HSK 1 needs about 150 words, HSK 2 about 300 - enough for greetings, self-introductions, ordering food and asking directions. A happy starting point for Chinese.
HSK 1: 20 listening + 20 reading items, about 40 minutes, 200 points total, pass at 120. HSK 2: 35 listening + 25 reading, about 55 minutes.
Key to preparation: 1-2 vocabulary is all high-frequency life words (ni, wo, ta, chi, he, qu, lai). Use flashcards or apps (Anki, Duolingo) at 20 words a day; nail pinyin and tones early.
Listening: 15 minutes a day of textbook audio or songs, hunting for keywords like time, place and people. In the exam, read options first and guess the scenario.
Reading: 1-2 level items are mostly picture-word matching and short sentence judgments - watch negation and question words like bu, mei and ma.
Registration: book on the official chinesetest.cn website (about 150-200 yuan per sitting), results in two weeks, certificate valid for life.
