Which Chinese exam should you take, and is it worth it? (video)
Every Chinese exam side by side, from the HSK and TOCFL to AP, GCSE and IB, with a quiz, and what each is worth for university, scholarships, credit and jobs.
Chapters
- 0:00Start
- 0:19The short answer
- 1:00Every exam, side by side
- 2:23HSK or TOCFL
- 2:50Who gets the top grades
- 3:36Is a certificate worth it?
- 4:15US credit and UK points
- 4:59Work, or your own goal
- 5:33How to prepare
- 5:56What to do next
Transcript
Start
Ask which Chinese exam to take, and most people will say the HSK. For a lot of learners, that's the wrong answer. The right exam depends on who will read your result. From SayMei Guides, by Mei Lin: which Chinese exam should you take, and is it worth it?
The short answer
The short answer: take the HSK for mainland China, and the TOCFL for Taiwan. For school, take your system's exam: AP in the US, GCSE or A level in the UK, I B or IGCSE at international schools. A certificate is worth the fee when a university, scholarship, college or employer asks for one. If nobody asks, a free mock test shows your level. Not sure which is yours? The guide's quiz asks four questions: your age, where you study, what it's for, and how your Chinese is today. Then it names the exam that fits, the level to aim for, and a free practice PDF.
Every exam, side by side
We grouped the exams into four families. First, proficiency tests anyone can book. The HSK is China's official test: nine levels from 13 December 2026, with speaking from HSK 3. Then the TOCFL for Taiwan, the BCT for working adults, the YCT for school students, and the CSCA for bachelor's applicants to Chinese universities. In US high schools, it's AP Chinese: scored 1 to 5, with a new digital exam on 13 May 2027. Seal of Biliteracy tests add a seal to your diploma. And two tests you'll still see mentioned are no help: the SAT Subject Tests ended in 2021, and CLEP has no Chinese exam. In England, GCSE Chinese is for ages 14 to 16, graded nine to one. The A level is for 16 to 18, graded A star to E. The IGCSE is for international schools, where your background decides the syllabus. Scotland and Ireland set their own. I B students take Chinese B, or Mandarin ab initio if they're beginners, graded 1 to 7. Singapore, Australia and New Zealand set their own. Your school decides most of this. What you decide is the level, and that's where your background comes in.
HSK or TOCFL
HSK or TOCFL? Take the TOCFL if your plans run through Taiwan, and the HSK if they run through the mainland. The good news: one study plan serves both. Our TOCFL guide found 83% of TOCFL's words on the HSK lists. Abroad, you can choose Simplified characters, but the paper keeps Taiwan's words. So a taxi is still 计程车.
Who gets the top grades
Here's a number that changes what a grade means. On Cambridge's IGCSE Mandarin in June 2026, 80% of candidates got an A star. On Edexcel's GCSE Chinese, 77.9% got a grade nine. On AQA's GCSE French, it was 9.6%. Why? Many candidates grew up speaking Chinese at home. College Board reports a standard group: students whose Chinese comes mostly from US school classes. In 2025, nine in ten top AP scores went to students outside it. So if you didn't grow up with Chinese, pick an exam built for you, like I B ab initio. If you did, pick the syllabus for your background.
Is a certificate worth it?
So, is a certificate worth it? Yes, when someone with a say over your next step asks for one. For a degree taught in Chinese, China's national floor is HSK 4. But five of the eight universities we checked ask for HSK 5 or more. So plan for HSK 5, and the CSCA if it's a bachelor's. Taiwan's rules are simpler: almost everything is written in TOCFL levels. Level 2 is the floor for study, and Level 3 is the safest target, because it covers every scholarship on the guide's list. Hold an HSK and want Taiwan's scholarship? Plan to sit the TOCFL too.
US credit and UK points
In the US, what an AP score buys varies a lot by college. The University of California gives 8 quarter units for a 3, a 4 or a 5. Washington gives 5, 10 or 15 credits. Stanford gives nothing for a 3, and units only for a 5. And Washington gives native speakers no AP credit. In the UK, only qualifications on UCAS's Tariff earn points. An A star at A level earns 56, and so does a 7 at I B Higher Level. A GCSE earns zero, and so does an HSK certificate, at any level. A GCSE still matters as a step to A level, but it doesn't count toward a points offer.
Work, or your own goal
At work, a certificate counts most in China, where work permits run on points. Chinese earns up to five, and HSK 5 earns all five, so HSK 6 adds nothing. Elsewhere, your Chinese is usually judged by talking to you. And if nobody needs to see it? Then its main value is a deadline, and the fees add up: AP is $99 at US schools. A free mock test measures the same skills. So book the real exam when you'll use the certificate within two years.
How to prepare
Whichever exam you pick, start speaking early. The new HSK tests it from HSK 3, AP's 2027 exam gives it 35%, and GCSE and I B orals are a quarter of the grade. So start with the official samples, take a timed practice test each month, and speak out loud every day: record an answer, and listen back for pauses.
What to do next
So, what to do next? Ask who will read your result. Take the quiz, then read your exam's section. Do a free practice test this week. And book only when you'll use the certificate. SayMei also makes free practice PDFs for nearly every exam here: practice tests in each exam's format, made by SayMei, and free with a SayMei account. 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.