Have you taken the new HSK? How did you do? (2011)

[ma3zi1]

So I just took the new HSK today here in Pasadena, California (U.S.A.). I took level five. There were about 10-12 of us total taking that level. Most everyone else taking it was Korean; I am white. There was also a pair of girls taking it who were apparently speaking native-sounding Chinese to each other both before and after the test. Sprinkled in among the rest were some ABCs.

The test went by extremely quickly. There is really no time at all to check your answers or the like. The listening part was very straightforward, and the voices were incredibly crisp and clear. The reading part required a reading speed that is beyond that which most humans are capable. I am assuming that a big part of the reading section is aimed at seeing if you can skim content quickly.

The writing portion was also very straightforward. Here's a sample question:

*) 舅舅 ， 下 ， 不喜歡 ， 象棋 (make a sentence with those four words)

example answer: “舅舅總是不喜歡和我下象棋，我不知道為什麼。”

There's about about 10 like that. After that there's a similar type of question but you have to write a paragraph with up to 80 characters instead of a sentence. The last part is a picture that you have to describe in up to 80 characters. Mine was a picture of a white woman looking at a piece of paper and smiling.

I am very confident that I passed. If you're curious what my background is, it is as follows: I minored in Chinese language in college, graduated in 2006, and I've been in graduate school (for Chemistry) since then. I read the local Chinese newspaper everyday, watch Chinese shows while I work out, and intern part-time (8–10 hrs/wk) at the local Chinese radio station in L.A..

[rewsay]

Since I just started learning chinese, i decided to to take the HSK level 1. i found it easy but i did miss a few due to me over thinking. It was a special HSK exam for the Confucius Institute Scholarship for this year. I got a 170.

[Sky Harbor]

If I'll be here in September, I can take the HSK, but I don't know which level I'll take. It's a toss-up between 1 and 2, but I might do it sequentially: I'll take the HSK 1 in Manila, while I'll take the HSK 2 in Poznań, Kraków or Wrocław (since there's no Confucius Institute in Warsaw).

[ma3zi1]

Got my scores today:

HSK五级(2011-05-21) 汉语水平考试

听力 = 83

阅读 = 67

写作 = 47

总分 = 197

合格情况 = 合格 B)

[rezaf]

Is it possible to write 繁体字 in the writing part?

[ma3zi1]

I wrote in 繁體字, so maybe that's why they scored me so low!

[dnevets]

In your first post you said...

The writing portion was also very straightforward. Here's a sample question:

*) 舅舅 ， 下 ， 不喜歡 ， 象棋 (make a sentence with those four words)

example answer: “舅舅總是不喜歡和我下象棋，我不知道為什麼。”

I think the reason why writing was your lowest score was because you answered the question incorrectly. I think you're not supposed to add extra words, you're just meant to rearrange the words you're given. So in this example the correct answer should've been: 舅舅不喜歡下象棋

[ma3zi1]

Really? That may be true as well, because I answered all of the questions that way. I have to admit, I didn't really read the instructions that carefully...

Don't get me wrong though, I am happy with my score

Anyway, for everyone's reference, here is what it says in 汉语水平考试 考生手册 （2011年考试适用)

HSK（五级）题型介绍：

3.书写

第一部分，共8题。每题提供几个词语，要求考生用这几个词语写一个句子。

Also, as an afterthought: shouldn't they be scoring students on their ability to write in Chinese, not on their ability to follow directions?

事後回想：應該按寫作能力評分，而不按遵循指示的能幹評分，對不對？

[Loriquero]

I took level 5 on december; scored 195. As expected, the 写作 part was my worst score (55), I can´t write almost nothing; I was just copying characters from other pages of the test book. I would like to take level 6 next year before leaving China; but I will have to make a huge effort improving my very very horrible writing ability. Anyone there who took level 6 can come and share his/her thoughts about it?

[ma3zi1]

I was just copying characters from other pages of the test book.

I thought that was against the rules! :o

Personally, I don't really have a problem writing the characters; I can actually remember how to write them better than most of my colleagues at work. I think my writing problems are mostly grammatical. Likely it's due to my weird overseas combination of Taiwanese, Hong Kong-ese, and Mainlander influenced 普通话.

[jbradfor]

weird overseas combination of Taiwanese, Hong Kong-ese, and Mainlander influenced 普通话.

L.A.话?

[Meng Lelan]

I was just copying characters from other pages of the test book.

That's the problem with the HSK, the whole thing is in Chinese so of course you can pirate 漢字/汉字 from anywhere in the exam materials. The WPT (Written Proficiency Test) that I took to get my teaching certificate, they gave five writing prompts in English and you had to write in Chinese, all five essays in Chinese, that way you couldn't copy of any characters from them.

[Loriquero]

Oh come on! you guys are making me feel like a criminal I don't want to become a chinese teacher whatsoever; I just want to 吹牛 around.

[ma3zi1]

Haha, LA話, exactly!

[ma3zi1]

From user @dnevets:

Well, just found out I passed my new HSK level 5 exam. Scored 214 (81 listening, 67 reading, 66 writing. Thought I'd score higher in the writing section...

As for this speaking exam - results not ready yet, I'll keep checking (although still certain that I've failed miserably).

...

I cannot explain how, but I seem to have passed the new HSK 高级 oral test. Scored 67.

Good job!!

Anyhow else manage to do this well?

[macallus88]

Got mine today.

HSK Level 3 (21 May 2011)

Listening 91

Reading 88

Writing 74

253/300 (Over the moon as I thought I'd get between 170-200)

[ma3zi1]

Whoa! Great job @macallus88 !

[BertR]

Good job!!

Anyhow else manage to do this well?

I took the New HSK 5 in March. 听力： 90, 阅读: 78, 写作: 72, Total Score: 240.

I wasn't able to finish the reading part in time, so I really rushed the writing section and afterwards continued the reading section. If I hadn't done this my points for the reading section would certainly be lower and I expect that the points for the writing section would be higher.

[ma3zi1]

@BertR, Great job on your score! ^_^

I really rushed the writing section and afterwards continued the reading section

We were instructed that it was not allowed to go back to previous sections.

Also, I noticed that your writing score was quite high, could you share with everyone how you approached it? And, if you can remember, provide some examples of your answers for us?

[Vuong Moc]

HSK level 5 in May 22, 2011. My result is: Listening 89; Reading 68 and Writing 79. Total: 236

I found if really useful to watch Chinese film (modern one), it will help increase your listening considerably.

For reading, it is just too hard for me. There are so many new words so it is hard even for skimming. I had 20 unfinished sentences while there were only 10 minutes left. Then I try to skim and find sentences which have common phrases or words of the questions...This turned to be very effective.

For writing, I had to write 2 parts, one with some words like: diet, exercise, body, successful, fail...then I write something about why a lot of women go to the gym but only some succeeded. I think the most important is that you can use all the words given. The second essay is quite silly. I was shown a picture in which a man in vest was looking at his watch. So I wrote that he was a 40-year-old manager who had an important meeting with partners today, there was only 5 minutes left but on one appeared, if he lost this business, his future would be very terrible...Kind of that.

I think the tip is that you try to include in your essay every details in the picture, for example, the watch, the vest, the man, the clock, the meeting room behind, his expression...And don't try to use complex word if you are not sure.

New HSK is really expensive...so I skip level 1 to 4, just keep study in 1 year and try level 5 to save money

Good luck to all