Intermediate

HSK 5 exam format

How long the HSK 5 exam takes, what each section contains, and what every task type asks you to do. The structure and timing below are the same ones used to assemble the practice papers on this site.

HSK 3.0 · about 110 minutes in total, of which 100 are timed sections · 72 questions · Listening, Reading and Writing · pass mark 180 of 300

These figures are the HSK 3.0 format, set by the official standard GF0025-2021. Earlier HSK 2.0 papers were structured and timed differently, so figures published for those will not match.

1 free mock

What to expect, section by section

Every HSK 5 paper here is assembled to the official HSK 3.0 blueprint: the same sections in the same order, the same task types, the same clock. Open a section below to see every task inside it, so nothing on exam day comes as a surprise.

The full written paper is 72 questions across 3 sections, about 100 minutes, scored out of 300. The pass line is 180 of 300.

听力 · Listening35 items · ~25 min · 100 pts · audio ×1

Audio drives this whole section: in exam mode each clip plays exactly once, and it never pauses, rewinds or shows a transcript. Practice mode lifts the cap so you can replay freely. The questions are printed, so you read as you listen.

Part 1: Multiple choiceItems 1-19 · 19 questions

A question with four options, A to D. The material can be a dialogue, a talk, or a written passage, and several questions often share one longer stimulus.

Click the letter. Questions that share a passage or clip are still scored one by one.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Tip: Read the question stem before the passage, then go hunting. The strongest wrong options sound true but are never actually supported by the text.

Part 2: Multiple choiceItems 20-35 · 16 questions

A question with four options, A to D. The material can be a dialogue, a talk, or a written passage, and several questions often share one longer stimulus.

Click the letter. Questions that share a passage or clip are still scored one by one.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Tip: Read the question stem before the passage, then go hunting. The strongest wrong options sound true but are never actually supported by the text.

阅读 · Reading35 items · ~35 min · 100 pts

No audio here: printed passages, sentences and options against the section clock. The clock is the real opponent, so pacing matters more in Reading than anywhere else on the paper.

Part 1: Multiple choiceItems 36-45 · 10 questions

A question with four options, A to D. The material can be a dialogue, a talk, or a written passage, and several questions often share one longer stimulus.

Click the letter. Questions that share a passage or clip are still scored one by one.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Tip: Read the question stem before the passage, then go hunting. The strongest wrong options sound true but are never actually supported by the text.

Part 2: Sentence ordering (排序)Items 46-55 · 10 questions

Paragraph segments presented out of order. Arranged correctly, they read as one coherent text.

Each numbered position takes one segment: answer with its letter.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Tip: Find the opening segment first. It is the one that names the topic and depends on nothing before it.

Part 3: Multiple choiceItems 56-70 · 15 questions

A question with four options, A to D. The material can be a dialogue, a talk, or a written passage, and several questions often share one longer stimulus.

Click the letter. Questions that share a passage or clip are still scored one by one.

Marked automatically against the answer key when your paper is scored, at no cost.

Tip: Read the question stem before the passage, then go hunting. The strongest wrong options sound true but are never actually supported by the text.

写作 · Writing2 items · ~40 min · 100 pts

Everything in this section is produced rather than chosen: characters, sentences or compositions, typed in Chinese. If your device has no Chinese input method, the app's built-in pinyin keyboard is available inside the exam.

Part 1: Short composition (写作)Items 71 · 1 question

A composition task: a topic, a quote, or a set of pictures to write from, with the minimum length in characters printed beside the task.

Type your composition. The character counter tracks the minimum as you write.

Marked by the AI examiner when you ask for grading: a band, the specific errors, and a corrected version. These are the points a plan unlocks.

Tip: Structure earns marks: an opening, a middle, an ending. Reach the minimum length, then stop padding.

Part 2: Short composition (写作)Items 72 · 1 question

A composition task: a topic, a quote, or a set of pictures to write from, with the minimum length in characters printed beside the task.

Type your composition. The character counter tracks the minimum as you write.

Marked by the AI examiner when you ask for grading: a band, the specific errors, and a corrected version. These are the points a plan unlocks.

Tip: Structure earns marks: an opening, a middle, an ending. Reach the minimum length, then stop padding.

口语 · Speaking (spoken)5 items · ~10 min · 100 pts

The speaking paper (口语, spoken Chinese) is its own sitting, separate from the written exam, and is part of the With Speaking plan.

The speaking paper is its own sitting, separate from the written exam. Every turn is spoken aloud into your microphone, recorded once and timed per turn like the real oral test. There is no typed fallback: speaking means speaking.

Part 1: Listen and retell (听后复述)Items 1-2 · 2 questions · ~90s per turn

A short audio passage. When it ends, you retell the content in your own words.

Speak within the response time, keeping every key fact.

Marked by the AI examiner when you ask for grading: a band, the specific errors, and a corrected version. These are the points a plan unlocks. Spoken answers also carry a pronunciation score from the speech engine, folded into the mark at a fixed weight.

Tip: Retell in the same order the passage used. Inventing a new structure under time pressure is how details get lost.

Part 2: Describe the picture (看图说话)Items 3 · 1 question · ~120s per turn

One photo, or a picture story of several panels in order. You describe what is happening.

Speak within the response time. When there are several panels, cover them in order so the story stays intact.

Tip: Name the people, the place and the action first. Add detail only once the whole story has been told.

Part 3: Answer the question (回答问题)Items 4-5 · 2 questions · ~150s per turn

A printed question, answered aloud in Chinese.

Speak your answer within the response time.

Tip: A direct answer plus one reason is a complete answer. Long lists of reasons trail off under the clock.

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