HSK 3.0 Sample Papers: What Is in the Set

The official Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) 3.0 sample set is one ZIP. The listing has 33 entries: 3 folders and 30 files. Uncompressed, they total 400,624,547 bytes. On 20 October 2026 that file answered HTTP 200, at 395,322,335 bytes, last modified Wed, 09 Sep 2026 07:25:00 GMT. Names use fullwidth parentheses. There is no Level 1 or Level 2 speaking file, and no speaking answer key.

That archive is what a search for an HSK 3.0 sample paper should open. A file-by-file account of it is the gap. Mandarin Time School's download page lists separate PDFs and audio. Chinese Tools (chine.in) offers browser mocks. CrosslineEdu's sample page offers short diagnostics. None of those is the official 30-file set. This site does not host the PDFs or the MP3s.

The covers were compiled by 中外语言交流合作中心, the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC). CTI Co., Ltd. (CTI) links the ZIP from the HSK overview. The navigation label is Sample Questions, the download name is HSK3.0考试样题.zip, and the same menu also lists a syllabus and a competency profile. Those are other files. The overview calls the revision the new HSK, a move from the current six-level system to a "Three Stages, Nine Levels" framework covering elementary, intermediate, and advanced proficiency. It says the test assesses listening, speaking, reading, and writing, plus translation at advanced levels, and that question types, question counts, duration, and listening speed have been adjusted. It does not print the new counts. What is inside each paper is HSK 3.0 Exam Format: Questions and Timing. This page stops at the files.

HSK/ is papers and keys. HSK/音频 (yīnpín) is listening, plus one 7-9 speaking MP3. HSK口语 (kǒuyǔ) is Levels 3-6 only.

Download the ZIP from CTI

Open Sample Questions on the HSK overview, or use the archive address itself:

https://hsk-sample-1409982902.cos.ap-beijing.myqcloud.com/HSK3.0.zip

The Content-Length is the compressed file, about 395 MB. Unzipping produces 400,624,547 bytes, only a little more, because the archive is mostly audio. Adding the 12 MP3 sizes in the listing gives 393,229,722 bytes. Adding the 18 PDF sizes gives 7,394,825 bytes. Those sums are arithmetic on the listing, not a number printed on a cover. Names, bytes, and timestamps below are unzip -l of a local copy with that same length, read on 20 October 2026. Page counts are pdfinfo of the PDFs inside it. Playback length was not measured. Do not turn a file size into minutes.

The parentheses in the names are fullwidth, （ and ）, not ASCII. A search for HSK(一级) misses HSK（一级）. The 7-9 names put an em dash between 七 and 九. The written paper is stored as HSK/HSK（七—九级）样卷.pdf. The answer key and the two 7-9 audio files use that same 七—九级. A hyphen in a search box is not the stored name. The table spells those four paths with a hyphen. That hyphen is not the character in the file name. Bytes still match the listing.

Twelve MP3s are 393,229,722 bytes. Eighteen PDFs are 7,394,825. The download stays near 395 MB because the audio is already compressed.

The 30 files

Timestamps are what the ZIP stores. They are not a publication date for the overview. The Level 4 written PDF is the late one, 28 August 2026. Three audio files still carry 2025 stamps: Level 3 listening (22 August 2025), Level 4 listening (27 August 2025), and the 7-9 speaking MP3 (25 November 2025). The listing does not say why.

Path in the ZIP	Bytes	Pages or kind	Stored timestamp
HSK口语/	0	folder	2026-07-22 09:39
HSK口语/HSK（三级）口语样卷.mp3	39,212,034	Level 3 speaking audio	2026-07-20 15:47
HSK口语/HSK（三级）口语样卷.pdf	397,562	Level 3 speaking paper, 2 pages	2026-07-20 18:04
HSK口语/HSK（四级）口语样卷.mp3	51,300,459	Level 4 speaking audio	2026-07-20 17:08
HSK口语/HSK（四级）口语样卷.pdf	407,285	Level 4 speaking paper, 2 pages	2026-07-20 18:04
HSK口语/HSK（五级）口语样卷.mp3	58,775,659	Level 5 speaking audio	2026-07-20 16:50
HSK口语/HSK（五级）口语样卷.pdf	417,748	Level 5 speaking paper, 2 pages	2026-07-20 18:04
HSK口语/HSK（六级）口语样卷.mp3	58,215,594	Level 6 speaking audio	2026-07-20 17:06
HSK口语/HSK（六级）口语样卷.pdf	510,510	Level 6 speaking paper, 2 pages	2026-07-20 18:04
HSK/	0	folder	2026-07-31 08:39
HSK/HSK（一级）样卷.pdf	463,625	Level 1 written paper, 13 pages	2026-07-15 16:44
HSK/HSK（一级）样卷答案.pdf	71,337	Level 1 answer key, 1 page	2026-07-15 16:44
HSK/HSK（二级）样卷.pdf	587,048	Level 2 written paper, 19 pages	2026-07-15 17:43
HSK/HSK（二级）样卷答案.pdf	73,436	Level 2 answer key, 2 pages	2026-07-15 16:45
HSK/HSK（三级）样卷.pdf	433,896	Level 3 written paper, 17 pages	2026-07-15 17:40
HSK/HSK（三级）样卷答案.pdf	90,490	Level 3 answer key, 2 pages	2026-07-16 18:16
HSK/HSK（四级）样卷.pdf	299,939	Level 4 written paper, 15 pages	2026-08-28 17:13
HSK/HSK（四级）样卷答案.pdf	85,005	Level 4 answer key, 1 page	2026-07-16 18:18
HSK/HSK（五级）样卷.pdf	947,445	Level 5 written paper, 18 pages	2026-07-16 18:17
HSK/HSK（五级）样卷答案.pdf	74,330	Level 5 answer key, 1 page	2026-07-16 18:17
HSK/HSK（六级）样卷.pdf	1,743,397	Level 6 written paper, 18 pages	2026-07-16 18:39
HSK/HSK（六级）样卷答案.pdf	74,794	Level 6 answer key, 1 page	2026-07-15 16:54
HSK/HSK（七-九级）样卷.pdf	591,313	Levels 7-9 paper, 34 pages (hyphen is not stored)	2026-07-20 15:59
HSK/HSK（七-九级）样卷答案.pdf	125,665	Levels 7-9 answer key, 3 pages (hyphen is not stored)	2026-07-20 15:59
HSK/音频/	0	folder	2026-07-22 09:22
HSK/音频/HSK（一级）样卷.mp3	12,713,601	Level 1 listening	2026-07-15 14:25
HSK/音频/HSK（二级）样卷.mp3	17,098,829	Level 2 listening	2026-07-13 19:32
HSK/音频/HSK（三级）样卷.mp3	23,164,252	Level 3 listening	2025-08-22 13:48
HSK/音频/HSK（四级）样卷.mp3	20,304,994	Level 4 listening	2025-08-27 15:01
HSK/音频/HSK（五级）样卷.mp3	25,472,223	Level 5 listening	2026-07-13 21:04
HSK/音频/HSK（六级）样卷.mp3	30,328,909	Level 6 listening	2026-07-22 09:09
HSK/音频/HSK（七-九级）样卷听力.mp3	30,361,852	Levels 7-9 listening (hyphen is not stored)	2026-07-22 09:09
HSK/音频/HSK（七-九级）样卷口试.mp3	26,281,316	Levels 7-9 speaking audio (hyphen is not stored)	2025-11-25 19:15

The largest file is the Level 5 speaking MP3, 58,775,659 bytes. The largest PDF is the Level 6 written paper, 1,743,397 bytes and 18 pages. The smallest written paper is Level 4, 299,939 bytes and 15 pages. Every level from 1 through 7-9 has a written PDF, a 样卷答案 key, and a listening MP3 under HSK/音频/ (yīnpín, pinyin). 音频 means audio. That listening file belongs to the written paper. It is not, on its own, a speaking exam. Levels 7-9 add a second audio file in the same folder, named 口试 (kǒushì).

Levels 1 and 2 stop at the written paper. Levels 3 to 6 add a speaking pair. Levels 7-9 keep speaking inside the booklet.

Speaking files, and the levels that have none

HSK口语/ (kǒuyǔ) holds eight files: a 2-page PDF and an MP3 for Levels 3, 4, 5, and 6. There is no 样卷答案 beside them. Levels 1 and 2 have nothing in that folder and no speaking MP3 under 音频. An empty search means the set was built that way. HSK 3.0 Level 2: The Paper That Adds Writing is the written paper that adds 书写 (shūxiě) and still has no speaking file here. HSK 3.0 Level 3: First Paper With Speaking is the first level with a separate speaking PDF.

Levels 7-9 do not use that folder. Speaking is part 5 of the 34-page booklet. The cover says five parts, 91 items, and about 200 minutes. Part 5 is 口语, 5 items and about 20 minutes. Listening and speaking audio are the two MP3s named 听力 and 口试 in HSK/音频/. There is no speaking-only PDF. The 3-page key is the booklet's key, not a speaking rubric.

The English page at /HSK/7-9, fetched the same day, says 98 questions and about 210 minutes, and that Levels 7-9 are currently available only as an internet-based test. The ZIP still contains the paper PDF. Both documents are official. This page does not choose 91 or 98, and it does not walk the five parts. That comparison is the format post. Preparation times across levels are in HSK 3.0 Speaking Test: Parts and Times.

The HSK Speaking Test (HSKK) page describes three levels, elementary, intermediate, and advanced, recorded as audio. The paragraph fetched on 20 October 2026 gives no item counts and no minutes. The sample files are not named HSKK. They are 口语样卷 for Levels 3 to 6, and 口试 for the 7-9 audio. A page that labels those papers HSKK is using the other product's name.

Level 4 shows the two descriptions at once

One level is enough to see why a file from this ZIP and a CTI English page can disagree. The all-level table stays on the format post.

The Level 4 cover, 15 pages and 299,939 bytes, says three parts and 70 items. Listening is 32 items and about 20 minutes. Reading is 32 items and 30 minutes. 写作 (xiězuò) is 6 items and 25 minutes. After listening, 5 minutes to fill the answer sheet. The whole exam is about 85 minutes, including 5 minutes for personal information. HSK 3.0 Level 4: Words, Paper, and Speaking walks the items. The speaking pair is the 2-page PDF and MP3 in HSK口语/.

The CTI English Level 4 page, fetched 20 October 2026, still describes another paper. Prose: 100 questions, about 105 minutes, including 5 for personal information. The table totals 100 items and about 100 minutes: listening 45 items and about 30 minutes, answer sheet 5 minutes, reading 40 items and 40 minutes, writing 15 items and 25 minutes. It prints a local start time of 09:00. The sample cover does not.

That page also says a full score is 300, a cumulative 180 or above is a passing mark, and scores are valid for two years from the exam date. None of that is on the Level 4 cover or its 1-page key, and none of the other covers in this ZIP print a pass mark, a full score, or a score scale. The 180 out of 300 belongs to the paper that English page describes. Do not copy it onto the sample.

Level 4 only: 100 items on the CTI page, 70 on the sample cover. The pass mark stays on the page that prints it.

Level 2 is the sharp writing case on the same split: the English page has no writing section, and the sample adds 书写. When the cover and a webpage disagree, use the 注意 (zhùyì, "note") block on the file you are sitting. The format post lines up every level. One key quirk: that post notes the Level 2 answer key numbers the handwriting items differently from the paper. Use the paper's numbers. The key is a marking sheet, not a second item range.

Seven written keys, from 1 to 3 pages. No speaking key, and no pass mark on the samples.

Sit one paper, then a recognition check

A file from this ZIP can be a timed practice paper. It is not a registration, and it does not produce a report. The steps use Level 3 because that level has both a written trio and a speaking pair, and because the Level 3 guide already walks the item types. The same order works for the other files. Read the minutes off the cover you opened.

1. Download the ZIP from the CTI link. Do not take the files from a mirror.
2. Open HSK/HSK（三级）样卷.pdf (17 pages, 433,896 bytes) and HSK/音频/HSK（三级）样卷.mp3 (23,164,252 bytes). Leave the answer key closed. It is 2 pages and 90,490 bytes, for afterwards.
3. The Level 3 cover says the exam is about 83 minutes, including 5 minutes for personal information, with 5 minutes to fill the answer sheet after listening. Set one timer for that total. Start the MP3 with the listening section, and do not pause it to look words up if this sitting is a mock. Other levels' section minutes are on the format post.
4. When the timer ends, open the key and mark listening and reading. Compare writing with what the key prints. The key has no point scale, so a match is not a score and not a pass.
5. For speaking, open HSK口语/HSK（三级）口语样卷.pdf (2 pages, 397,562 bytes) and its MP3 (39,212,034 bytes). Set that timer from the minutes on the speaking cover. There is no speaking key. The cross-level preparation times are the speaking post.
6. Later, use Chinese Copilot's free HSK 3.0 level test. It is a recognition estimate: 119 words drawn fresh each run, 17 from each of Levels 1 to 6 and 17 from the combined Levels 7-9 list. You mark whether you recognize the word. There is no account. Answers stay in the browser. It typically takes 5 to 10 minutes. The result is an approximate level from 1 to 6, or the combined HSK 7-9 range, plus a stage label. It does not play the sample MP3, mark the PDF, or predict a pass. Word sources and thresholds are on the methodology page. How to Estimate Your HSK Level separates a recognition check, a timed paper, and graded reading. This ZIP is the timed paper. The test is the recognition check.

Download, timer, key, then the recognition test. The test does not score the PDF.

Level 2 skips the speaking step. The Level 2 guide covers handwriting. Level 4's cover total is about 85 minutes including 5, and the Level 4 guide covers the items. Levels 1, 5, and 6 use the same rule: the cover you opened is the timer. This site does not have a Level 1, Level 5, or Level 6 guide. The format post has those rows. The lists are not in the ZIP. The guides' lists are the Level 2 list, the Level 3 list, and the Level 4 list. The word-list index points at the others. A list is syllabus entries with pinyin and English, not a sample PDF.

For Levels 7-9, time the booklet from its own cover, about 200 minutes, and play the 口试 MP3 for speaking. The English page's about 210 minutes is the other document.

Pages that are not this ZIP

Mandarin Time School's page, fetched 20 October 2026, labels a Level 1 PDF "Download PDF • 423KB" and a Level 6 PDF "Download PDF • 416KB". In the official ZIP the Level 1 written PDF is 463,625 bytes and the Level 6 written PDF is 1,743,397 bytes. Neither label is that file: 423KB is not 463,625 bytes, and 416KB is not the Level 6 paper in this archive. That page also groups speaking samples under an HSKK heading for levels 3 to 6, which is not the file name in HSK口语/. It does not publish this 30-file listing.

Chinese Tools' index is browser papers with audio on the page. The cards say 40 questions and 32 min, 60 and 52, 70 and 73, 70 and 75, 72 and 100, 82 and 115, and 91 and 180. The question counts match the covers, including 91 at Levels 7-9. The minutes do not. The Level 4 card says 75 min. The Level 4 cover says about 85 minutes, including 5 for personal information. The page also says the renewed format is due from July 2026. That sentence is theirs. It is not on the sample covers, and it is not on the overview that links the ZIP.

CrosslineEdu's page is titled as free official sample exams for levels 1 to 9. The cards fetched the same day are shorter than the papers: Level 1 is 20 questions, Level 2 is 25, Level 3 is 30, Level 4 is 40, Level 5 is 35, Level 6 is 40, and Levels 7-9 are 40. The covers are 40, 60, 70, 70, 72, 82, and 91 items. A 20-question diagnostic can still be practice. It is not HSK/HSK（一级）样卷.pdf, 13 pages, with 40 items on the cover. "Official" in that title is the page's own label.

The ZIP is the file inventory. The other three pages are a download list, a browser mock, and a short diagnostic.

After the paper, the next step on this site is the recognition test, then the word list for the level you sat. Nothing in the sample set tells you that you passed.

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

Sources

• Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, English Wikipedia, fetched 20 October 2026. Secondary overview of the exam's name. Not a source for file sizes or item counts.
• Pinyin, English Wikipedia, fetched 20 October 2026. Secondary overview of the romanization used for 音频 and 口语.
• HSK overview, CTI Co., Ltd., chinesetest.cn, fetched 20 October 2026. Sample Questions links the ZIP under the download name HSK3.0考试样题.zip. The new HSK is described as three stages and nine levels, without item counts.
• Official sample ZIP, Tencent COS, linked from the HSK overview. HEAD on 20 October 2026: HTTP 200, Content-Length 395,322,335, Last-Modified Wed, 09 Sep 2026 07:25:00 GMT. The 33-entry listing, byte sizes, and stored timestamps are unzip -l of a local file of that length. Page counts are pdfinfo of the PDFs inside it.
• HSK (Level 4), chinesetest.cn, fetched 20 October 2026. 100 questions, about 105 minutes including 5, table total about 100, passing mark 180 out of 300 for the paper that page describes.
• HSK (Levels 7-9), chinesetest.cn, fetched 20 October 2026. 98 questions, about 210 minutes, and the sentence that the test is currently available only as an internet-based test. Set beside the sample cover's 91 items and about 200 minutes, not instead of it.
• HSK Speaking Test (HSKK), chinesetest.cn, fetched 20 October 2026. Three levels, audio recording. No item counts or minutes in the fetched overview paragraph.
• Mandarin Time School, HSK 3.0 mock download, third party, fetched 20 October 2026. Separate PDFs, including a Level 6 file labeled 416KB, and speaking files labeled HSKK. Not the 30-file listing.
• Chinese Tools, HSK 3.0 mock tests, third party, fetched 20 October 2026. Browser papers. Card minutes include 75 min at Level 4. The July 2026 sentence on that page is not on the sample covers.
• CrosslineEdu, HSK 3.0 sample exams, third party, fetched 20 October 2026. Diagnostics and short mocks of 20 to 40 questions. Not the cover item counts.