Free HSK 4 Practice Tests Online (100% Real Questions and Answers)

FAQs about HSK Level 4 Prep and Practice

If you’re not yet familiar with the pattern of the HSK 4 test, we’d suggest you read this section before taking the practice test to understand how the test is structured and scored, among other things.

Who Should Take the HSK 4 Practice Test(s)?

We’ve created the HSK 4 practice tests to help people better prepare for the actual HSK 4 test, but anyone who wants to measure their improvements on the Chinese learning journey is free to take the practice tests for self-assessment.

To pass the HSK 4, your vocabulary needs to be wide enough to meet all your needs when dealing with familiar matters and points of personal interests, whether it’s at work, at home, or in a social gathering. You should know about 1,000 characters, 1,200 vocabulary words, and 120 grammar patterns, to be more precise.

Comprising all previously administered questions, you can be sure that these HSK 4 practice tests are similar to the real exam. So, get the most out of these materials to plan the rest of your studying!

What Is the Overall HSK 4 Test Pattern?

There are technically two different forms of the HSK: internet-based HSK (HSK iBT) and paper-based HSK (HSK PBT). The HSK 4 iBT is a 100-minute, computerized test, whereas the HSK 4 PBT is a 105-minute traditional paper-and-pencil test. The test comprises 3 distinct sections: Listening, Reading, and Writing. The paper-based version is slightly longer for you to transfer your answers from the test paper to the answer sheet in the Listening section.  

Though each version of the HSK 4 test is administered in a different format, both tests have the same questions and timing for each section. You’ll always have 30 minutes on Listening, 40 minutes on Reading, and 25 minutes on Writing.

The following chart highlights the overall HSK 4 test pattern, including the order of the sections, how long each section is, and how many questions each section contains:

Section	HSK 4 iBT	HSK 4 PBT	Number of Questions
Added Time	/	5 min (fill in personal info)	/
Listening	30 mins	30 min	45
Added Time	5 mins (break)	5 mins (fill out answer sheet)	/
Reading	40 mins	40 mins	40
Writing	25 mins	25 mins	15 (tasks)
Total	100 mins	105 mins	100

Note: you’ll have a 5-minute break in the middle of the HSK 4 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 get the most realistic HSK 4 test experience, time yourself the same way when you take the practice tests.

What’s on the HSK 4 Test Exactly?

A standard HSK 4 test shall have 100 questions in total. Let’s have a closer look at the type of questions and content that’ll be presented in each section of the HSK 4 to have a better understanding of the test structure.

1. Listening Section

The Listening section is the first section of the HSK 4 test. It tests your Chinese-listening skills. You’ll listen to 40 short dialogues or monologues in total. Each of them lasts 15 to 40 seconds and comes with 1 question. You will hear each audio clip only once. The entire listening section will take you 30 minutes to complete.

There are 2 question types on the HSK 4 Listening: true or false, and multiple choice. We explain what they are below.

• True or False
  
  You’ll listen to 10 monologues. At the end of each monologue, a statement will be read (it’ll also appear on the screen/test paper), and you need to determine whether that statement is true or false based on your understanding of the monologue.  

• Multiple Choice
  
  You’ll listen to 15 short dialogues (consisting of 2 sentences each), and 15 longer dialogues or monologues (4-5 sentences each). At the end of each audio clip, a third person will raise 1 or 2 questions (the questions won’t appear on the screen/test paper), and you need to select the best answer from the available answer options presented on the screen/test paper.

2. Reading Section

The Reading section is the second section you’ll face in the HSK 4 test and it takes 40 minutes to complete. This section tests your Chinese reading comprehension abilities. In total, there are 40 questions falling into 3 categories: fill in the blanks, arrange sentence order, and multiple choice. Below is a brief introduction to each of these.

• Fill in the Blanks
  
  You’ll encounter 10 test items. Each item consists of one or two sentences with a word missing. You’ll be given a list of word options and need to select the best word to fill in the blank.

• Arrange Sentence Order
  
  There are 10 items. Each item consists of three jumbled sentences and you need to arrange them in the correct order so that they could form a meaningful paragraph.

• Multiple Choice
  
  You’ll get 17 to 20 very short passages and 20 questions. Each passage is accompanied by 1-2 questions that ask you specific questions about the content. You need to select the best answer out of the four answer options provided.

3. Writing Section 

The last section of the HSK 4 is Writing. It’s the shortest section on the HSK 4 and takes 25 minutes to complete. Writing tests your ability to use correct grammar, vocabulary, and write characters. This section consists of two parts: arrange word order and write full sentence. In total, there are 15 tasks. We explain what they mean below.

• Arrange Word Order
  
  There are 10 tasks. In each task, there are a few words in jumbled order, and you need to write the words in the correct order to construct a complete sentence.

• Write Full Sentence 
  
  The second part contains 5 tasks. Each task comes with a picture and a keyword. You need to write a sentence based on the picture using that word.

How Is the HSK 4 Score Calculated?

Each section of the HSK 4 test is scored out of 100 points and then combined for a score out of 300. You’ll receive your overall scores as well as the section scores in your score report on the HSK website about 2 weeks after you take the official test (or one month if you opt for the paper-based test).

What Is A Good HSK 4 Score?

The maximum score you can get on the HSK 4 test is 300. To pass the HSK 4, you just need to reach the overall passing score: 180 – that’s all that matters.

However, if you’re taking the HSK 4 test as part of the application to Chinese universities, be careful! Some schools may want a little more by providing a minimum cutoff score you must earn on the HSK 4 to be accepted. And this score varies from school to school. For example, the minimum HSK requirements for Tianjin University is 195 points on the HSK 4, whereas you must score over 210 points to get into Xiamen University.

Essentially, a good HSK 4 score can be considered anything equal to or higher than the minimum required score for your program. (Read here for more details on what HSK level and score you need to apply to Chinese universities)

How Much Does It Cost to Take the Official HSK 4 Test?

The HSK 4 test fees will depend on the location of your testing center. That said, you can generally expect to pay around 65 USD every time you take the test. (The price for taking the HSK 4 in China is 450 CNY.) Make sure you are ready for the official HSK 4 by taking our free sample practice tests!