It’s an exciting time! You have decided that we want to start learning Chinese and want certifications to show competence. Taking the HSK 1 is an obvious starting place.
This post is not going to go through basic language learning tips, this is more focused on passing HSK 1 and laying a foundation of Chinese to be built upon.
Should I take the HSK 1?
If you want to learn Chinese to a high level, you will save money by ignoring the HSK 1 and going straight for HSK 3. This is attainable within 6 months to a year of commited study. HSK 3 is where the tests start to ramp up in difficulty and all the Pinyin is removed.
If you want a qualification to add to your C.V, taking the HSK 1 might be all you want/need.
How long does it take to pass the HSK 1?
HSK 1 is the entry level test and can be passed after a month of serious study with a tutor.
What does the HSK1 consist of?
The HSK 1 is relatively straightforward. Most of it involves recognising phrases or picking out the key word from a short sentence.
The HSK 1 has a listening section and a reading section. The listening section involves answering true/false questions, choosing the picture that most fits the dialogue, or listening to a statement followed by a multiple choice questions.
The reading section involves choosing correct pictures after reading a related sentence, linking phrases with pictures and filling in a blank space in a sentence.
Both of these sections give a maximum of 100 points for 200 in total. A pass requires 120 points or more.
How should I study for the HSK 1?
There is a holy trinity of resources that will ensure a smooth HSK test: Anki, a good Chinese teacher and hskreading.com. Between them, they cover all aspects of learning Chinese.
Anki
First, you should download the flashcard system called Anki and use the HSK 1 flashcards. There are 174 characters that you need to remember; Anki is by far the best way to do this. It is free software and if you use it for 20 minutes per day, you can expect to have learnt the 174 characters in just several weeks.
Chinese teacher
At the same time as this, you need to learn the Chinese system of Pinyin. This is a romanised form of Chinese. The best way to learn this is to find a Chinese teacher. If you care about speaking Chinese in the future, this is the best time to drill pronunciation (here is a handy pinyin chart that you can reference).
From doing this, your listening will start to develop. Ask your teacher to focus upon the HSK 1 vocabulary. After just a month or two you will recognise a lot of set phrases and Chinese words. Listening is very hard at first, it is normal to stumble for a while before your brain starts to adjust to it.
Reading
Once you have a grip on Pinyin and can recognise basic characters, start reading the HSK 1 articles on our very own hskreading.com. Once you can read the Chinese found in the HSK 1 section, you will be capable of passing the HSK 1.
Bring it all together
There are HSK 1 mock exams available online. Once you feel that you have achieved the above steps, take a mock test and make sure you time yourself. You will find that taking a test under a time constraint will add significant pressure. Use a stopwatch to get used to this feeling.
Once you can pass the mock tests with a score of 170+ (It is important to get a decent score, this is laying the foundation for your future Chinese studies) then you are ready for the real thing. Good luck!