Free Online HSK 1 Practice Tests (100% Real Questions from Past Exams)

FAQs about HSK Level 1 Prep and Practice

If you’re not yet familiar with the HSK Level 1 test pattern or content, then we suggest you browse through this section before taking the practice test to understand how the test is structured and scored, among other things.

Who Should Take the HSK 1 Practice Test(s)?

One of the best ways to prepare for an exam is to take practice tests. We hence created the HSK 1 practice tests to help test-takers to build up the Chinese listening and reading skills needed for the exam day. But anyone who wants to mark their progress on the Mandarin learning journey is welcome to take these free practice tests for self-assessment.

Comprised of all previously administered questions, you can be sure that these HSK 1 practice tests are similar to the real exam. So, get the most out of these free materials to plan the rest of your studying!

What Do I Need to Know to Pass HSK 1?

The HSK 1 test is designed for beginners in Chinese. The test paper involves both Pinyin and Chinese characters for all questions, and there is no writing section, meaning you don’t really need to know any character to pass the test.

You do, however, need to be able to understand simple conversations from daily life constructed with 150 required words, and some basic Chinese grammar to pass HSK Level 1.

You’ll find the below resources useful as you prepare for HSK 1:

• HSK 1 Characters (150 optional characters)
• HSK 1 Vocabulary List (150 words and phrases)
• Basic Chinese Grammar (everything beginners need to know)

What Is the Overall HSK 1 Test Structure?

There are technically two different forms of the HSK: internet-based HSK (HSK iBT) and paper-based HSK (HSK PBT). The HSK 1 iBT is a 37-minute, computer-adaptive test, whereas the HSK 1 PBT is a 40-minute paper-and-pencil test. The test comprises two sections: Listening and Reading. The overall test time of the paper-based HSK 1 is slightly longer to allow you to transfer your answers from the test paper to the answer sheet in the Listening section.  

Though each version of the HSK 1 test is administered in a different format, both tests have the same questions and timing for each section and are graded in the same way. You’ll always have 15 minutes on Listening, and 17 minutes on Reading.

The overall HSK 1 test structure is detailed in the table below. You can see the order of the sections, how long each section is, and how many questions each section contains.

Section	HSK 1 iBT	HSK 1 PBT	Number of Questions
Added Time	/	5 min (fill in personal info)	/
Listening	15 mins	15 min	20
Added Time	5 mins (break)	3 mins (fill out answer sheet)	/
Reading	17 mins	17 mins	20
Total	37 mins	40 mins	40

Note: you’ll have a 5-minute break in the middle of the HSK 1 iBT, between the Listening and Reading sections. This break is mandatory, meaning you must take it. You may take other breaks during the test, but you will not be able to pause the timer for these.

To make sure you spend the right amount of time on each section, time yourself when you take the HSK 1 practice test.

What’s on the HSK 1 Test Exactly?

A standard HSK 1 test will have 40 questions altogether. Let’s take a closer look at the type of questions and content that’ll show in each section to have a better understanding of the HSK 1 test pattern.

1. Listening Section

The first section you’ll have on the HSK 1 test is Listening. In total, you’ll hear 20 short audio clips, each coming with 1 question. The audio clips will be played twice. This section takes 15 minutes to complete.

There are 3 question types on the HSK 1 Listening: true or false, choosing the matching picture, and multiple choice. We explain how they work below.

• True or False
  
  You’ll hear 5 audio clips, each consisting of one phrase. After each audio clip, you need to determine whether the picture presented on the screen or test paper is consistent with what you hear.

• Choose the Matching Picture
  
  You’ll listen to 5 short statements (1 sentence each), and 5 dialogues (2 sentences each). Several pictures will be shown on the screen/test paper, and you need to select the picture that best matches the content of each audio recording.

• Multiple Choice
  
  You’ll listen to 5 short statements (1-2 sentences each). At the end of each statement, a second person will raise a question (the question won’t appear on the screen/test paper), and you need to select the best answer from the three available answer options presented on the screen/test paper.

2. Reading Section

The second section of the HSK 1 test is Reading, which mainly tests your mastery of basic Chinese words. This section lasts 17 minutes and contains 20 questions in total. There are 4 question types: true or false, choose the matching picture, pair up sentences, and fill in the blanks, and multiple choice. We explain each of them below.

• True or False
  
  There are 5 test items. Each item contains a picture and a word that’s supposed to describe the picture. You need to determine whether the description is correct or not.

• Choose the Matching Picture
  
  You’ll see five pictures and five sentences in jumbled order. You need to pinpoint each picture to the corresponding sentence that correctly describes it.

• Pair up Sentences
  
  You’ll encounter 5 short dialogues, each consisting of 2 sentences in jumbled order. You need to find the correlation among the sentences, pair them up, and reconstruct the dialogues.

• Fill in the Blanks
  
  There are 5 test items. Each item consists of one or two sentences with one word missing. You’ll be given a list of word options and need to select the best word to fill in the blank.

How Is the HSK 1 Score Calculated?

Each of the two sections of the HSK 1 test is scored out of 100 points and then combined for a score out of 200.

You’ll find your section scores and total score in your score report on the HSK website about 2 weeks after you take the formal test (or one month if you take the paper-based test). Depending on the total score, you either pass or fail the test.

The maximum score you can get on the HSK 1 is 200. To pass the HSK 1, you need to reach the total passing score: 120.

How Much Does It Cost to Take the Official HSK 1 Test?

The HSK 1 test fees will depend on the location of your testing site. That said, you can generally expect to pay around 22 USD for taking the test. (The price for taking the HSK 1 in China is 150 CNY.) Make sure you are ready for the official HSK 1 by taking our sample practice tests!