Question 1

What is the YCT test?

Accepted Answer

The YCT, or Youth Chinese Test (中小学生汉语考试, zhōng xiǎo xué shēng Hàn yǔ kǎo shì), is the international Chinese test for school-age learners. It has four written levels, YCT 1 to 4, each with an official word list of 80 to 600 words.

Question 2

How many words are in each YCT level?

Accepted Answer

YCT 1 has 80 words, YCT 2 has 150, YCT 3 has 300 and YCT 4 has 600. Each list includes the level below, so the new words per level are 80, 70, 150 and 300. This page lists them all with pinyin and English.

Question 3

Does the YCT test writing characters?

Accepted Answer

Only YCT 4. Levels 1 to 3 test listening and reading, with pinyin printed on every question. YCT 4 adds a writing section where students build a sentence from given words and write a missing character, so writing practice pays off most there.

Question 4

Which YCT level should my child take first?

Accepted Answer

Go by how long your child has studied, at two or three lessons a week: about three months for YCT 1, one semester for YCT 2, one school year for YCT 3 and more than a year for YCT 4. If the YCT 1 list feels easy, try YCT 2.

Question 5

What is the difference between YCT and HSK?

Accepted Answer

The YCT is for school-age children, with four levels and short, child-friendly word lists; the HSK is for adults and older learners, with nine levels on the 2025 syllabus. Learners who finish YCT 4 usually move on to HSK.

Question 6

Is this worksheet free to print?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The YCT vocabulary worksheet is free to print or save as a PDF, with no account or email needed, and you can print as many copies as you like for a class. Choose A4 or US Letter before you press Print or Save PDF.