!!! ATTENTION !!!

TO ALL APPLCANTS WHO ARE GOING TO SIT FOR THE HSK AND HSKK EXAMS - PLEASE SEND US A SCANNED/PHOTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE PAYMENT ORDER FROM THE BANK ALONG WITH THE NAME OF THE EXAMINEE AND THE RESPECTIVE LEVEL OF THE EXAM TO THE E-MAIL ADDRESS This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. THE PAYMENT ORDER MUST BE SENT TOGETHER WITH THE REGISTRATION FORM IN THE SAME EMAIL. OTHERWISE, YOUR REGISTRATION WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE!

YOUR COOPERATION WOULD BE HIGHLY APPRECIATED!

The Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK)

The Confucius Institute in Sofia conducts the HSK and HSKK exams in April and at the end of November each year. For the exact dates please follow our Facebook page or contact us!

You can register through the exam system, available at www.chinesetest.cn. For additional inquiries, please send them toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

                                           Exam fees:

 HSK 1: BGN 23.00

 HSK 2: BGN 23.00

 HSK 3: BGN 47.00

 HSK 4: BGN 47.00 

 HSK 5: BGN 65.00

 HSK 6: BGN 65.00

 HSKK 1 (beginner level): BGN 23.00   

 HSKK 2 (intermediate level): BGN 29.00

 HSKK 3 (advanced level): BGN 34.00

 

                                                       

General Information about the HSK exam

 

Since 2010, the new format of the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) exam has been introduced at the Confucius Institute Testing Center in Sofia and the old format has been cancelled. The new HSK test format has been created on the basis of the experience accumulated in the field of teaching Chinese as a foreign language in China and abroad. Moreover, it is in accordance with the modern linguistic theories of testing and determining the levels of proficiency. The new HSK has a wider range of attestation. It covers three new preparatory levels located below the former Basic Level. At the same time, it retains the higher levels as well. The main difference from the old exam format is the ability of the new HSK format to simultaneously measure the minimal knowledge of the language as well. This makes the new format suitable for testing the performance of students in the beginning phase of their Chinese language study such as first-year students in the Chinese Studies major at the Sofia University, 8th and 9th grade students in the specialized Chinese language classes, together with the first-level students at the Confucius Institute. Additionally, in order to give a more complete and comprehensive attestation of the respective level of the Chinese language proficiency, the HSK is now being conducted in two forms – an oral and a written one. The two forms of the examination are completely self-contained and are administered and assessed independently of each other. The existing 11 levels of the written examination in the old HSK format up to 2009, were divided into three categories (Basic, Beginning and Intermediate and Advanced). Currently, the latter have been replaced by a total of 6 levels which are in line with the International Standard for Chinese Language Proficiency (ISCLP), aligned with the Common European Framework (CEF http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Cadre1_en.asp). The defined vocabulary for each one of the levels of the new HSK as well as their corresponding levels according to the CEF system are as follows:

The New HSK levels

Common European Framework levels

HSK Level 6

C2

HSK Level 5

C1

HSK Level 4

B2

HSK Level 3

B1

HSK Level 2

A2

HSK Level 1

A1

Each one of the new HSK levels requires sitting for a separate exam with a different test format.

The content of the exam is much more oriented towards the communicative aspect of the language and aims at determining the real capabilities of the learners of Chinese as a foreign language so as that learners are able to use the foreign language as means of communication in their daily lives and at work.

The HSKK oral exam is being conducted in three levels – Beginner (初级), Intermediate (中级and Advanced (初级 and is being submitted for examination in the form of an audio recording.

The written test is a test of knowledge and written expression skills in response to questions. In the Listening Comprehension section, questions are being asked orally as part of an audio recorded listening comprehension. In the other parts of the examination the questions should be read from the examination booklet. The answers are to be marked on a special answer sheet (response sheet) which after the examination will be sent to Beijing for verification. IMPORTANT: Since the answer sheet is being checked by a machine reader, the marking of the answers should be made by clearly and tightly crossing out the appropriate box.

The written examination is suitable for the following categories of students:

 Written test HSK

  Duration of Chinese studies Weekly classes Vocabulary volume (Chinese characters)
Level 6 over 3 years 2-4 classes 5000
Level 5 2 to 3 years 2-4 classes 2500
Level 4 about 2 years 2-4 classes 1200
Level 3 1 to 2 years 2-4 classes 600
Level 2 12 months 2-4 classes 300
Level 1 Up to 6 months 2-4 classes 150

The oral exam HSKK is conducted in three levels – Beginner (初级), Intermediate (中级) and Advanced (高级), and is transmitted for verification in the form of an audio recording.
The oral examination HSKK is suitable for the following categories of students:

 Oral text HSKK

  Duration of Chinese studies Weekly classes Vocabulary volume (Chinese characters)
Advanced Level （高级） over 2 years 2-4 classes 3000
Intermediate Level （中级） 1 to 2 years 2-4 classes 900
Beginner Level（初级） 6 to 12 months 2-4 classes 200

The results of the HSK exam are sent to the participants within about a month after taking the exam.

HSK Certificate

The HSK certificates are issued to those who meet the required scores and are valid for two years from the date of the exam.

 

Registration for the HSK Test

The registration process for participation in the HSK exam can be completed online at the following Internet address: http://www.chinesetest.cn, or alternatively, at the Testing Center of the Confucius Institute – Sofia.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

  1. A minimum of five participants for each level is required in order to conduct the examination.
  2. Only the registration forms, submitted before the registration deadline shall be considered (please refer to the Deadlines and Dates section below for additional information).

 

  • Online registration through the Chinese Test Service Network:
  1. Open the address http://www.chinesetest.cn.
    2. Select the Test Center at the Confucius Institute – Sofia and the corresponding date of examination.
    3. Fill in your personal account information in the fields. Attach an electronic photo.
    4. Pay the exam fee through a bank transfer to the following bank account: IBAN  BG45FINV915010BGN0KZM6; account holder - Confucious Institute Foundation. (IMPORTANT NOTE: Once the fees have been paid they cannot be refunded under any circumstances!)
  2. Send an email with the attached payment order for you bank transfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. After that the Test Center at the Confucius Institute – Sofia shall complete your registration in the system.
    6. After the registration is completed, you can request a message confirming your registration status from http://www.chinesetest.cn. The message can be sent to you by e-mail, in case you had provided a valid e-mail address. If within 10 days before the day of the test you still have not received a confirmation of your registration, then go to http://www.chinesetest.cn and check your registration status or send an inquiry to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
    7. Once your registration has been confirmed, go to the above website and carefully review (or check for errors) your HSK Addmission Ticket (准考证). In case of errors you should immediately notify This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by sending an e-mail. You will receive the printed copy of your HSK Addmission Ticket from the Test Center of the Confucius Institute – Sofia 30 minutes before the exam.

 

  • Registration at the Testing Center of the Confucius Institute – Sofia:

DOCUMENTS required for registration at the Test Center of the Confucius Institute - Sofia:

  1. Application form.
    All necessary information should be written carefully and legibly. Specifying a phone number and e-mail address is required!
  2. PAYMENT ORDER for the payment of the exam fee to IBAN BG45FINV915010BGN0KZM6: account holder - Confucius Institute Foundation.
  3. The payment order must contain the full name of the examinee and the level of the test.
  4. IMPORTANT: The fees paid cannot be refunded under any circumstances!

Please send all the necessary documents in one e-mail to the following address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

HSK Addmission Ticket
The document looks like this:

 HSK admission ticket

Fifteen days before the day of the exam, you will receive a message confirming your registration. If you have not yet received your registration confirmation within 10 days prior to the date of your test, go to the website and check your registration status or send a request to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The HSK Addmission Ticket is received personally by each participant immediately before the exam and during the verification of the participants, which starts 30 minutes before the appointed time for the HSK test of the relevant level. The HSK Addmission Ticket is the basis on which the participant may be admitted to the examination hall, it contains a 18-digit code, by which the participant is identified in the system. After the exam is taken, the Addmission Ticket serves for checking and receiving the HSK Certificate and Examination Score Record.

 

Preparation for the exam

As the old HSK test, the purpose of the new format of the exam is to determine the participants’ overall knowledge of Chinese. Therefore it is not based on any particular textbook or course, the participants can use all kinds of studying materials in the process of preparation for the HSK test. Candidates are welcome to use the materials available at the library of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and it is also recommended that they take the online simulation tests (partial or complete), available at: http://www.chinesetest.cn/gosimexam.do and www.hskworkshop.com.

 

Fees

Participants pay the fees by bank transfer after receiving the Invitation letter for participation. The bank account number, accompanied by instructions will be contained in the Invitation.

On the day of the exam

The participants should come to the library of the Confucius Institute in Sofia 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of the relevant test in order to obtain their personal HSK Addmission Tickets. When entering the examination room, the participants should provide their HSK Addmission Tickets (准考证) and a relevant identification document such as passport, ID or a student card. After taking their seats in the examination room, the participants should put their HSK Addmission Tickets in the upper right corner of the table in order to allow the quaestors to check their identity and data at any time during the exam. Since the use of pens during the HSK exam is forbidden, the participants should bring with them pencils 2B to fill in the answer sheets and pencil erasers for corrections. If a participant has not entered correctly his/her personal information in the answer sheets or has not marked his/her answers in the right way with a pencil 2B, his/her examination will be invalid.

 

Certificates and Scores

Upon successful completion of the HSK test, the participants will receive two documents: HSK Certificate and Examination Score Record. In case the performance on the test has been poor, no certificate shall be issued. The Certificates and the Score Records of the participants in the exam will be sent to the Test Center at the Confucius Institute in Sofia from the headquarters in Beijing within 60 days after the examination. In case this period coincides with any national holidays in China, it is possible the period to be extended. The test results will also be published at http://www.chinesetest.cn, and can be checked out by entering the individual number of the HSK Addmission Ticket and the name of the participant. 

Deadlines, dates and place of the examinations

Written test HSK

Date of the examination Deadline for registration and payment of the fee Deadline for announcement of results
16.03.2024 18.02.2024  
     

Oral exam HSKK

Date of the examination Deadline for registration and payment of the fee Deadline for announcement of results
16.03.2024 18.02.2024  
     

The written exams HSK will be held in the HSK Testing Centre of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Blvd. “Todor Alexandrov” 79 with the following schedule:

Level Starting time Duration
HSK一级   40 min
HSK二级   55 min
HSK三级   90 min
HSK四级   105 min
HSK五级   125 min
HSK六级   140 min

The oral exam HSKK for the three levels will be held at the same address with the following schedule:

Level Duration Starting time
Beginner level （初级） 17 min.  
Intermediate level （中级） 21 min.  
Advanced level （高级） 24 min.