are the two habits we would build first.

Speaking and writing are separate tests

Speaking and writing are optional extra tests, booked by band: A, B or C, plus a Novice band for speaking. You take each on a computer, and each one certifies one of two levels in that band.

The speaking test: recorded answers

You speak into a microphone, and certified raters score the recordings later. SC-TOP's speaking format page lists every task:

• Band A. Two warm-up questions, two short answers, two stories about your experience and one description of a video clip. You get 50 seconds to prepare and a minute to speak on the longer tasks.
• Band B. Two warm-ups, then experiences, a picture to describe and three opinion questions. Opinions get a minute to prepare and two minutes to speak.
• Band C. An opinion, a role play, two rebuttals, an article summary and two longer arguments. Answers run up to three minutes.

Warm-up answers aren't scored. Here's how a Band B opinion answer might start: 我覺得住在城市比較方便。Wǒ juéde zhù zài chéngshì bǐjiào fāngbiàn. "I think living in a city is more convenient." Then you need two minutes of reasons and examples.

The pass marks are generous in Bands A and B. In Band A, a third of the points earns Level 1. In Band B, two fifths earns Level 3, per SC-TOP's speaking scores page.

The writing test: you type, so learn an input method

The writing test is typed. SC-TOP's writing page makes typing a requirement, with zhuyin, 注音(zhùyīn), Taiwan's phonetic alphabet, or Microsoft Pinyin as input methods. You can email SC-TOP before the test to ask for a different input method.

Each band has two tasks, each marked out of 5:

• Band A. A picture description and a short message, 80 to 100 characters each, 20 minutes each.
• Band B. A letter and an argument essay, 450 to 550 characters each, an hour each.
• Band C. A 200 to 300 character summary in 50 minutes, then an essay of 800 to 1,000 characters in two hours.

In Bands A and B, you need four points out of ten for the lower level and seven for the higher one. We think that's a fair target if you type in Chinese every week.

Traditional in Taiwan, a choice abroad

In Taiwan, the TOCFL is offered only in Traditional characters. Overseas, you can choose Traditional or Simplified, according to SC-TOP's FAQ. If you're unsure what that difference means, start with Simplified vs Traditional Chinese.

One caveat is easy to miss. The Simplified paper changes the characters and keeps Taiwan's words. A note inside SC-TOP's own word-list file says the Simplified version doesn't change the vocabulary it uses.

Here are six words we pulled from both lists, where Taiwan and the mainland usually choose differently:

Sources: SC-TOP's word list and its cross-strait word sheet, file dated 23 September 2024; CLEC's 2025 HSK syllabus. Levels are where each list first places the word.

These are vocabulary differences, and pronunciation differs a little too. Our guide to Taiwan and mainland Mandarin covers both. If you learned from mainland materials, spend an evening on Taiwan's everyday words before test day.

Fees and format, checked 27 October 2026

SC-TOP sets the fees for tests in Taiwan and for its online Home Edition. Abroad, the local host sets the fee, usually an education office or a partner school.

Here's what each test costs in Taiwan or online, and what it asks of you:

Sources: SC-TOP's 2026 Taiwan schedule, Home Edition rules, overseas page and test-format pages, read 27 October 2026.

We checked the extras too, and they add up:

• Cancelling. Allowed until four days after registration closes, with NT$300 off your refund.
• Late registration. NT$300 on top, card only.
• An extra certificate. NT$350.
• A rescore. NT$250 per band.

Book all three tests together in Taiwan and you get 20% off. Students at SC-TOP's partner schools can also ask their school for a discount code.

Dates and registration

In Taiwan, the listening and reading test runs on ten weekends a year. Speaking and writing run far less often, on only three days in 2026.

Here's the last chance in Taiwan this year:

• Test. The adaptive listening and reading test on 12 and 13 December.
• Registration. From 2 to 17 November.
• Results. Online on 4 January 2027.

SC-TOP hasn't published its 2027 calendar yet. Last year, registration for the January test opened at the start of December, so we'll check again then.

How to register in Taiwan

1. Create an account on SC-TOP's online registration system. Your passport or residence card number becomes your account ID, and it can't be changed later.
2. Pick a test, a date and a centre. You can't book the same level twice in one month.
3. Pay within three days. Convenience-store and card payments are both accepted. Late registration, if seats remain, is card only.
4. Watch your email. SC-TOP sends your room and seat five days and one day before the test.

On the day, bring your original passport or residence card; copies and student cards aren't accepted. Arrive on time: you're refused after 20 minutes for listening and reading, and after 10 for speaking and writing.

Leave your phone in your bag, switched off. One that buzzes costs you a tenth of your score.

Outside Taiwan

Abroad, you register through a local host, not SC-TOP. Its overseas page lists hosts in about 37 countries and territories by our count, mostly Taiwan's education offices and Chinese schools. Each one sets its own dates, fees and payment method.

If there's no test near you, there's the Home Edition. You take the adaptive listening and reading test online, on weekdays, at Taiwan times, with a proctor watching through your webcam. It's only offered where no centre runs a TOCFL within two months, and there are no refunds. You also can't book it again at the same level within a year.

So we see the Home Edition as a fallback. If a centre near you runs a test this season, book that.

Results, certificates and validity

You see your result on screen when the computer test ends. Official listening and reading scores post online about three weeks later. Speaking and writing take a month to six weeks.

Certificates are digital now. SC-TOP's Taiwan schedule says reports and certificates are downloaded from the registration system, with no paper copies. Home Edition results arrive 20 days after the test.

How long is a TOCFL certificate valid? We found two answers on SC-TOP's own site:

• The FAQ says it never expires. It says so in English and Chinese, and adds that schools and employers set their own rules.
• The English overseas page says scores are valid for two years. The Chinese version of that page only says extra copies must be requested within two years.

In practice, we suggest you plan for two years. Taiwan's Huayu Enrichment Scholarship, for one, asks long-stay holders for a Level 3 certificate from that window before they enrol, per SC-TOP's scholarship page. Keep your digital certificate somewhere safe, because SC-TOP stops issuing copies after the same period.

Who asks for which level

Most requirements we found sit at Level 2 or Level 3. That's A2 or B1.

For study, Taiwan's Ministry of Education sets a floor. Most programmes taught in Chinese must ask for at least TOCFL Level 2, according to SC-TOP's study-in-Taiwan page. Individual departments can ask for more.

For scholarships, the bar is often higher. The Ministry of Education's Taiwan Scholarship asks for Level 3 on programmes not fully taught in English. Where the local Taiwan office runs the TOCFL, no other Chinese test is accepted, which matters if you hold an HSK certificate. Elsewhere, you can pass Level 3 by the end of your first semester in Taiwan. The Foreign Ministry's Taiwan Scholarship asks for Level 2 on degrees taught in Chinese.

For jobs, we counted SC-TOP's own job board. Of the listings that name a level, Level 3 was the most common ask, followed by Level 2 and Level 4. The listings aren't dated, so treat this as a snapshot.

So if you're unsure what you'll need, we suggest Level 3. It meets most of the requirements we found.

TOCFL vs HSK: which should you take?

Our short answer: take the TOCFL if your plans run through Taiwan. Take the HSK if they run through mainland China, or if a programme names it. The two tests are run by different bodies, and Taiwan's scholarships ask for the TOCFL.

The format differs too. From 13 December 2026, the new HSK bundles a speaking test with every level from HSK 3, as our HSK exam guide explains. On the TOCFL, speaking stays a separate booking. Our HSK speaking test guide covers the HSK side.

Your words carry over

The good news: the vocabulary overlaps heavily. We converted SC-TOP's 7,517 words to Simplified characters and looked each one up on the HSK lists.

Here's how much of each TOCFL stage the HSK already covers:

Source: our match of SC-TOP's word list, file dated 23 September 2024, against CLEC's 2025 HSK syllabus; method below.

So if you're an HSK learner switching to the TOCFL, you aren't starting over. What changes is where the words sit. The gaps are mostly Taiwan usage, like 網路(wǎnglù) for internet, and advanced Level 5 words that the HSK lists leave out.

TOCFL Level 3 reaches into HSK 5

The levels diverge most in the middle, where most requirements sit. TOCFL's list is built around everyday tasks, so it brings in household words early. Its Level 1 already has kitchen, 廚房(chúfáng), living room, 客廳(kètīng), and dormitory, 宿舍(sùshè). The HSK holds those back to HSK 4 and 5.

Here's where the words up to TOCFL Level 3 sit on the HSK:

Source: our match of the two official lists; method below.

If you hold HSK 4 and need TOCFL Level 3, we count about 900 words to add. About half are HSK 5 words, so HSK 5 materials help.

Going the other way

The overlap runs both ways. Here's how much of each HSK level appears somewhere on the TOCFL list:

Source: our match of the two official lists; method below.

We put the drop at HSK 7 to 9 down mostly to scale. That band lists 5,600 words, and TOCFL's list stops at Level 5.

Our verdict

• Pick the TOCFL for Taiwan's scholarships, universities and employers, or if you read Traditional characters.
• Pick the HSK for mainland universities, which set HSK levels as our HSK 4 guide shows, or if your school teaches to it.
• Take both only if you'll need both. The overlap means one study plan serves both, with extra time on the other test's words and format.

How to prepare

We suggest starting with SC-TOP's own material, because nothing else matches the test as closely. Its mock tests include an online version and a speaking mock test, and its operating video shows the test screens.

Then work through these:

• The word list. Download SC-TOP's list and check which level you can read with confidence. The FAQ suggests exactly this to choose a band.
• Taiwan's level tools. SC-TOP links to the TBCL tools, which grade any text you paste by level and show example sentences.
• Daily listening at speed. The adaptive test gives you 10 seconds per answer, so practise with real audio at normal speed.
• Typing practice. If you'll sit the writing test, type in Chinese every day for a month before it.
• Timed speaking. Record yourself answering a question in one or two minutes, then listen back.

The mistakes learners make in the TOCFL's own essays are worth reading too. We counted them in common Chinese grammar mistakes.

Where SayMei fits, and where it doesn't

SayMei is an app for learning Mandarin by speaking with Mei Lin, an AI teacher. For the TOCFL, it helps most with speaking: describing experiences, giving opinions and keeping going for a minute or two.

Most of what you learn with us carries over, since 83% of TOCFL words are also HSK words. Our word lists and levels follow the HSK syllabus.

Here's where it doesn't fit. SayMei teaches standard mainland Mandarin with Simplified characters by default. It doesn't teach Taiwan's word choices or zhuyin, and it has no TOCFL mock tests.

We don't grade typed essays against SC-TOP's rubric either. For test format, SC-TOP's mock tests are the better tool. For Taiwan usage and accent, a teacher from Taiwan is the better buy.

What to do next

• Confirm the level you need. Ask your programme, scholarship office or employer, and check whether they mean Level 4 or Band B.
• Check your local test dates. Abroad, find your host on SC-TOP's overseas page; in Taiwan, note the registration window.
• Read the word list at your target level. Mark the words you don't know, starting with Taiwan usage.
• Take an SC-TOP mock test. It shows the format and the pace.
• Practise speaking with a timer. Short answers first, then two-minute opinions.

Coming from the HSK? Our HSK exam guide covers the other side, and the HSK 3 and HSK 4 study guides go level by level.