Anyone Taken the HSK Advanced

[Laska]

The results for the HSK advanced are up.

I achieved my goal of passing it, but if my listening had been a little better, I would have gotten a 10. I don't think I did my best on the listening, so it's kind of too bad. I started filling in the bubbles wrong, had to erase and redo, which kind of got me flustered. But c'est la vie. Happy to have passed!

Six months ago in parentheses

Listening (66) 60

Reading (53) 56

Zonghe (58 ) 75

Writing (52) 71

Speaking (75) 88

Total (304) 350

Overall, I'm really glad I finally passed the thing.

How did other people do?

[roddy]

Right, lets have a look (and also at this point, let me express my embarrassment at the fact that this is only the first time I've taken the exam, a shocking two years after starting this topic)

Hmmm, not quite the results I'd expected, but the overall effect is the same:

Listening: 79 - sounds about right, I've done better in practice tests but only slightly.

Reading: 62 - that's a lot lower than I've got in practice tests, not sure what happened there.

Zonghe: 86 - higher than expected

Oral: 81. This, along with writing, was the area I just had no idea how I would do, although I thought my pronunciation would kill me. Pleasantly surprised with this.

Writing: 65. Sounds about right, and I'm not going to complain considering at the start of the summer I would have been hard pressed to write a sentence.

Overall score 373, which would be a B, but as I have both writing and reading at C's, I get a C. Slightly disappointed at reading, but tempered by higher than expected scores in zonghe and speaking.

Congratulations on your pass Laska, you can mail that grad school application off now.

[Laska]

Those are some great scores! I'm amazed at your listening and zonghe scores. I think zonghe tests your "feeling for the language," you know?

Though I can relate to feeling a little robbed, I think they must have graded me pretty charitably on the writing section. Without that bonus, I wouldn't even have been in the running for a 10. I've graded these types of exams before, and there is considerable variation no matter how well you train scorers.

The reading is a killer. They must grade it on a pretty heavy curve is all I can think. I thought I did MUCH better on the reading this time, but I only improved 3 points! The majority of my practice in Chinese is all reading, so I always thought reading would be the easy part. Of course, the whole examination tests reading. You can't pass any of the sections unless your reading is pretty good.

Thanks, and congratulations!

[Josh2007]

I haven't managed to work out what the new HSK test will be like. Is it becoming easier? Should most foreigners get higher scores in the new one? i am thinking of taking it in June.

[Laska]

Josh2007 I really don't know the answer to your question because I haven't been following the developments.

Here's another question though --- Is an HSK 8 adequate for PhD/graduate study in China?? I know a guy with an HSK7 who is getting a Masters. I heard of a guy go for PhD in film studies in Beijing with an HSK8. But just now I was looking online, and a lot of info in English says HSK9 is needed for graduate study. I wonder where they got that. I have never heard that here.

[Laska]

Update -- Beiwai say they need an HSK9 for graduate study, but that's not your average university -- they are high-end and language-focused.

[Laska]

Okay, I searched and read through everything I could find on this forum. It seems HSK9 for literature grad studies at top universities, HSK 8 probably good enough for anything else if you can pass the entrance exams. And from what I've heard, if you show enough initiative and desire and are willing to pay, it's not such a big deal to pass those... Am I wrong about any of this?

I'm not actually considering grad school in China. Just curious. Please let me know if I should start a new topic.

[gringles007]

Got my results, its the first time Ive taken the exam. I prepared for the 改进坂， only to find out that they only had the old one down here in Xiamen, so I was totally unprepared for having to write in the reading section (what was that all about?), i ended up leaving a couple blank and i suppose that's the main reason why I didn't get an A overall (my reading is easily as good as my spoken), i was also flustered in the listening cos it was the first section and I 还没有进入状态 anyways, got a B

Listening 76

reading (58) what i expected!

zonghe 88

zuowen 84 (should of got higher but to many cuobiezi i suppose)

koushi 88

maybe i'll take that gaijinban next time

[lilongyue]

Here's another question though --- Is an HSK 8 adequate for PhD/graduate study in China?? I know a guy with an HSK7 who is getting a Masters. I heard of a guy go for PhD in film studies in Beijing with an HSK8. But just now I was looking online, and a lot of info in English says HSK9 is needed for graduate study. I wonder where they got that. I have never heard that here.

A woman I know that is in the Master's program at one of China's top art universities told me that a HSK level 9 is also required to receive a Master's degree from that school. But she said most, or perhaps all, of the foreign students don't have that high of an HSK score. The school still gives them the degree, though. I think that "requirement" is more of a "face" issue ("Look, all our students have such a high HSK score!"). I wouldn't let that stop you or scare you off from applying.

That woman has quite an interesting story. The art school is here in Hangzhou, and she somehow fell between the cracks. She has been in the Master's program for over a year and has never attended a single class. The teacher who is supposed to be responsible for watching over her progress and assigning her classes, etc., has never done anything. Anytime shes asked him what she should be doing he just says "I'm very busy now, come back later. I'll call you when I'm free." Actually, she stopped asking several months ago, and the phone calls from him also stopped coming several months ago. But every month she gets a knock on her door when it's time to pick up her scholarship money. Something very fishy there . . .

[muyongshi]

So....Has the writing section changed much from the original to the 改进版? If not what books were good for preparing for the writing section (the rest I'm not worried about...just the writing section...)

Also when can we expect prep materials for the 改进版?

[outcast]

The 2008 exam schedule is posted on the HSK website, but it looks like next year they will run the original exam AND the revised exam. Any thoughts on why that is?

[muyongshi]

Well I think that is obviously due to the problems with the hanban. I think the more important question is which one should I take

[outcast]

I guess whichever one the universities will accept (new, old, or both).

[muyongshi]

I mean which one can I

do better on and so get a higher score?

[outcast]

Probably the revised, it's much more practical.

[roddy]

Tragically taking an easier exam does not mean your Chinese is better

Somewhat disappointed to see it looks like they're just going to run the two in parallel. Presumably at some point we'll have reports from people who've taken both and we can see how results on the two versions compare. Presume also at some point universities will start giving entrance requirements in terms of both standard and 改进 version HSK scores.

[muyongshi]

Seesh... sense of humor people!

Okay, so in all seriousness does everyone think the 改进 will be more reflective of actual levels?

[outcast]

Tragically taking an easier exam does not mean your Chinese is better

Never said the revised exam was easier, but I do believe it is more comprehensive and a better measurement of your chinese ability.

[ajax]

Anyone else take the Oct 13th, 改进版? Seems the results are finally out this week. Not sure why it took so long. Anyway, I skipped the speaking and writing section, but if anyone's interested here are my results on the first part (May, 07 score on old exam in parentheses):

Listening 96.84 (78 )

Reading 81.23 (Reading 63, Comprehensive 83)

Total Score 91.62

Result: 优秀

Looks like the new format was much easier. Or maybe there was just a really big curve, since almost no one had taken it before and there were no prep materials. Unless 武侠 novels count, I haven't really been studying these past 6 months, so I doubt my Chinese has improved that much.

On the listening, I remember that the only hard part was the 3rd section where you have to read a paragraph very quickly before listening and then select answers to fill in the blanks. Those HSK folks love speed reading.

I guess the two reading scores are combined here. I thought the 10 minute speed reading section was much easier than the old part where you had to copy characters. The 80 minute combined Zonghe/reading section, though, was way too long. I forgot to bring a watch and had no idea of time until the last 10 minutes. Ended up mostly guessing on the last 20 questions.

[heifeng]

Ok, I confess, ended up caving in and taking the old exam at minhang guanli ganbu in Beijing at the end of October for the nth time before my fellow exam-taking-partner-in-crime and I learned that the old exam would still be offered next year. (side note, happy to report minhang guanli ganbu xueyuan in wangjing has nice and roomy/comfy testing facilities that are made for adult sized people to actually sit in without curling downward quasimodo-like to reach the table and, since we were at normal tables rather than herded into a cubicle style language lab, we didn't have to worry about poking a hole through the scantron that you may encounter/worry about when you are writing on top of a surface that has bumpy things like a cover of a laptop or tape recorder, or hearing everything your neighbor was saying during the spoken section, etc---oh yeah and the school had friendly, capable test proctors. In fact the only drawback was no ear phones for the listening section. Originally they had said bring your own tape recorder which frightened us, but then we didn't have to use that in the long run....) Anyway, I still sadly failed in my attempted for an 11 and have my good ole' 10. However, the exam was only ~nearly~ completely meaningless since at lease my zonghe miraculously improved to a 90 from my previous 60 somethin' (likely luck of the draw with the questions on that exam, rather than any actual preparation on my part since I try to avoid studying grammar like the plague hehe, but I guess its better than nothing). But, sheesh, my listening is completely stuck at my earlier score, even contrary to all my practice exams in that tingli qianghua book and tape set, which in the past at least was quite a reliable predictor of my listening score on the real exam. All in all the listening section actually annoyed me the most. grr. Oh well, I guess it's just like the motto for 99 ranch, 'For 100 We Try Harder'. Wake up call: More Chinese radio listening for me and less rotting my brain with this

, although it does slightly numb the pain

The 2008 exam schedule is posted on the HSK website, but it looks like next year they will run the original exam AND the revised exam. Any thoughts on why that is?

gaijin is still an unapproved renegade exam so blcu also had to cave in and can't just go ahead and replace the old exam.