Kevin scowled in frustration at the paper before him. In sharp contrast to his university program, which seemed happy just to have foreign students and blindly passed them through the ranks, this test was proving to be a real challenge. The gaps in his knowledge of Chinese grammar and his poor vocabulary were being exposed one after the other. The next time, Kevin told himself, he would come more prepared.

Regardless whether you need the HSK to attend university in China like Kevin, or to get a job with a major employer in Asia, you should take the test seriously as a signpost for your competence in Chinese. HSK questions measure comprehension on a wide range of grammar and vocabulary points. There are many questions of language usage that others may never correct you on in conversation, but that signal poor language acquisition. Using these tests to identify your weak points and correct them is a convenient and easy way to avoid plateauing in your language studies.