AP® Chinese Listening Practice: 35 Questions in the 2027 Exam Format, with Audio

By the end you can

• Know how the 2027 AP® Chinese listening section works. 25 questions in five sets of five, one for each set type: audio and chart, audio report, conversation, instructional guidance and presentation, in about 25 minutes.
  其实是下午三点。 · Qíshí shì xiàwǔ sān diǎn. · Actually, it's three in the afternoon.
• Listen for the turn word that holds the answer. Recordings often give a plan and then change it. Circle the question word before you play, then note the fact that comes after 不过, 可是 or 其实, not the first one you hear.
  不过要先在网上报名。 · Búguò yào xiān zài wǎngshang bàomíng. · But you have to sign up online first.
• Combine a chart with a spoken update. Set 1 pairs a swimming pool's timetable with its phone message about a change this week, and asks for the best time to go using both.
  星期四晚上不开门。 · Xīngqīsì wǎnshang bù kāimén. · It's closed on Thursday evening.
• Catch the who, what, when and why in a news report. Set 2 is a city news item about driverless minibuses: when they start, when rides are free, how often they run and what older people think of them.
  新的小巴没有司机。 · Xīn de xiǎobā méiyǒu sījī. · The new minibuses have no driver.
• Follow a conversation and a set of instructions. Set 3 follows a student whose grandpa is moving in, and why. Set 4 is a teacher's steps for a video chat with a school in Chengdu, in order with 先, 然后 and 最后, plus the rules.
  先用中文介绍自己。 · Xiān yòng Zhōngwén jièshào zìjǐ. · First, introduce yourself in Chinese.
• Follow a short talk to the speaker's main point. Set 5 is a student's talk on the two kinds of Chinese in her family. 比如 brings the details and 我想说的是 brings the point the last question asks for.
  她跟奶奶学广东话。 · Tā gēn nǎinai xué Guǎngdōnghuà. · She's learning Cantonese from her grandma.
• Switch topics fast across two mixed sets. A host family's voicemail, a chat about a café job, a school's phone-free Fridays and a club leader's rules for a hike: ten more questions in the exam's set format.
  我打算暑假去西安。 · Wǒ dǎsuàn shǔjià qù Xī'ān. · I plan to go to Xi'an in the summer holidays.
• Retell a recording in 40 seconds. Say who, what, the problem and how it ends, then do a 10-minute timed run of Sets 2 and 4 and match signal words like 所以, 比如 and 一定要 to what they warn you about.

What’s inside

• The section: The AP® Listening Section
• Set 1: Set 1: Audio and Chart
• Set 2: Set 2: Audio Report
• Set 3: Set 3: Conversation
• Set 4: Set 4: Instructional Guidance
• Set 5: Set 5: Presentation
• More sets: Mixed Set 1: Message and Chat · Mixed Set 2: Report and Notice
• Review: Say It Back in 40 Seconds
• Plan: Six Weeks to 13 May 2027

How to use this book

One set for each of the five set types, two mixed sets, a review and a plan. Read the questions first, play each recording once, check with the key, then play it again with the transcript. The book's own plan takes six weeks at 15 minutes a day.

1. Before you start: Learn the five set types. Page 3: the five set types, the timing and the turn words 不过, 可是 and 其实. Say its three lines with the free audio.
2. Week 1: Sets 1 and 2. Play each recording once and answer, check with the key, then play it again with the transcript and mark the words you missed.
3. Week 2: Sets 3 and 4. Same routine. List every word you missed and say each one aloud three times.
4. Week 3: Set 5 and Mixed Set 1. Retell one recording a day in 40 seconds: who, what, the problem and how it ends. Time it with the free timer.
5. Week 4: Mixed Set 2 and a redo. Do Mixed Set 2, then redo your two lowest sets without the transcript. If a set went badly, wait two days so you hear it fresh.
6. Weeks 5 and 6: Keep it short, then time it. Ten minutes of Chinese audio a day while your project outline is due, then the review's timed run twice before exam day on 13 May 2027.

Who it’s for

Students preparing for the listening section of the AP® Chinese Language and Culture exam in the 2027 format, and teachers who want short recorded sets with questions for class.

Before you start: Chinese at about HSK 3-4. The questions and options are in English. Every recording is on the free audio, and the transcripts and answers are at the back.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are there, and what format are they in?

35 multiple-choice questions with options A to D. Sets 1 to 5 give one set of five for each AP® Chinese listening set type, and two mixed sets add ten more. The book follows the published structure of the 2027 listening section, and SayMei wrote and recorded every recording and question.

How many times should I play each recording?

The book asks you to play each recording once and answer without pausing, then play it again with the transcript after you check. Check the current course description for how many times each recording plays on exam day.

Is there audio?

Yes, free on the book's page on saymei.app. Every recording and every Chinese line in the book is recorded, so you can practise each set and then say the lines back.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 20-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

Can I print copies for my class?

Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy.

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