TOCFL exam guide: levels, format, fees and TOCFL vs HSK (video)
Taiwan's TOCFL explained: eight levels and their CEFR match, the adaptive computer test, 2026 fees and dates, and how its word list overlaps the HSK's.
Chapters
- 0:00Start
- 0:20The short answer
- 0:42Eight levels and CEFR
- 1:52The adaptive test
- 2:36Speaking and writing
- 3:22Traditional or Simplified
- 4:04Fees, dates and results
- 5:19Who asks for which level
- 5:42TOCFL vs HSK
- 6:31What to do next
Transcript
Start
In Taiwan, the TOCFL no longer asks you to pick a level. You sit one adaptive test on a computer, and it tells you your level before you leave the room. From SayMei Guides, by Mei Lin: the TOCFL exam guide. Levels, format, fees, and TOCFL versus HSK.
The short answer
The short answer: take the TOCFL if you'll study, work or hold a scholarship in Taiwan. It's Taiwan's official test of Chinese as a foreign language. It has eight levels, and the top six match the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2. The main test is listening and reading, on a computer. Speaking and writing are separate tests.
Eight levels and CEFR
In Chinese, it's called 華語文能力測驗. 華語 is Taiwan's name for Mandarin taught as a foreign language. Who runs it? SC-TOP, a committee set up by Taiwan's Ministry of Education. The first test was held in 2003, and it took the name TOCFL in 2010. The TOCFL has four bands of two levels each. Novice 1 and 2 sit below A1. Band A is Levels 1 and 2: A1 and A2. Band B is Levels 3 and 4, B1 and B2. And Band C is Levels 5 and 6, C1 and C2. So what does TOCFL B2 mean? Almost always CEFR B2, which is Level 4, the top of Band B. And it's a big step: 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. If a programme asks for Band B, ask before you book: Level 3 may be enough.
The adaptive test
The core test checks listening and reading together. In Taiwan, every 2026 sitting is the computerized adaptive test. Adaptive means the questions get harder or easier as you answer. You don't choose a band. The test places you anywhere from Novice 1 to Level 6. Listening: about 35 questions in about 50 minutes, with 10 seconds to answer each one. Reading: about 35 questions in 60 minutes. Answer fewer than 25, and your reading score is scaled down. To reach Level 3, you need 480 in listening and 490 in reading. So budget your reading time, and practise that 10-second rhythm.
Speaking and writing
Speaking and writing are optional extra tests, booked by band. For speaking, you answer into a microphone. In Band B, opinion questions give you a minute to prepare and two minutes to speak. An answer might start like this. 我覺得住在城市比較方便. I think living in a city is more convenient. Then you need two minutes of reasons and examples. The writing test is typed, so learn an input method: 注音, Taiwan's phonetic alphabet, or Microsoft Pinyin. Band B asks for a letter and an essay, 450 to 550 characters each. In Bands A and B, four points out of ten earns the lower level, and seven earns the higher one.
Traditional or Simplified
In Taiwan, the TOCFL is offered only in Traditional characters. Abroad, you can choose Traditional or Simplified. But here's the catch: the Simplified paper changes the characters and keeps Taiwan's words. A taxi is still 计程车, not 出租车. Taiwan and the mainland often choose different words, and we found them on both lists. Internet: 網路 on the TOCFL list, 网络 on the HSK. Primary school: 國小, or 小学. Potato: 馬鈴薯, or 土豆. So spend an evening on Taiwan's everyday words before test day.
Fees, dates and results
Now the fees, checked on October 27, 2026. In Taiwan, the listening and reading test costs 2,000 New Taiwan dollars. Speaking and writing cost 1,400 each, per band. The online Home Edition costs 3,000. Book all three tests together in Taiwan, and you get 20% off. Speaking and writing run far less often than listening and reading: on only three days in 2026. The last chance in Taiwan this year? The adaptive test on December 12 and 13. Registration runs from November 2 to 17, and results go online on January 4, 2027. On the day, bring your original passport or residence card. And leave your phone in your bag, switched off. One that buzzes costs you a tenth of your score. Abroad, you book through a local host instead, in about 37 countries and territories by our count. Results show on screen when the test ends, and certificates are digital now. How long is a certificate valid? SC-TOP gives two answers. Its FAQ says it never expires. Its English overseas page says two years. Plan for two years.
Who asks for which level
Most requirements we found sit at Level 2 or Level 3. Most programmes taught in Chinese must ask for at least Level 2. The Ministry of Education's Taiwan Scholarship asks for Level 3, on programmes not fully taught in English. On SC-TOP's own job board, Level 3 was the most common ask. Unsure what you'll need? Aim for Level 3.
TOCFL vs HSK
So, TOCFL or HSK? If your plans run through Taiwan, take the TOCFL. If they run through mainland China, or a programme names it, take the HSK. The good news: your words carry over. We matched SC-TOP's 7,517 words against the HSK lists, and 83% are there. But the levels don't line up one to one. TOCFL Level 3 covers about 2,400 words. HSK 3 asks for 1,000. Three in ten TOCFL Level 3 words are HSK 5 or higher. By word count, TOCFL Level 3 sits between HSK 4 and HSK 5. Hold HSK 4 and need Level 3? We count about 900 words to add.
What to do next
So, what to do next? Confirm the level you need: Level 4, or Band B? Read the word list at your target level, starting with Taiwan usage. Take an SC-TOP mock test for the format and the pace. And practise speaking with a timer: short answers first, then two-minute opinions. SayMei teaches mainland Mandarin and has no TOCFL mock tests, but it helps with speaking, and most of the words are shared. 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.