HSK
Basic is a standardized test designed for beginners. It is most
appropriate for those who have acquired 400-30 00 basic Chinese words
(referring to level A and B in the Outline of HSK Vocabulary) and the
corresponding rules of grammar (referring to level A and B in the
Outline of HSK Grammar).

1. Function of the Certificate of HSK Basic:

The
Certificate of HSK Basic includes three levels, i.e. level A, B and C.
(Level A is the highest, equivalent to level C of the Certificate of
HSK Elementary - Intermediate.) The certificates will be awarded to
those who have secured the required scores. The certificate of HSK
Basic serves

(1)
as a requirement to enter a college or university in China as an
undergraduate student in the field of science, engineering, agriculture
and Western medicine (Level A only).
(2) to exempt students from taking certain language courses in China.
(3) as a reference for hiring decisions for positions requiring basic competence in Chinese.

2. HSK Basic scoring system:

1)
A subscore of HSK Basic is a scale score ranging from 0 to 100 with 50
as the mean and 20 as the standard deviation. The total score, which is
the sum of scale scores for subscores, is a scale score ranging from 0
to 300. The scale subscores show the relative position of a candidate
in a standard HSK Basic sample group. Table 1.1 gives the percentile of
scale subscores. The second column indicates the percentage occupied by
those whose scores are lower than the corresponding scores in the
standard HSK Basic reference group.

Table 1.1 Percentile of subscores of HSK Basic

(2) The type and grade of HSK Basic is based on the total score. Table 1.2 explains the type and grade of the certificate.

Table 1.2 HSK Types and Grades of the Basic Certificate

(3) Requirements to obtain HSK Basic certificate:
The candidate must secure the total minimum score required for the corresponding level.

3. Description of the level scoring system of HSK Basic:

HSK Basic has three Score levels ranging from 1 to 3:

Level
1---Has basic competence (Low) in Chinese. Able to handle simple,
elementary needs in very familiar situations. Any person having mastery
of 600 Chinese words and certain rules of grammar can reach this
standard which is also the standard for obtaining the certificate of
HSK Basic Grade C.

Level
2---Has basic competence (Mid) in Chinese. Able to satisfy partially
the requirements of basic communicative exchanges. Level 2 is the
standard for obtain g the certificate of HSK Basic Grade B.

Level
3---Has basic competence (High) in Chinese. Level 3 is the minimum
level in Chinese proficiency for a candidate to be admitted to a
college or university in China as an undergraduate student in the field
of science, engineering, agriculture and Western medicine as well as
the standard for obtaining the certificate of HSK Basic Grade A, which
is equivalent to Grade C of HSK Elementary.

4. Components and test length of HSK Basic:

HSK
Basic is a 140-item, 135-minute test. HSK Basic is divided into three
subtests: listening, sentence structure and reading. All items are
multiple-choice. During the time allowed for each section, examinees
must work on that section only and are not permitted to work beyond the
time limit for the section. Examinees are also not permitted to turn to
a section that has not been announced or go back to an earlier section.
The test is taken in this order: