HSKK Intermediate VS Advanced

[艾墨本]

I'll be taking the HSK 5 and HSKK in another month as a prerequisite for applying for the CIS. They only require passing HSKK beginner. However, after trying the intermediate and advanced, the intermediate seems extremely easy while the advanced seems barely do-able. I think I could pass the advanced but I'd be at risk of failing while I could see getting an extremely high score on the intermediate. But then again, I don't know how are they grade the test.

 

The Part with the advanced I am most concerned about is the repeating back an entire paragraph. As I understand it, I don't actually repeat it verbatim, but instead give a summary. Can I write down key words as I hear them? How accurate does the summary need to be? Are there "secret" bullet points I would need to include in my summary? I can't seem to find more than a single practice test to practice with, though. 

 

For those that have taken it, what are your feelings for how hard the test is scored? Does it weigh more on grammar, tones, fluency, accuracy, etc.? Any advice for getting a good score?

 

Any thoughts on whether to just go the safe route and get a pass on the intermediate so I can get the scholarship or risk the advanced and maybe learn something along the way?

 

Thanks.

[Flickserve]

Just play safe unless the scholarship is insignificant

[ZhangKaiRong]

The HSKK advanced was a joke back in 2013/2014. Grammar and the HSK5/6 vocab are the most important parts of the exam, tones and pronunciation are secondary (I have some fellow 同学 who pronounced 鸡 and 七， 拔 and 爬 exactly the same way, and they passed the exam without a sweat).

 

If you're confident with your vocab, then go for the advanced level, if not, then go for the intermediate. This exam has no real value apart from CIS scholarship reasons, so don't worry too much about it.

[thechamp]

I agree that because these exams don't really mean anything outside of university applications, you may as well do whatever you need for your study goals. 

 

As professional exams they don't really seem to mean very much. I've heard HSK5 is sometimes used for jobs, but any job I ever interviewed for that required Chinese just did part or all of the interview in Chinese, or had a written translation exercise. 

 

If you have time to re-sit before the application deadline, why not just go for the advanced to push yourself, and if you fail then you can take the intermediate as a back-up, and then re-do the advanced at a later date (but I guess you probably won't unless you apply for another course!).

[艾墨本]

Thanks for the responses. 

 

I like @thechamp's suggestions to just re-sit the HSKK in the future. I'll just do intermediate and then not need to worry about getting a good score. Afterall, I only need it so that I can get my CIS scholarship.

 

The HSK 5 reading section is giving me trouble (due to the time limitations) and have to practice a lot to get the whole technique down on it. I'd rather focus on that this time around.

 

I'll be taking it in Lanzhou on Dec 4, then.

[miss-kapa]

I failed HSKK Advanced. It was the worst torture in my life. I gained 52/100, only +8 points needed to pass  Now dont even know, does this certificate that arrived count as a document I can use for applying? It looks just like a normal one

[miss-kapa]

Which one did you take in the end? What were the results?