What the HSK 3 taught me about Chinese

September 6 2020

Sorry I haven't added any new episodes to my podcast- the next will be uploaded this Monday (labor day), and it will be about romanization in Chinese. School is starting, and there is lots to be done! How/when did it start? What caused Pinyin to gain popularity, and why is Zhuyin still used in Taiwan?

Studying for the HSK used to be a simple process. I'll make a post about how I study in the future. I would take notes on every word (just the definitions), and would look up grammar on the internet, as I was already familiar with a lot of the grammar in Chinese and reading had never been much of a challenge for me. I memorized all the words, and took mock tests until I got full marks.

The HSK 3 was different, though. Not surprising considering it was the first "intermediate" level I'd studied. I'm still studying it. Memorizing the words took 5 days, and notes probably took one or two. The test I took before I studied was actually a 66! I was pleasantly surprised! Yet, even after I gained all 300 words in the level, my score only raised to a 75.

There was a big difference in how many words I could understand, but not much at all in my actual comprehension. I've always been bad with reading comprehension, even in English, not at a basic level though. After I did lots of reading, I looked over the test and noticed how much less intimidating it seemed. And that was the least of it- I could piece together the words and what I was reading made sense.

What did I learn, and what should you know before you end up learning it the hard way: Study can only do so much. Though it can help you a bit in grades, nothing pays off more than true experience and application of what you know. I bet I could study my whole First Aid for the USMLE STEP 1 book, and be a horrible doctor (considering I want to be one). Read, read, read- then you can be truly experienced in Chinese.