How long does it take to pass to HSK 2

[LOLLAND]

Hi All!

My friend comes to Chinese for an intensive course, and he would like to study Chinese at the same time within the 4 months. He doesn't have any knowledge of Chinese but is planning to pass HSK 2 after 4 month study. I guess it's going to be tough for him. But not sure whether it is realistic or not. Can you guys give me some ideas or suggestions?

Thanks!

[edelweis]

HSK2 requires 300 words of vocabulary, reading/writing characters is not mandatory, and there is not speaking (unless you take a separate speaking exam).

It should be easy to reach that level (and more?) in 4 months of intensive study in China. But I realise I misread, your friend is in an intensive course about something else, and wants to study Chinese on the side...

HSK2 is still pretty a low level of Chinese. It should be doable anyway. He probably needs to find a private teacher to keep the lessons focussed on the HSK2 syllabus, because it would be easy to study 400 words from a random beginner's textbook and have only 100 of these useful for HSK2.

[Johnny20270]

I always think you should ask yourself why you are doing HSK. If its required for job, university or perhaps as an staged self targets on your study plan, then its a good way to go. However if you are doing it for recreational use / hobby / survival in China, then perhaps HSK may not be the primary way to study

I often think of taking HSK, but don't, even though I'm working through their word list (amongst others). If I do take it I don't think I'd be advertising it too much I passed it as I'd feel rightly stupid saying I passed HSK 4 (for example) and yet wouldn't know a lot of the vocabulary or informal methods of speaking like one might find on ChnesePod, even at elementary level!

Each to their own of course. The impetus for me learning Chinese is purely survival and personal interest.

[mokushiroku]

4 months?! Possible for an intensive program, but hard for the average person.

 

Anyway, below are some general tips from our HSK Level 2 Guide:

 

General Tips       Listening Tips

                Even at the beginner level, listening to natural spoken Chinese will be useful. Letting your ears become accustomed to the tones and the stop-and-go speaking style of Chinese will help you get a feel for how the language is spoken. While most of the HSK Level 2 listening questions are single words and not sentences, the ability to separate words in spoken sentences will go a long way in your Chinese learning process.

 

        Today, the Internet offers numerous free resources for listening to basic spoken Chinese. Youtube is especially useful, as you can find many real Chinese language programs, perhaps the most useful of which are programs targeted to children, such as cartoons. Don’t be embarrassed to use children’s programs to train your ear; after all, you have to surpass them eventually, so you may as well train like they do.

 

        The following are some extra tips to help you improve your listening for the HSK Level 2 test:

 

• Memorize all 300 vocabulary words that are likely to be on the test.
• For spoken sentences, try to anticipate what will be said next.
• Pay special attention to what is being said rather the voice or accent of the speaker. China is a big place with many accents, and your experience with Chinese may have unintentionally prepared you to trip up when you hear different accents. The most important thing is to focus on the words, not the person speaking.
• Take care to notice the tone being spoken. A difference in tone can change the entire meaning of a word. Practice your tones if you still have problems with this aspect.

 

Reading Tips

       

        Reading novels or textbooks is likely beyond your current level, but reading children’s books and comics is likely doable. If you have free time and want to pick up a book, do not ignore these sources; reading Chinese is not out of the question for Level 2 test takers. The Internet is also an excellent source of reading materials, provided you know what you are searching for.

 

        General reading tips follow.

 

• Again, memorize all 300 vocabulary words. Using flashcards is often useful for matching Chinese to English (try doing this without adding Pinyin).
• Practice reading words in sentences quickly so you do not spend too much time on a certain problem.
• If you do not know a word in a sentence, at least identify its form (e.g., noun, verb, adjective). Because Chinese sentences are roughly in the same form as English sentences, this is usually not difficult, especially for basic sentences.

You can get a more thorough walkthrough in the HSK Level 2 Guide.