New HSK (3.0) · study plan
HSK 1 in 12 weeks
HSK 1 is a listening and reading test of 40 questions, with pinyin printed on the paper. You need to recognise 300 words by sound and in characters, and understand short everyday sentences.
Twelve weeks is a comfortable pace for most adults starting from zero. The first two weeks are only pronunciation: getting the sounds and tones right at the start saves months later.
- Start from
- Complete beginner. You don’t need to know any pinyin yet.
- Time
- about an hour, 6 days a week (about 72 hours in total)
- New words
- 300 (300 in total up to HSK 1), about 43 a week
- Grammar points
- 29, one or two a week
Weeks 1–2
Sounds and tones
Pinyin, the four tones and the neutral tone.
- Learn the pinyin initials and finals with audio, 20 minutes a day. Say each sound aloud.
- Do one round of single-syllable tone practice a day until you score 18 out of 20.
- Learn numbers 1–100 and greetings (你好, 谢谢, 再见) by ear.
Weeks 3–9
Words and first sentences
The HSK 1 word list and the basic sentence patterns.
- Learn the new words for the week with audio. Listen first, then look at the characters.
- Study the grammar points for the week and do each quiz.
- Read one HSK 1 story a week: first with pinyin, then without.
- Switch the tone drill to two-syllable words from week 5.
| Week | New words | Grammar points |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 43 | 是 · 有 / 没有 · 不 · 没（有） |
| 4 | 43 | 吗 · 呢 · 什么 / 谁 / 哪儿 / 几 / 多少 / 怎么 · 怎么样 |
| 5 | 43 | V不V · 的 · 了 · 了 |
| 6 | 43 | 在 · 在 / 正在 · 很 · 太…了 |
| 7 | 43 | 都 / 也 · 和 · 会 / 能 / 可以 · 想 / 要 |
| 8 | 43 | 个 / 本 / 口 / 块 / 件 / 只 · 两 / 二 · 时间词 · 年 / 月 / 号 / 星期 / 点 / 分 |
| 9 | 42 | 上 / 下 / 里 / 外 / 前 / 后 · 去 / 来 · 给 · 吧 · 有点儿 / 一点儿 |
Weeks 10–11
Practice test and review
The test format, and the words you keep missing.
- Take the HSK 1 practice test in practice mode. Read every explanation.
- Clear your mistake list: re-learn each missed word and grammar point.
- Do vocabulary quiz rounds in listening mode with “only words I missed” ticked.
Week 12
Test week
Timing and confidence.
- Take the practice test again in exam mode, in one sitting.
- Read the exam-day page and prepare your ID and admission ticket.
- Keep the day before the test light: one story and a short word review.
What you will use
- HSK 1 word list: mark words as known as you go, and export to Anki if you use it.
- Vocabulary quiz for the week’s words, in reading and listening modes.
- HSK 1 grammar points, each with examples, audio and a quiz.
- HSK 1 stories (3) with audio and questions.
- Tone practice and the HSK 1 characters with stroke order.
- HSK 1 practice test in the new format, and your mistake list.
- The HSK 1 guide for the test format, topics and timings.
If you fall behind
- Keep the word target and drop the extra reading for a week. Words are the bottleneck at HSK 1.
- If tones are still shaky by week 5, add ten minutes of tone practice a day rather than moving on.
- If you are more than two weeks behind, move to a later test date. The test calendar on this site lists the next sessions.