Is the HSK Standard Course enough for HSK 3.0?

By Carson 木林森 · October 2026

The HSK Standard Course (HSK标准教程) was written for the six-level HSK 2.0 word lists, so it is not enough on its own for HSK 3.0, whose first worldwide sitting is on 13 December 2026. Of the 991 words HSK 3.0 sets for levels 1 to 3, 440 (44%) are not in HSK 2.0 levels 1 to 3, and 337 of those do not appear even inside a longer HSK 2.0 word. By level 4 the gap is 886 words.

For the HSK 2.0 exam it is still a complete course. The gap is the syllabus change, which no 2.0 textbook could have covered.

HSK 3.0 words a Standard Course student has not met

"Missing" counts HSK 3.0 words up to that level that are not on the HSK 2.0 list up to the same level. "Not even inside a 2.0 word" leaves out words a 2.0 learner has met as part of a longer word, such as 车 inside 出租车.

HSK 3.0 is larger at every level from 1 to 5 and reorders words between levels, so the gap opens at HSK 1, where 158 of the 302 words are new to a 2.0 learner. Some HSK 3.0 level 1 words that appear nowhere in HSK 2.0 level 1, not even inside a longer word:

吧 · 百 · 白天 · 半 · 包子 · 边 · 病 · 不要 · 唱 · 超市 · 穿 · 大家 · 到 · 大学 · 大学生 · 第

The full word-by-word migration is on HSK 2.0 to 3.0 word changes.

What to add if you use the Standard Course

1. The missing words for your level. Each HSK 3.0 level page lists every word; skip the ones the book already taught.
2. The new grammar outline. HSK 3.0 publishes its grammar points per level, and the grammar reference is organised the same way.
3. Handwriting, for the paper exam. HSK 3.0 has a separate list of characters you must write by hand from level 2.
4. A practice test on the new syllabus. The free HSK 3.0 tests show whether the gap matters for you before exam day.

How this was measured, and its limits

• HSK 3.0. The word list of the 2025 revision of the standard (GF0025-2021), as published by the exam body.
• HSK 2.0. The six-level word list the Standard Course was written to.
• Not the book itself. We compare the syllabuses, not the textbook's vocabulary lists. The books teach some words beyond their level's list, so a careful Standard Course student will know a few of the "missing" words already.
• Exact match on simplified characters. Grammar, listening and reading speed are not measured here.

Frequently asked questions

Is the HSK Standard Course enough to pass the HSK?

For the HSK 2.0 exam it was written for, it covers the syllabus. For HSK 3.0, whose first worldwide sitting is on 13 December 2026, it does not on its own: 440 of the 991 HSK 3.0 level 1 to 3 words (44%) are not in HSK 2.0 levels 1 to 3, and 886 of the 1,982 level 1 to 4 words (45%) are not in HSK 2.0 levels 1 to 4.

Which HSK does the HSK Standard Course follow?

HSK 2.0, the six-level exam. The series (HSK标准教程, Beijing Language and Culture University Press, first published in 2014) has one or two volumes per level for HSK 1 to 6, and later printings kept the same content.

What do I need to add to the Standard Course for HSK 3.0?

The words HSK 3.0 moved down to your level or added, the grammar points of the new syllabus, and for the paper exam the handwriting list. Each level's full list is on its vocabulary page, starting with HSK 1.

Are the missing words harder words?

Mostly not. Of the 440 level 1 to 3 words missing, 337 do not appear even inside a longer HSK 2.0 level 1 to 3 word, and many of them are everyday words such as 百 (hundred) and 半 (half). The other 103 are parts of words a 2.0 learner already knows, so they cost little.

Related guides: HSK 3.0 vs HSK 2.0 · HSK 2.0 to 3.0 word changes · HSK 3.0 exam date · The intermediate plateau, measured