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Chinese Copilot

How to Read Your HSK Placement Result

A walkthrough of the HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0 results pages on Chinese Copilot, with the rule behind your level, worked examples, and next steps.

By Chinese CopilotLast reviewed ≈9 min read

On this page
  1. 1. The headline
  2. 2. "You marked X of 120 sample words as known"
  3. 3. "Per-level breakdown": the bars that decide your level
  4. 4. The caveat, Retake, and Share
  5. 5. The HSK 3.0 link
  6. Reading your HSK 3.0 result
  7. What the page does not show
  8. What to do next
  9. Sources

You clicked through the 120 words of the HSK 2.0 test and landed on a results page with a big level and a row of bars, each marked Meets line or Below line. The last bar, called Beyond, is a small sample from the Levels 7–9 list of the GF 0025-2021 standard, published in 2021 by China's Ministry of Education (a different list from the 2025 exam syllabus). This post goes through that page from top to bottom, then does the same for the HSK 3.0 test. Terms such as band and Beyond are defined in the methodology glossary.

Chinese Copilot HSK 2.0 results page showing HSK 2.0 Level 3 (Pre-intermediate) with per-level bars: HSK 1–3 at 100% and marked Meets line, HSK 4 at 12/20 (60%), HSK 5, HSK 6 and Beyond (GF 0025-2021 Levels 7–9) at 0% and marked Below line, each with a tick at that level's own line, a "Needs 65% for HSK 4" note under the HSK 4 bar, and a sentence explaining that HSK 4 needs 65%

The HSK 2.0 results page rendered from the site's built-in demo answer set: every HSK 1–3 word marked known, 12 of the 20 HSK 4 words, nothing above that. Captured from chinesecopilot.app on 2026-09-27. It is a sample profile, not a real learner's result.

1. The headline

The large label (here HSK 2.0 Level 3, with the level name "Pre-intermediate" under it) is your estimated level on the six-level HSK 2.0 scale. The sentence below it states the thresholds you met ("You met the thresholds for HSK 3: HSK 1–2 each at 80% or more and HSK 3 at 65% or more.") and suggests a next step. Possible results run from Below HSK 2.0 Level 1 through HSK 2.0 Level 6, plus HSK 2.0 Level 6+.

It is based only on which words you said you recognize. It says nothing about listening, speaking, or writing, and it is not an official HSK result. Official scores only come from sittings registered through CTI Co., Ltd. (CTI), which organizes the HSK.

2. "You marked X of 120 sample words as known"

This is the raw count, here 60 of 120. On its own it doesn't decide your level, because a known word in the HSK 1 band and one in the HSK 6 band count the same here.

The same line ends with Rough vocabulary: about 960 words in the example, followed by a "How the estimate works →" link. That figure multiplies each band's hit rate by an assumed band size and adds the results up, counting only bands up to one level above your result (HSK 1–4 for an HSK 3 result). The example works out to 150 + 150 + 300 + 360 = 960. It is deliberately secondary: in this example each HSK 4 click moves it by 600 ÷ 20 = 30 words, and clicks in HSK 5 and above don't count at all for an HSK 3 result. The full formula and the cap are on the methodology page, and Chinese Vocabulary Size vs HSK Level explains why a total and a level are different numbers.

3. "Per-level breakdown": the bars that decide your level

Each bar is one band: HSK 1 to HSK 6 from the HSK 2.0 lists, plus Beyond HSK 6, the 12-word sample from the GF 0025-2021 Levels 7–9 list. The numbers on the right are known / sampled · percent. On a phone you see the percentage on the right and "X of Y known" under the bar. A small tick on each bar marks that level's own line, listed in one line above the bars: "Lines: HSK 1 50% · HSK 2–6 65% · Beyond 55%". A label next to the numbers says Meets line or Below line, so you don't have to judge from the colors. A bar that is holding back the next level also gets a short line under it saying what it needs.

A bar can meet its own line and still not count. HSK 1 at 70% and HSK 2 at 80% both meet their lines, but the result is HSK 2.0 Level 1, because HSK 2 also needs HSK 1 at 80% or more. In that case the HSK 1 bar reads "Needs 80% for HSK 2", the sentence under the bars names it ("HSK 2 needs HSK 1 at 80% or more and HSK 2 itself at 65% or more. HSK 1 is at 70%."), and a note right below that sentence explains the mismatch ("A bar can meet its line while its level isn't placed: each level also needs every level below it at 80% or more.").

In short, your headline comes from these bars like this:

  • If HSK 1 is under 50%, the result is Below HSK 1.
  • You reach HSK N when every lower band is at 80% or more and band N is at 65% or more.
  • The check starts at HSK 1, moves up one level at a time, and stops at the first level that fails.
  • HSK 6 plus 55% or more on Beyond gives HSK 6+ (approaching 7–9).

Skipped words count as unknown. These thresholds are our own heuristics, not official cut scores. The full rules, with another example, are on the methodology page.

The example, step by step. HSK 1, 2 and 3 are all at 100%, so HSK 3 passes easily. For HSK 4, the lower bands are fine, but HSK 4 itself is 12/20 = 60%, just under the 65% line. The check stops and the headline is HSK 2.0 Level 3. The HSK 4 bar reads "Needs 65% for HSK 4". The sentence under the bars says the same thing: "HSK 4 needs HSK 1–3 each at 80% or more and HSK 4 itself at 65% or more. HSK 4 is at 60%." One more known HSK 4 word (13/20 = 65%) would have made it HSK 4. So the headline can sit right on a boundary, and the bars tell you more than the label. The band right after your level (here HSK 4 at 60%) is where your next study block pays off most.

4. The caveat, Retake, and Share

A short note under the bars repeats the limits: the result is an estimate from self-reported recognition, not an official HSK score. A "How the scoring works →" link below it leads to the methodology page.

  • Retake test clears your answers and starts again from the first word. It is the same 120 words in the same order, so a quick retake mostly measures whether you remember them.
  • Share result opens your device's share sheet, or copies a line like "My estimated HSK 2.0 level: HSK 2.0 Level 3 (Pre-intermediate) from a Chinese Copilot word-recognition check. Not an official exam."
  • Your answers live in this tab's session storage and aren't sent to an account. Close the tab and the result is gone, so share or note it first if you want to compare later.

Under the buttons, one line says "HSK 2.0 levels don't convert directly to HSK 3.0 levels." and links to the HSK 3.0 test. It is a pointer, not a second score: HSK 3.0 levels group words differently, so a 2.0 level can't be treated as the same 3.0 level, and the separate test is built from the word list of the 2025 official HSK exam syllabus (Levels 1–9). The two frameworks have different list sizes at the same level number; Chinese Vocabulary Size vs HSK Level has the official counts. If you study with HSK 3.0 materials, take the HSK 3.0 Placement Test, covered below.

Reading your HSK 3.0 result

The HSK 3.0 test draws 17 random words per level from a filtered subset of the word list in the 2025 HSK exam syllabus, published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC). There are seven groups: Levels 1–6 and one group for Levels 7–9, which share a single list. That makes 119 words, and each run draws a new set.

Chinese Copilot HSK 3.0 results page showing HSK 3.0 Level 3 (Elementary · Level 3), 62 of 119 sampled words known, rough vocabulary of about 1,529 words, and per-level bars: Levels 1 and 2 at 100% and Level 3 at 88%, marked Meets line; Level 4 at 58%, Level 5 at 17%, Level 6 and Levels 7–9 at 0%, marked Below line; a "Needs 65% for Level 4" note under the Level 4 bar; and a sentence explaining that Level 4 needs 65%

The HSK 3.0 results page for a sample answer set entered for this screenshot (17, 17, 15, 10, 3, 0 and 0 known per group). Captured from chinesecopilot.app on 2026-09-27. It is a sample profile, not a real learner's result.

  • Headline. "HSK 3.0 Level 3" with the level name "Elementary · Level 3", which also names the official stage (Elementary 1–3, Intermediate 4–6, Advanced 7–9). The sentence under it states the thresholds you met: "You met the thresholds for Level 3: Levels 1–2 each at 80% or more and Level 3 at 65% or more."
  • Raw count. "You marked 62 of 119 sampled words as known."
  • Rough vocabulary. "Rough vocabulary: about 1,529 words", out of the syllabus list's 11,000 entries. The same cap applies as in the 2.0 test: a Level 3 result counts Levels 1–4 only, so the three known Level 5 words add nothing, and the Levels 7–9 group counts only from a Level 6 result. The sum is 300 + 200 + 500 × 15/17 + 1,000 × 10/17 ≈ 1,529, using the syllabus's per-level entry counts.
  • Bars. The rules are the same as for the 2.0 test. Level 3 is at 88%, and Levels 1–2 are above 80%, so Level 3 passes. Level 4 is at 10/17 (58.8%, shown as 58% because the page rounds down so a score never looks like it meets a line it misses), below 65%, so the result stays at Level 3. The Level 4 bar reads "Needs 65% for Level 4", and the sentence under the bars reads "Level 4 needs Levels 1–3 each at 80% or more and Level 4 itself at 65% or more. Level 4 is at 58%." One or two more known Level 4 words would change that, which is why the bars matter more than the headline.
  • Retake with new words starts a fresh run with a new random draw, so a retake can land a level higher or lower, especially near a threshold.
  • Share result copies a line like "My estimated HSK 3.0 level: HSK 3.0 Level 3 (Elementary · Level 3) from a Chinese Copilot word-recognition check. Not an official exam."
  • At the bottom, a link offers the HSK 2.0 test if you need a level on the six-level scale.

What the page does not show

The HSK 2.0 results page does not list which words you marked unknown, and neither does the HSK 3.0 page. Neither breaks results down by topic or grammar. They show per-level totals only, so don't expect a personalized word list.

What to do next

  1. Find your first weak band. Read the bars from the top (HSK 1) down. The first band under 80% is the one holding your level back; the sentence under the bars names it. If every band up to your level is at 80% or more, the next band is your target.
  2. Study that band's vocabulary from a full list. The tests sample only 12–20 words per band. The HSK 2.0 test draws from the open complete-hsk-vocabulary dataset (HSK 2.0 lists for levels 1–6 and the GF 0025-2021 Levels 7–9 list for Beyond). Any HSK-leveled textbook or word list for your target level works. If you are preparing for the new exam, study from the 2025 syllabus list.
  3. Check the result against real material. Read a graded text or try a practice paper at your headline level and one level up. How to Estimate Your HSK Level compares these kinds of evidence.
  4. Pick materials by the framework your course uses. If it follows the 2025 syllabus, use the HSK 3.0 result and compare word lists rather than level numbers.
  5. If you need an official score, book a real sitting. A screenshot of this page is not proof for a university or scholarship. See What HSK Level Do You Need to Study in China?.
  6. Retest after a real study block, not the next day, and use the same "Know" standard as before.

For what each HSK level looks like in everyday use, see HSK Level Meaning Explained (1–6 & 7–9). Haven't taken a test yet? Start the free HSK 2.0 Placement Test.

Sources

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