How to Learn HSK
Mandarin Chinese is the world's most widely spoken native language; more than 873 million people consider it to be their first language. To gauge the proficiency of nonnative speakers in Chinese, nonnative speakers are administered the HSK, or Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, examination. HSK certification indicates that an individual can speak the language at a proficiency which allows him to attend a Chinese college or enter the Chinese workforce as a nonnative speaker.
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Things You'll Need
- Chinese language flash cards
- Chinese language textbook
- Computer with Internet connection
Instructions
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Register for a course of study in a class that teaches Chinese languages to native English speakers. Contact the language department of a local college or university or speak to a representative from any local Chinese cultural centers to identify available courses. If possible, take a course from someone who is a native English speaker himself; learning a new language can be made easier if the teacher is familiar with the common obstacles you will face in learning that language.
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Study on your own time to reinforce the Chinese characters which you are learning in class. You can obtain flash cards or read a textbook on the Chinese language. You can also download a variety of Chinese language software tools from websites, much of which is available for free. Anyone taking the HSK Basic exam should complete 100 to 800 hours of study; intermediate level test takers should have studied from 400 to 2,000 hours and expert-level HSK hopefuls should have about 3,000 hours of study under their belt prior to the test.
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Communicate with native Chinese speakers so as to reinforce your knowledge of the Chinese language. Visit local Chinese cultural centers to identify a Chinese language tutor or to find a native speaker that doesn't mind conversing. You may also want to check local Chinese restaurants or other stores which market to Chinese customers. If you can't find any Chinese speakers locally, you can use audio peer-to-peer connections over the Internet, such as Skype, to find native speakers with whom you can talk.
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Obtain an HSK test syllabus directly from the developers of the HSK test. You will receive the test syllabus once you register for the HSK, and it will contain a glossary, a sample test and a disc containing audio files of sample listening questions.
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References
- Photo Credit Anicent Chinese Calligraphy image by Da Vynci from Fotolia.com
