HSKMock vs HSK Official Examination Papers 2018 difficulty

[liqi]

Hey! Sorry if I shoudn't start another topic about it, but I couldn't find any info online and idk if it's really suitable for the other one I made. Anyway...

 

Has anyone here ever used the HSKMock website/app and the official examination papers and then took the actual test? I ask because both are "official", the HSK book is directly from CLEP and the HSKMock website is literally linked straight from the HSK website, but Ifind the difficulty levels between them a little inconsistent. The exercises on the HSK book feels much easier than the exams on the website, I dunno if it's just my perception of difficulty or if it's really different. The book exercises are usually written with way less out-of-syllabus words and in a more direct approach, while the website feels quite a bit more literaly. An example, so people better than me can judge it:

 

Quote

运动洗衣或许在未来会成为一种新的洗衣方式，这要感谢大连的一群大学生，他们发明了一种由自行车提供动力的洗衣机。
发明者说:“骑自行车是一项流行的运动，而洗衣服是你每天或至少每个星期都要做的事情，那何不把二者结合起来呢?”
这种自行车洗衣机像普通的健身器材一样，固定在室内。它的工作原理是:将脏衣服放进自行车底部的一个洗衣仓内，当人骑自行车时，便会产生电量带动洗衣仓转动，直至将衣服洗干净。而多余的电还可供显示屏使用，或者可以储存起来。
尽管自行车洗衣机目前只是一个概念产品，但它对于那些要洗的衣服不多，而且又需要锻炼的人来说特别适用。在科技快速发展的今天，说不定哪天你就能在商店里看到这款产品了。

Official examination papers

 vs

Quote

海南洋浦半岛盐田村的千年古盐田，是中国目前保存比较完好的古盐场。它传承至今的传统制盐工艺，是中华民族民间传统制盐手工业发展的历史见证。

相传，在1200多年前，一群盐工从福建莆田渡海南下，到此居住，继续以煮盐为生。后来，盐工偶然发现，海边石槽内有白盐花，它们是海水被烈日晒干后形成的。盐工惊讶之余，很快就想到就地取材，将海岸边的岩石凿成浅浅的石槽，并将海水舀到石槽里，让烈日把它们曝晒成盐，将“煮海为盐”变为“晒海为盐”。

经过世代的传承和发展，盐田村的盐工不断改进晒盐技艺，创造了“蓄海水——湮盐田——茅草过滤制盐卤水——石槽晒——收盐”这一独特的制盐工序。用这道工序制出来的盐不仅味鲜，而且对多种疾病的治疗有一定的效果。因此，盐田村的盐远近闻名，千百年来远销各地。如今，洋浦半岛已成为现代化的经济开发区，而盐田村人却依然在他们的盐田里传承着这项古老的制盐技艺。

HSKMock website

 

I got all of the questions of both right, but still, the last text seems much harder than the first one.... is the actual test more similar to which one? Both? 

[jefferson6134]

This one has gone a few days without being answered, so let me take a stab at it (p.s. I'm a bit time-poor now so it's a chaotic looking answer).

Ahm, that's a whole lotta text.

Kudos on getting them both right.

I am thinking I will get them both right with 1/16, 6.25%, chance, if you catch my drift.

I've sat the actual HSK test twice (failed twice, but am progressing very close to passing). The questions in the actual exam aren't usually quite so long. UItimately they gotta make people pass. Plus people are getting dumber. Ipso facto... My stuck point is not having enough time to get much of the writing done, let alone done well. So questions of this length make me cringe.

 

I have paid excessive money for Mocks on that site, so I know a bit about what I'm talking about (dun mean to brag [duh lol], just, it's a rare feeling)

 

Good on you for working on what you're working at.

TLDR: If you can nut out the tough stuff in the Mocks, you can do alright on the exam.

[liqi]

On 1/9/2025 at 1:56 PM, jefferson6134 said:

he questions in the actual exam aren't usually quite so long

Which level are you taking? I just realized that I forgot to specify in my post hahaha, but these are for HSK5. Are you saying that the last part of the reading section of HSK5 doesn't have texts like these? They're shorter?. I don't find them too big tbh, I'm a quick reader so I don't mind, but they're quite dense which makes rereading some passages almost always mandatory. Oh well, the test is in 3 days already, 没办法

 

As a quick update I still definitely think that the exams on the 2018 book are easier than on the HSKMock website. My last attempt on the website I did 78 on reading, while on the book I got 88. I don't know if that's really trustworthy data though cuz I could just be getting better :p who knows

[liqi]

Ok, self-update after doing the test if anyone ever comes up with the same question: I found the exams on HSKMock a little harder than the actual exam, but it's pretty close to the book. Now, idk if I'm just biased after studying so much, but I think the texts on HSKMock were a little more complex, the actual test followed the HSK text structure pretty to the letter (there wasn't many questions about ancient china either). Won't say if I found it easy or not because I don't want to jinx it 😛 but I'll say that the practice was worth it