HSK 3.0 by the Numbers

How many questions are on HSK 3.0 depends on which official document you open. The sample covers for the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), compiled by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), print 40, 60, 70, 70, 72, 82, and 91 items, and about 40, 60, 83, 85, 110, 125, and 200 minutes. The English level pages on the site of CTI Co., Ltd. (CTI) still print 40, 60, 80, 100, 100, 101, and 98 questions, and about 40, 55, 90, 105, 125, 140, and 210 minutes. This page is one sourced line per count. It does not merge the two papers.

The covers sit in the sample set named HSK3.0考试样题.zip on the HSK overview. That page calls the revision a move to a "Three Stages, Nine Levels" framework covering elementary, intermediate, and advanced, and it does not assign 1-3, 4-6, or 7-9 to those names. It lists listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation at advanced levels, and it says question types, the number of questions, duration, and listening speed have changed. It prints neither the new counts nor 13 December 2026. It says the syllabus covers tasks, topics, vocabulary, grammar, and Chinese characters. The framework comparison is in HSK 2.0 vs HSK 3.0: What's Changing?.

Each line below names its document and links the post that owns the argument. Item and minute totals, including the section split, live in HSK 3.0 Exam Format. Word-list columns live in Chinese Vocabulary Size vs HSK Level. Dates live in Should You Take HSK 2.0 or HSK 3.0 in 2026?. The 91-item cover beside the 98-item page lives in What Is HSK 7-9?. 字 beside 词 lives in Chinese Characters vs Words. The ZIP inventory lives in HSK 3.0 Sample Papers. Speaking times live in HSK 3.0 Speaking Test.

Cover totals only: 40, 60, 70, 70, 72, 82, then 91 items and about 200 minutes for Levels 7-9.

What other pages were still leading with

On 20 October 2026 these third-party pages were still leading with a 2021-style word column. Hanzijo, updated 9 August 2026, calls 500, 1,272, 2,245, 3,245, 4,316, 5,456, and 11,092 the current HSK 3.0 standard. Vision Chinese heads a table "HSK 3.0" and attributes it to the 2021 standard GF 0025-2021, with a word column from 500 to 11,092. China Education Center still prints 500, 1,272, 2,245, 3,245, 4,316, 5,456, and 11,092. Hanlexon prints those same early counts and 11,092, and says CLEC has not yet announced a full launch date. The launch notice names 13 December 2026. The column comparison is in the vocabulary-size post. This page does not reprint a character cell from those tables.

China Education Center's Level 3 page still says 80 questions and about 90 minutes, which is the CTI English page, not the sample cover's 70 items and about 83 minutes. Fluentide prints 40, 60, 70, 70, 72, and 82 items for Levels 1 to 6 and the 13 December 2026 date. The extract does not print 91 or 98. Second Language prints 98 questions and about 210 minutes for Levels 7-9, and states a speaking pairing for Levels 3 to 6 as a general fact. That pairing is on the trial notice, not the launch notice.

Syllabus counts

The 2025 syllabus PDF is 《中文水平考试 HSK 考试大纲》, Syllabus for the Chinese Proficiency Test. The cover prints 2025-11 发布 and 2026-07 实施, issued by 中外语言交流合作中心. The 2026-07 line is the implementation date on that cover, not the exam date. The vocabulary outline is one numbered list from 1 to 11,000. A cumulative figure in the table is the last sequence number of that slice, not a second list. Levels 7-9 are one slice, not three lists. Parenthetical tags such as 1（4） stay inside the earlier slice's numbers.

Slice	New entries	Last number	Endpoints	Homes
Level 1	300	300	爱 to 做饭	Level 1, list
Level 2	200	500	啊 to 左边	Level 2, list
Level 3	500	1,000	阿姨 to 作业	Level 3, list
Level 4	1,000	2,000	啊 to 作者	Level 4, list
Level 5	1,600	3,600	哎 to 作出	Level 5, list
Level 6	1,800	5,400	岸 to 罪	Level 6, list
Levels 7-9	5,600	11,000	挨 to 做主	What Is HSK 7-9?, list

Each row is that syllabus slice, and the level guide linked in the row is the home for it. Older columns are only in Chinese Vocabulary Size vs HSK Level. The grammar outline does not state a point total, and this page does not invent one. No CEFR column was found in the 2025 syllabus or on the launch notice.

Sequence numbers on one list: 300, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,600, 5,400, 11,000. The 2021 standard is a different document.

Character lists

Recognition lists, 认读字 (rèndúzì) in pinyin, restart at 1. New counts are 246, 125, 284, 441, 431, 413, and 1,148. The syllabus does not print a running total. The sum column adds them: 246, 371, 655, 1,096, 1,527, 1,940, 3,088. Those sums are not headings. 字 and 词 are different outlines: Chinese Characters vs Words. Handwriting lists, 书写字 (shūxiězì), also restart at 1. Levels 1 and 2 share one list of 100, and Level 2 has no separate list. The sums, not printed, are 100 through Level 2, then 250, 400, 550, 700, and 1,200. The 1,200 on this page is that addition only.

List	New 认读字	Sum so far	New 书写字	Sum so far	Level home
Level 1	246	246	100, shared with Level 2	100	Level 1
Level 2	125	371	no separate list	100	Level 2
Level 3	284	655	150	250	Level 3
Level 4	441	1,096	150	400	Level 4
Level 5	431	1,527	150	550	Level 5
Level 6	413	1,940	150	700	Level 6
Levels 7-9	1,148	3,088	500	1,200	What Is HSK 7-9?

Sums are additions: recognition 3,088 and handwriting 1,200. Level 2 has no separate 书写字 list.

Sample-cover item totals

No sample cover states a pass mark. Minutes marked 约 are approximate. Levels 1 to 6 include 5 minutes for personal information in the cover total. The Levels 7-9 cover does not. Section rows, and where CTI prose sits 5 minutes above that page's table, are in exam format.

Level 1 cover: 40 items, 听力 20 in about 12 minutes, 阅读 20 in 20, answer sheet 3, about 40 including 5, no writing. Home: Level 1.

Level 2 cover: 60 items, 听力 25 in about 17, 阅读 25 in 25, 书写 (shūxiě) 10 in 10, answer sheet 3, about 60 including 5. The section is 书写, not 写作. Home: Level 2.

Level 2 answer file: 书写 is numbered 54-58 then 59-63, while the paper labels items 51-60. Use the paper. Home: sample papers.

Level 3 cover: 70 items, 听力 30 in about 23, 阅读 30 in 30, 书写 10 in 20, answer sheet 5, about 83 including 5. Home: Level 3.

Level 4 cover: 70 items, 听力 32 in about 20, 阅读 32 in 30, 写作 6 in 25, answer sheet 5, about 85 including 5. Home: Level 4.

Level 5 cover: 72 items, 听力 35 in about 25, 阅读 35 in 35, 写作 2 in 40, answer sheet 5, about 110 including 5. Home: Level 5.

Level 6 cover: 82 items, 听力 40 in about 30, 阅读 40 in 40, 写作 2 in 45, answer sheet 5, about 125 including 5. Home: Level 6.

Speaking files exist for Levels 3 to 6 only, listed in sample papers. No Level 1 or Level 2 speaking file.

Level 3 speaking cover: 15 items, about 15 minutes including 6 of preparation (听后重复 8, 看图说话 5, 回答问题 2). Home: speaking test.

Level 4 speaking cover: 5 items, about 20 including 10 (听后复述 2, 看图说话 1, 回答问题 2). Home: speaking test.

Levels 5 and 6 speaking covers: 5 items each, about 23 including 10, the same three part names as Level 4. Home: speaking test.

Written floors on the item are not pass marks. Level 4 item 70 asks for at least 80 字. Level 5 item 71 asks for at least 100 字 and item 72 for at least 200 字. Level 6 item 81 asks for at least 150 字 and item 82 for at least 300 字. Home: exam format.

91 items and about 200 minutes on the sample cover, beside 98 items and about 210 minutes on the English page.

Levels 7-9, two headers

Sample cover: five parts, 91 items, about 200 minutes. 听力 40 in about 33, 阅读 40 in 50, 写作 2 in 55, 翻译 4 in about 42, 口语 5 in about 20. Home: What Is HSK 7-9?.

The cover and its item lines disagree, and this page does not reconcile them. Items 83 and 84 are limited to 35 minutes, and items 85 and 86 are 2 minutes each, adding to 39 against the cover's about 42. Items 87 to 91 are 3 minutes, 30 seconds, 30 seconds, 2 minutes, and 3 minutes, adding to 9, with no preparation time printed, against the cover's about 20.

Item 81 asks for at least 200 字 in 15 minutes, and item 82 for at least 600 字 in 40 minutes. Those lines are instructions, not a pass mark.

/HSK/7-9, fetched 20 October 2026, says 98 questions and about 210 minutes: listening 40 in about 30, reading 47 in 60, writing 2 in 55, translation 4 in 41, speaking 5 in about 24, 67 objective and 31 subjective. Listening is 40 items on both documents. The page says the exam is currently internet-based only. The sample set includes a paper PDF. Level setting cites the 2021 standard GF 0025-2021 and the labels "Below HSK (Level 7)", "HSK (Level 7)", "HSK (Level 8)", and "HSK (Level 9)", with each skill from 0 to 100 and no printed cut. The launch notice does not say which document 13 December 2026 uses.

For Levels 1 to 6, CTI prose minutes are about 40, 55, 90, 105, 125, and 140, and the tables on those pages are about 35, 50, 85, 100, 120, and 135. The extra 5 minutes are personal information. They do not explain the sample-cover times. Section rows live in exam format. Pass marks on the same pages, for the papers those pages describe: Levels 1 and 2 are 120 of 200, valid two years, and Level 2 prose is listening and reading only (/HSK/1, /HSK/2). Levels 3 and 4 are 180 of 300, valid two years (/HSK/3, /HSK/4). Levels 5 and 6 state a full score of 300 and two-year validity, and no passing mark (/HSK/5, /HSK/6). Sample covers and the launch notice state none of these marks.

Launch date and the two deadlines

The launch notice, id 51336883, is titled that HSK 3.0 will be officially launched worldwide on 13 December 2026. Section 01 gives the test date as 13 December 2026 and does not give a local start time. Section 02, Beijing time, says paper-based registration runs from now until 24:00 on 16 November 2026, and computer-based registration runs from now until 24:00 on 3 December 2026. The notice does not name the day "from now" began. Registration is at www.chinesetest.cn. Further information is promised on that site and on the WeChat account HKGJ-CTI. The booking argument for that sitting is in Should You Take HSK 2.0 or HSK 3.0 in 2026?.

Two Beijing-time deadlines, then 13 December 2026. The notice does not name an opening day.

What that notice does not say

The launch notice does not state speaking pairing, score timing, score validity, a pass mark, or a fee. It does not say whether 13 December 2026 uses the sample covers or the CTI English pages. It does not name a last date for the six-level papers, and it does not print a 2027 calendar. Those lines stay off this sitting. The booking choice is in the dates post.

Printed: the date and two deadlines. Silent: pairing, score timing, validity, pass mark, and fees.

Trial numbers, kept on the trial

The notice at chinesetest.cn/notice is the second global trial on 20 September 2026, not the launch. Paper registration ran from 9:00 on 3 August 2026 to 24:00 on 24 August 2026, Beijing time. Computer and internet registration ran from 9:00 on 3 August 2026 to 24:00 on 10 September 2026. For that trial only, Levels 3 to 6 register with the speaking test of the same level. Second Language states that pairing as a general fact. The launch notice does not. Home: HSK 3.0 Speaking Test.

Trial clocks are local time, match the sample-cover totals, and omit Levels 7-9. Level 1 at 14:00, about 40 minutes. Level 2 at 9:00, about 60. Level 3 written at 14:00, about 83, speaking at 16:20, about 15. Level 4 written at 9:00, about 85, speaking at 11:30, about 20. Level 5 written at 14:00, about 110, speaking at 16:20, about 23. Level 6 written at 9:00, about 125, speaking at 11:30, about 23. The note includes 5 minutes for personal information, 3 to 5 for the answer sheet, and preparation inside the speaking time. These are not a start time for 13 December 2026. Home: Should You Take HSK 2.0 or HSK 3.0 in 2026?.

For that trial only, computer and internet scores come out 15 days later and paper scores 30 days later, plus one week if a public holiday falls in between. The trial score report is valid for two years, and the trial does not provide a diagnostic report. The launch notice does not copy these lines. The trial fee table prints no currency. Level 3 plus Level 3 speaking equals HSK（三级） plus HSK口语（初级）. Level 4 plus Level 4 speaking equals HSK（四级） plus HSK口语（中级）. Levels 5 and 6 plus speaking equal the same written level plus HSK口语（高级）. Levels 1 and 2 fees are unchanged; ask the center. Those equations are not a launch fee.

A recognition check is not one of these counts

Chinese Copilot's HSK 3.0 test is a recognition check: 119 words, 17 drawn from each of the seven syllabus slices, a fresh draw each run. The result is an estimate, Level 1 through 6 or the combined HSK 7-9 range. It does not predict a pass mark or a score report. How the estimate is made is on the methodology page. The counts above stay attached to the document that printed them.

More on the new exam, level by level, is in our HSK 3.0 guide.

Sources

• HSK overview: About the New HSK, CTI Co., Ltd., chinesetest.cn, fetched 20 October 2026. Three stages and nine levels without a digit map, five skills, five syllabus components, and the download name HSK3.0考试样题.zip. No item counts and no 13 December 2026 date on this page.
• HSK (Level 1), Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, Level 5, Level 6, and Levels 7-9, chinesetest.cn, fetched 20 October 2026. Prose totals, table totals, and the score paragraphs for the papers those pages describe. The 7-9 page also states 98 items, about 210 minutes, the 0-100 report scores, and the 2021 standard GF 0025-2021.
• HSK 3.0 will be officially launched worldwide on December 13, 2026, CTI notice id 51336883. Test date and the two Beijing-time registration deadlines. No speaking pairing, score timing, validity, pass mark, or fee.
• HSK 3.0 second global trial notice, chinesetest.cn, in Chinese. 20 September 2026 durations, the trial-only speaking pairing for Levels 3 to 6, the 15-day and 30-day score lines, the two-year validity for that trial, and the fee equations with no currency.
• Syllabus for the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK), Center for Language Education and Cooperation, published November 2025, implementation date July 2026 printed on the cover (PDF, in Chinese). One word list from 1 to 11,000, the recognition and handwriting lists, and a grammar outline with no stated point total.
• Official sample covers inside the ZIP named on the HSK overview, read 20 October 2026. Written covers for Levels 1 to 6 and Levels 7-9, speaking covers for Levels 3 to 6 only, the Level 2 answer-file numbering, the character floors, and the 7-9 translation and speaking time pairs. The stored advanced-paper name uses an em dash between 七 and 九.
• Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, Pinyin, and Chinese characters, English Wikipedia. Secondary overviews of the exam name, the romanization, and 字. Not a source for item counts or list sizes.
• Third-party pages compared on 20 October 2026, not used as the source of official numbers: Hanzijo, Vision Chinese, China Education Center quantitative criteria, China Education Center Level 3, Fluentide, Hanlexon, and Second Language.