So, its Monday morning and yesterday marked the end of the first week on the HSK 5 exam prep. I'm at 91 / 1300 words so far. Stats for this week:

• 7% complete on exam prep
• 91 new words learned this week

Let me first update on what I need to achieve to consider a word "learned":

1. I can recall the meaning and pinyin without too much guessing when practicing character memorisation on Pleco
2. I have finished the chapters exercises, in both the HSK textbook and the workbook (finished means 50% or more scored on the practice questions with a review on the incorrect answers)

I am taking this approach to avoid a previous mistake I've made in exam prep, which is to focus too much on character memorisation. This is great for character memorisation, which is what you're practicing. It is a core fundamental of speaking Chinese and the exam prep, however it's usefulness is limited when it comes to meeting those words in context. 

I didn't get too much time to study this week, limited to just 2-3 hours at most. That being said, it's still decent progress. I have been through this textbook before in the past and familiar with some of the characters at the start of the textbook, so I expect the progress to slow as the weeks go past. It should also be noted that I use Chinese everyday with my friends so some of the vocabulary comes easier to me, as it might be words I already use on a day to day basis. 

Anyone else prepping for an exam, I would encourage these two points mentioned here. Learn the words in context (read widely, listen a lot) and to practice with native speakers outside of exam / study type practice.

See you all next week.