HSK Test on Paper VS Computer: What Should You Choose? (Comparison + Advice)

HSK on Paper VS Computer in Detail

Now I’ll explain why I would choose the computer-based HSK (internet-based) over the paper-based HSK.

Flexibility to Register

If you want to take the traditional paper-based HSK test, you must register at least 4 weeks before the test date you choose. It does not give you much flexibility. If you don’t plan well ahead of time, you could easily miss the registration deadline and end up waiting for another month.  

And if you are working on a rigid, intensive study schedule, 4 weeks could make a huge difference. Most people can already progress to the next level, for instance, from HSK 1 to HSK 2, or HSK 2 to HSK 3. Thus, taking the HSK test below your actual skill level – only because you already signed up 4 weeks ago – would be less meaningful. You can just skip it for a higher-level test. 

The computer-based HSK test, however, allows you to register just 10 days before the test date. To me, 10 days is perfect. It gives me ample time to do warm-up practices for the upcoming test, yet it’s not too long a gap for me to lose motivation and focus.

Further Reading: HSK Exam Dates 2023 (Test Calendar & Registration Deadlines)

Waiting Time for Test Results 

Have you ever been flooded with feelings of anxiety, doubt, and worry waiting for test results, especially when you need them urgently for work or further study? It plagued my mind that I had to wait an entire month for the score release the first time I took the HSK.

Unfortunately, that’s still the time you need to wait to get your results if you opt for the paper-based HSK test. 

Now the big improvement that the computer-based HSK has over the paper-based one is that you get your results in just 2 weeks – half of how long it takes with the paper test. It spares you two weeks’ anxiety and allows you to concentrate on other work. For that, I’ll give an extra point to the computer test.

Handwriting VS Typing Characters

If you are signing up for HSK 1 or HSK 2, honestly it won’t matter. Tests at these two basic levels consist solely of multiple choices and don’t involve any writing task. In fact, you don’t even have to know any Chinese characters to ace the tests, as all questions and choices are presented along with Pinyin.

However, on HSK 3-6, writing becomes a key component, rounding to 1/3 of the overall test score (100/300). Take the HSK 5 writing section, for example, you are required to write 8 sentences and 2 essays, each over 80 characters, in under 40 minutes. And on the HSK 6 test, you need to write a long passage with a minimum of 400 characters in under 35 minutes.  

Now, ask yourself this: When was the last time you wrote anything in Chinese on paper?

For me, it was 2 months ago. I wrote a birthday card to my Chinese colleague, and that’s all I can recall. It’s a simple fact: with the presence of smartphones and computers everywhere, we just don’t write by hand anymore.  

On our path to learning Chinese, most of us learned to recognize, read and type characters, but few of us ever bothered to take the time to practice handwriting.

I consider myself an advanced Chinese learner (passed HSK 6). I have no problem forming complicated sentences and structuring paragraphs. However, I still struggle to write Chinese on paper. The minute I pick up my pen, even the most common characters – their radicals, components, strokes, and everything often start blurring in my brain, and I have to pause from time to time for look-ups. When I have to write for more than 15 minutes, another distraction appears – my hand starts to feel heavy and tired.

What about you? Is your handwriting on par with your typing skills? Can you write 15+ characters per minute accurately? Can you do that for half an hour without a break? What about during a test?

If the answer is negative, go with the computer test. It converts the writing section into a much easier typing section, where you can just use the Pinyin input system to select the characters on a screen instead of having to write them down stroke by stroke, and when you type words containing multiple characters, you rarely need to distinguish between individual characters in detail; the computer makes the right choices for you. Plus, typing is faster. It gives you extra time to analyze the questions and plan your answers.

Oh, right, if your handwriting is clumsy like this

…don’t take the paper test, even if you are confident that you’ll be able to write great stuff with excellent wording and textbook grammar.

Though CLEC, the HSK test administer, never set handwriting as one of its scoring criteria officially, HSK examiners can be very subjective when they score the writing tests. Amateurish, child-like handwriting reflects badly on your Chinese skills to examiners. If you make a wrong first impression, you might lose some points already before they read your passage. (On the other hand, if your handwriting looks good on the paper test, you might get a higher score.)

Correcting and Rewriting

For the same reason stated above, you should try to keep your test paper clean and neat.

But let’s say you take the paper test, what happens when you realize you’ve made some writing mistakes and want to fix them? Or you need to rewrite some sentences or restructure paragraphs? There is certainly no backspace or cursor for you to add a word here or there. You have to cross them out and write again in the space left, and that can easily make your paper look like a mess.

This problem can be thrown out the window in the computer-based test. You can just clear, copy and paste like how you edit in a Word document. And that keeps your test paper spotlessly clean.

Test Environment

In the paper-based test, the listening section is usually put on external speakers while in the computer-based test, it’s through headphones (the computers have headphones, and you are allowed to bring your own ones).

The problem with speakers is that you have an entire testing room that can affect the sound (the sound bounces around in the room before you hear it) whereas headphones are just right there by your ear canals. That makes headphones the better choice since the room barely affects it past ambient noise.

It’s worth noting that if there is a crowd taking the computer-based test with you, the keyboard hit sound can get quite loud, and you may find that a distraction in later sections when you want to focus on reading and writing.

Here’s a useful tip: keep wearing the headphones as earmuffs. It will block out most of the noise and help you concentrate. If you have noise-canceling headphones, it’s a good idea to bring them to the test.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, the computer-based HSK test is not necessarily the best choice for all people. Let’s take a look at the cons.

Note-Taking

This is where the decision might flip for some test-takers. Taking effective notes during tests can help you answer questions faster and more accurately. I encourage you to do so on every section of the HSK test – Listening, Reading, and Writing. Unfortunately, this is only possible when you sign up for the paper-based HSK test. The computer version is totally paperless – no scratch paper will be provided to test-takers, and you won’t be able to take notes on computer tests at the moment.  

So, if you are a die-hard note-taking fan, you might want to stick to the paper-based test.

Section Locking

This is another downside to the computer-based test. On the traditional paper-pencil test, you can allot your time freely to different sections (listening, reading, and writing). This is very useful if you are slow in reading or writing and need more time for those sections.

However, on the computer-based test, even if you find one section a breeze and finish it earlier than the official allotted time, you won’t be able to skip to the next section until the allocated time has expired. You have no choice but to sit through that section until the timer expires on your computer. This can be frustrating if you know you need more time to complete other sections.

Accessibility to Test Centers

This can be your major consideration – not all HSK test centers are equipped adequately to conduct computer-based tests. Depending on where you live, you may find it easy or difficult to find a test center near you that offers this option.

For instance, if you live in China, you can take the computer-based test at almost any of the official HSK test centers across the country. In fact, more test centers offer the computer test (220 centers) than the paper test (202 centers).

The situation differs outside of China. In the USA, 49 out of 75 HSK test centers offer the computer-based test, whereas the figure drops to 11 out of 19 in England, and only 3 out of 13 in Spain.

In case your nearby test center does not offer the computer test option, you will have to travel to another city to take the exam, so be prepared for the logistics it’s going to involve.