Questions about New HSK and Traditional Character Version

[sakljd]

Hi,

I purchased an new HSK 5 mock-up exam (before I found out that you can download them for free) and haven't taken it just yet because it's the only one I have.

But after reading through some threads/websites I'm not sure that I'm ready to take the HSK 5 on account of how hard everyone says the HSK is. Now I know that the new HSK is supposedly easier, but just today, I tried to read through the 前言 (in the beginning of the mock up tests) that introduces the new HSK and it took me a ridiculous amount of time to read through. There were tons of words I just didn't know like 測試 and 覆蓋. It took me a really long time to get through and the only way I succeeded was through the help of Pleco.

One major complicating factor is, however, the fact that I am focused on traditional characters and the mock up test is entirely in simplified. So words I would know off the bat caught me off guard because it was in simplified. The Confucius Institute I'll be registering at says that they can offer me a traditional version of the HSK, but I'm wondering if they could potentially affect my grade.

My questions are:

1. Just to confirm with everyone here, a traditional characters version of HSK exists, correct?

2. And I may be paranoid, but given the short essay section, would my choice of studying in traditional (hope to go to Taiwan) have any potential negative effect?

3. If you've read through the 前言 was it hard for you? Moderately hard or a breeze? And what HSK level (old or new) did you take?

I was planning to take the HSK 5 this October.

[aristotle1990]

If you're planning on going to Taiwan, why don't you just take the TOP instead?

[sakljd]

I'm hoping to go to Taiwan next spring and the TOP test dates have all passed. It's also not as widespread as HSK (the closest TOP test center is a 4 hour drive away) which was another reason why I didn't give it much consideration.

[Daan]

I took the new HSK last month after having spent a year in Taiwan studying Mandarin, so I'd asked for a traditional-character version. I didn't get one, though. Not sure why, so make sure the Confucius Insitute confirms they've ordered the traditional test paper for you. By the way, I did the writing section in traditional characters, as I can't write simplified characters, and that does not seem to have affected my grade.