Free Mandarin test

Test your Chinese level

From the four tones and 个 to 何况 and classical 勿: a Mandarin test that starts at A0 and goes up a level each time you get three of five right. Pinyin is shown up to A2. About 10 minutes, no account, your result at once.

Starts easy and gets harder as long as you keep getting answers right
About 10 minutes, up to 35 questions
Free, no sign-up, instant result from A0 to C2

What each level asks about

A0: tones and tone changes, greetings, pronouns, 是, 吗 and 呢, 二 or 两
A1: 很 with adjectives, measure words, 的, 有 and 没有, 不 or 没, 了, 在 for place
A2: 过, 着, 是…的, 比, result and potential complements, 的, 地 or 得, 把
B1: 被, 连…都, 除了, 只有…才, 越来越, 不得不, 既然 and 以为
B2: written connectors, 要不是 and 万一, 并 for emphasis, 导致, 宁可…也不, chengyu
C1: written register (均, 于), 何况, 未必 and 不至于, 难道, formal notices, slang
C2: classical forms such as 勿, literary devices, puns, academic and official collocations

The levels, A0 to C2

Results use the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), the same A1 to C2 scale as the course, with A0 for a complete beginner. Next to each level is the course's rough HSK equivalent.

A0 · Beginner (about HSK 1–2): You're at the very start: a few words, maybe greetings.
A1 · Elementary (about HSK 1–2): You can introduce yourself, ask simple questions and handle very basic exchanges.
A2 · Pre-intermediate (about HSK 3): You can manage routine tasks: shopping, directions, talking about your day and your past.
B1 · Intermediate (about HSK 4): You can get by while travelling, tell a story and give your opinion on familiar topics.
B2 · Upper intermediate (about HSK 5): You can follow most conversations and argue a point with some fluency.
C1 · Advanced (about HSK 6 and above): You express yourself fluently and flexibly, including for work and study.
C2 · Mastery (about HSK 6 and above): You understand virtually everything and express fine shades of meaning.

See the free Chinese course, level by level

Questions

How does the Chinese level test work?

Five questions at A0 come first: tones, 是 and 吗, and 两 before a measure word. Get three of them right and you move up to A1, then A2 and on towards C2. You may fall short on one level and still carry on; a second miss stops the test, and you get the highest level you passed.

Do I need to read characters?

Not at the start. Up to A2 every Chinese sentence has its pinyin with tone marks beside it, as in the course's own lessons. From B1 the questions are in Simplified characters only, like the practice questions in the B1 lessons.

Does it test tones and measure words?

Yes. The A0 questions ask which tone 不 and 一 take before another syllable and which syllable means mother, and measure words such as 本, 杯, 双 and 条 come up at A1 and A2. Listening and speaking aren't part of this test, so it can't check how you say the tones.

What HSK level is my result?

The course gives rough HSK equivalents: A0–A1 about HSK 1–2, A2 about HSK 3, B1 about HSK 4, B2 about HSK 5, and C1–C2 HSK 6 and above. The HSK and the CEFR measure different things, so read it as a guide, not a score. For an official result, sit the HSK itself.

Where do the questions come from, and what happens next?

Each one is a practice question from SparkAI's hand-written Mandarin lessons, picked because it has a single right answer and real Chinese words as the wrong choices. The button under your result opens the Mandarin course with that level ready to choose. It's free and needs no account.