Help Regarding HSK 4

[fatima_javed]

Hi fellow HSK test takers. 

Can you please help me because my university suddenly has made it compulsory for us to clear the HSK 4 in 4 months   and i think my chinese now would barely let me pass HSK 3  . So my question from you is WHERE SHOULD I START, WHICH BOOKS WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO SOMEONE LIKE ME AND WHAT IS THE BEST TECHNIQUE FOR LEARNING ALL THIS IN 4 MONTHS ? please help me with your much valued advice and keep in mind that i am willing to do whatever it takes

Thanks & Regards

Fatima

[ChTTay]

This thread may be helpful

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/44411-recommended-books-for-hsk4-6/#comment-331942

Otherwise, I would start with the New Horizon book I recommend in that thread. There texts in it are made up almost entirely of HSK4 vocab. It has many exercises after each text. A good way to introduce and reinforce new HSK words.

You can also look at the vocab list, slowly start adding the words to Pleco. You could also just download a pre-made flashcard decl. Ut I prefer making my own. As you add words to your HsK4 list, you should "mine" for sentences so you see the new word in context (I like yellow bridge dictionary online or nciku).

Finally, a couple of weeks before the test or when you know about 70-80% of the Vocab, I'd start doing practice tests. You could start out going through them slowly but you need to time yourself eventually so see if you are doing them quick enough.

[fatima_javed]

Thanks a million for your help I shall most certainly keep all these tips and tricks in mind. 

[fatima_javed]

Hello again okay i apologize to keep bugging you but i went to my library and checked out the new horizon book you recommended but i could only find like the red one (part-1) so my question is that will that specific book be enough for HSK 4 or do i really have to specifically get the green one (part-2) ??? 

Thanks in Advance

[ChTTay]

Volume 1 is HSK 4 mostly while Volume 2 is HSK 5. If you just look at the vocab list for each chapter, word word also has a number next to it. This tells you which HsK level it is. No number next to the word means its not on HSK.

The textbook is useful as you still use and practice HSK vocab but in context. Not just looking at and memorising lists of words. However, i'd still recommend getting the word list and making sure you do know all the vocab on it. That's where flashcards would come in useful.

[Touchstone57]

4 months should be enough to pass HSK 4, though you will need to put a lot of a work in and grind away. 

 

There are a lot of things you can do to improve your Chinese, but you need to specifically aim towards passing the HSK 4 if that is your goal. I would start out by testing your self on the vocabulary (1200) for HSK 4 and seeing how much you know. You can download one of the Anki or Pleco decks and use them.

 

I would use the New Horizon books as others in this thread have suggested. The red one (book one) will be sufficient for you to pass HSK 4. Though according to the book, 100% of the vocabulary is used in HSK 4 and 80% is vocabulary used in HSK 5. I actually found the level of the book a bit beyond HSK 4 as it will explain all grammar patterns and language points in Chinese whilst introducing lots of new words and background vocabulary in each lesson, so the learning curve is a bit steep but it should really set you up to pass the HSK 4.

 

The last thing to do once you've nailed the vocabulary and sentences is to do the practice tests for HSK 4 which can be downloaded from the website. Good luck! 

[AdamD]

fatima_javed, without knowing exactly what your various skill levels are, I also suggest focusing on vocabulary. If you know the words but your grammar's hazy, you can at least make educated guesses in the test. For example, if you know that 来不及 means there's not enough time to do something, you can probably work out what else is going on in the sentence.

 

I'm with ChTTay and Touchstone57 in using flashcards. Do it. There is no better way to learn a lot of words in a short time. And if you get stuck on a particular word, skip it. Remember you only need 60% to pass.

 

I need to learn roughly 350 words in a month for my HSK4 attempt, so I've made flashcard packs of 10 words each (I've found 10 to be a good manageable amount for brand new words) and am hitting them quite hard. It's looking like I'll be able to learn them all in time because flashcards are fantastic.

[Su Haifeng]

You can try www.hellochinese.com， they offer online test banks and practices.

[AdamD]

Also, Chinese Hacks just linked to this incredible little thing: http://thetravelingprogrammer.com/files/ChineseCharacterChallenge/

[mokushiroku]

You can get 300 words under your belt within a month easily. Every day, put 10 new words in your Anki folder or flashcard collection. Make sure you use sound-based memory techniques so that you won't forget the words you're learning.

 

You should include:

 

The word.

The Pin-Yin.

The tones.

A picture.

A sample sentence (from a native speaker).

A phrase that helps you remember the word.

[AdamD]

Yep, and at intermediate level you can eliminate those other bits as you progress. Your training wheels should be there for the first day or so, but I don't think they should be there two weeks later—keep them hidden so you can refer to them when you need to.

 

My pack includes the characters, the pinyin, the audio and the definition (I check the correct sentence context before I even start testing). Initially I include the lot, but after a short while I remove one or more elements and test my retention. If I can't recall the pinyin, the characters, the definition or the context, I set that word aside and research it further:

 

- If I don't recall the characters, I come at it from different angles until I find one that sticks in my head.

- If I don't recall the meaning, I look for similar words and try to understand what differentiates them.

- If, after all that, I don't quite understand the correct context, I drop it into conversation and see how people react.

 

jukuu.com is excellent for checking context. There's even a pie chart which indicates the frequency of each definition of the word you're looking up.

[AdamD]

I failed this badly, partly because I was sick on test day, partly because I gave myself four weeks to prepare, and partly because my proficiency is simply not at the right level. I learned all the words, but my listening skills are so horrifyingly bad that I couldn't register those words in the listening part.

 

Fatima, make sure your listening is up to scratch, and work on techniques to get through the reading part in time (e.g. looking for keywords). You should also expect moderately complex grammar, especially in the part where you put three sentences in the correct order.

[cowlegend999]

Would you happen to know where I can buy that new horizon book and get it shipped to canada cheaply? Amazon doesn't seem to offer it and I cant find it elsewhere.

[ChTTay]

How about http://www.chinabooks.ch/