The HSK 7–9 exam
HSK 7–9 is the advanced end of the nine-level standard and the one part of the new HSK that has been settled and running for years. It is a single exam rather than three, it tests five skills rather than three, and it does not pass or fail you: it places you at level 7, 8, 9, or below 7.
The paper
| Section | Questions | Time | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 40 | ~40 min | Lectures, interviews and discussions at native speed, with several questions each. |
| Reading | 47 | ~60 min | Long-form academic, professional and literary text. The section that decides most results. |
| Writing | 2 | ~55 min | Two extended tasks — summarizing and arguing in written register. |
| Translation | 4 | ~41 min | Chinese into your own language and back. New at this level; nothing below tests it. |
| Speaking | 5 | ~24 min | Recorded tasks: retelling, reading aloud, and extended answers on a prompt. |
Ninety-eight questions in about 210 minutes, sat in one day with a break part way through. Delivery is internet-based only, at an approved center.
How the band is awarded
The report gives five skill scores from 0 to 100 — listening, reading, writing, translation and speaking — and an overall placement of below level 7, level 7, level 8 or level 9. The scores come from an item-response model rather than a raw percentage, so a harder paper does not punish the cohort that sat it.
What that means for a candidate: there is no number to scrape past. You cannot pass by carrying a weak skill on a strong one the way a 180 of 300 lets you at levels 1 to 6, because the band reflects the whole profile. A candidate strong in reading and unpracticed in speaking lands lower than their reading suggests, every time.
Who it is for
- Graduate study in Chinese, where a program wants evidence beyond HSK 6.
- Translation and interpreting work, which is the only Chinese exam at this level that scores translation directly.
- Professional roles conducted in Chinese, where speaking is the actual job and a listening-and-reading certificate does not answer the question.
If none of those describe you, HSK 6 remains the top of the ladder that most institutions ask about, and the honest next step after it is usually use rather than another exam.
How to prepare
| Section | What builds it |
|---|---|
| Reading | Volume in the register the exam uses — commentary, academic prose, feature writing — timed. At 47 questions in about an hour, speed is the constraint. |
| Listening | Lectures and interviews at full speed, once through. Podcasts made for learners stop paying at this level. |
| Writing | Two extended pieces a week, marked by someone who will mark them honestly. Written register is a separate dialect and is learned by writing it. |
| Translation | Practice in both directions with a source text you did not choose. Translating into your own language is a writing skill in that language, which surprises people. |
| Speaking | Recorded monologues to a timer, then listening back. The exam records you and nobody rescues a hesitation with a follow-up question. |
In GraphChinese: the course carries you to HSK 6 across 829 gated topics, and it keeps every level below under scheduled review — which is the part that decides an advanced exam, since at 11,000 words the failure mode is decay rather than acquisition. Above HSK 6 the honest advice is real material and real people, plus a tutor you can drill with at your exact level: how to set one up.
Registration
Registration is on the official test site, the same account as any other HSK level, choosing HSK (Levels 7–9). It runs on far fewer dates than levels 1 to 6 — commonly around twice a year — so check the calendar before you plan a deadline around it. The general walkthrough is on how to register for the HSK.
Frequently asked questions
What is the HSK 7-9 exam?
One combined advanced exam covering the three highest bands of the nine-level standard. You do not register for 7, 8 or 9 separately: you sit the same paper and your result places you at below level 7, level 7, level 8 or level 9.
How long is HSK 7-9 and how many questions?
98 questions in about 210 minutes, across five sections: listening, reading, writing, translation and speaking.
How is HSK 7-9 scored?
Five separate skill scores from 0 to 100 — listening, reading, writing, translation and speaking — computed with an item-response model, plus an overall band. There is no single 60% pass mark as at levels 1 to 6; the outcome is the band you land in.
How many words do you need for HSK 7-9?
About 11,000 cumulative words across the nine levels, against roughly 5,400 by level 6. In practice the exam draws on real academic, professional and literary Chinese, so the list is a floor rather than a ceiling.
Can you take HSK 7-9 on paper?
No. It is delivered as an internet-based test at approved centers, which is also why it runs on fewer dates than levels 1 to 6 — commonly about twice a year rather than monthly.
Do you need HSK 6 before taking HSK 7-9?
No prerequisite certificate is required. Practically, candidates come to it from HSK 6 or from years of study and work in Chinese, and the exam assumes you can hold an argument in Chinese under time pressure rather than that you have a particular certificate.
At this scale, retention is the whole game. GraphChinese schedules every topic you have ever met against a forgetting curve, so the material under an advanced exam is still there on the day. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
Start at your true level