HSK study plans
Each level of the new HSK takes longer than the one before, because the word lists grow fast: 300 words at HSK 1, 2,000 at HSK 4, 5,400 at HSK 6. Use the calculator to see how long your goal is likely to take, then pick a week-by-week plan.
How long will it take you?
About 11 months to 18 months
220–360 hours of study from zero to HSK 3, at 4.5 hours a week.
| Level | New words | Total words | Hours from the level below | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 300 | 300 | 60–100 | 12 weeks |
| HSK 2 | 200 | 500 | 60–100 | 12 weeks |
| HSK 3 | 500 | 1,000 | 100–160 | 20 weeks |
| HSK 4 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 180–300 | 26 weeks |
| HSK 5 | 1,600 | 3,600 | 250–400 | 40 weeks |
| HSK 6 | 1,800 | 5,400 | 300–500 | 48 weeks |
Word counts from the 2025 HSK syllabus. Hours are our estimates for an adult studying on their own; CTI does not publish study hours for the new HSK.
What makes the difference
The hours above vary a lot from person to person. The things that usually move you to the short end:
- Studying most days. Thirty minutes a day beats three hours on Sunday, because word memory fades quickly in the first few days.
- Listening from the start. Half the early tests are listening. Learn every word with its sound.
- Reading a lot of easy text. From HSK 3, reading speed matters as much as knowing the words. See the reading guide.
- Knowing a related language. Japanese or Korean speakers usually move faster through the reading, though not the tones.
- A teacher or tutor for speaking and writing, where self-study gives you the least feedback.
Week-by-week plans
Each plan shares the level’s new words and grammar points out across the weeks, adds reading and listening, and ends with practice tests. They assume you know the level below.
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HSK 1 in 12 weeks
about an hour, 6 days a week. Complete beginner. You don’t need to know any pinyin yet.
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HSK 2 in 12 weeks
about an hour, 6 days a week. HSK 1 words known well, by sound and by sight.
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HSK 3 in 20 weeks
about an hour, 6 days a week. HSK 2 comfortable, including reading without looking at pinyin most of the time.
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HSK 4 in 26 weeks
60–90 minutes, 6 days a week. HSK 3 passed or comfortable, including reading short texts without pinyin.
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HSK 5 in 40 weeks
60–90 minutes, 6 days a week. HSK 4 passed or comfortable, and some reading habit already.
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HSK 6 in 48 weeks
about 90 minutes, 6 days a week. HSK 5 passed or comfortable, and reading Chinese most days.
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Stuck at a level?
Why progress stalls around HSK 3–5, and what usually gets it moving again.
If you work full time
Most HSK candidates study around a job. Plans that work for them have the same shape: a short fixed slot every day, and one longer session at the weekend.
- Weekdays, 30–45 minutes: 15 minutes of new and review words (on your commute if you can listen), 15–20 minutes of reading or listening, and on two days a grammar point.
- One weekend day, 60–90 minutes: a timed practice section or a writing task, then go through what you got wrong.
- Book the test early. A date on the calendar is the best protection against busy weeks. Use the calculator above to choose a realistic one.
At 30–45 minutes a day, add about half again to the weeks in each plan.
If you need the HSK for university
Universities in China set their own language requirements. Under the old HSK, undergraduate programmes taught in Chinese commonly asked for HSK 4, and some asked for HSK 5 or 6; scholarship schemes have their own rules. Universities have not all said how they will treat the new levels, so check the admissions page of each university you are applying to.
- Find the application deadline and the level required.
- Work back: results for the written test come out a few weeks after the test (see HSK scores), so you need a test date at least a month or two before the deadline.
- Leave room for one retake. Plan to be ready one session earlier than you need.
- Check whether the university also asks for the speaking test (HSKK) or a particular score.
If you mostly want to speak
The HSK written test is mainly listening, reading and writing. If your real goal is conversation, the word lists and grammar are still a good structure, but spend more of your time speaking: say every example sentence aloud, answer the speaking questions in the practice tests, and find someone to talk to each week. From HSK 3 the new HSK includes a speaking test, and the separate HSKK tests speaking only.
Pinyin first or characters first?
Learn pinyin properly in your first two weeks: it is how you look words up and how you learn pronunciation. After that, learn every word in characters from the start, even at HSK 1. The HSK 1 and 2 papers print pinyin, but from HSK 3 there is none, and learners who relied on pinyin find the jump to HSK 3 much harder. Handwriting starts at HSK 2; the character pages show stroke order for every character you need to write.