Let us be completely honest: the advanced HSK is a very difficult test, and in many ways it holds you to a higher standard of proficiency than needed for conversational fluency. That is bad news if you're here simply to get a piece of paper that says you can speak Chinese.

The good news is that if you have come this far, you are already a winner. One of our pedagogical goals with our advanced materials at Popup Chinese is to help push you past the intermediate plateau that can develop should you communicate largely in your comfort zone. We embrace the HSK for the same reason we embrace film, literature and music: it is an excellent tool for pushing yourself forward. And with that in mind, we hope you find the following fifteen questions challenging and rewarding.