HSK Chinese Proficiency Test
I’m gearing up to take the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) Chinese proficiency test this fall. After spending almost a year studying with a private tutor, it’s time to use some metric to assess what I’ve learned so far and establish a benchmark for where I want to go next. The key components of the test are listening comprehension and reading comprehension. No pinyin to fall back on, just straight hanzi throughout the test (including the instructions). It’s like being back in grade school taking the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills as a benchmark for what you’ve learned so far. The official HSK site has a practice test for HSK Basic. October is the testing timeframe for most of the United States. Some places offer tests in both spring and fall.
Hanzi Practice Paper
One of the things I’m finding about learning to write Chinese characters, or Hanzi, is the lack of writing space in all the textbooks. They give you a few squares and count on you finding something else to write on. While I could write on plain lined paper, having little boxes makes it easier to write characters in a consistent size. Since I’m sure I’m not the only one who wishes there was more paper available, I’m making a PDF of my Hanzi practice paper available here.
Download the PDF by right-clicking and saving the Hanzi practice paper.
How to Make Chopsticks for Kids
I haven’t had time to start blogging about learning Mandarin yet, so in the meantime, here’s a fun video about making chopsticks for kids.
