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Finishing HSK1 (…and Why I’m Not Taking the Exam)

Mar 22, 2026

What I used to finish HSK1, my 37/40 mock exam story, and how I’m actually approaching learning Chinese moving forward.

Why I Started HSK1

I wanted structure.

When I first tried learning Chinese, I had no direction.

  • Random words
  • Random grammar
  • No clear progression

I didn’t know where to start or how to measure progress.

HSK kept coming up as a solid foundation, so I decided to commit to it, not for the test, but for the structure.

What I Did Before HSK1

Before jumping into HSK1, I spent about 3 months focusing only on pronunciation.

I went through:

The Chinese Dojo – Tones Mastery Course

This helped way more than I expected.

Instead of learning words and struggling with pronunciation at the same time, I was able to:

  • Understand tones early
  • Recognize sound patterns
  • Build a strong speaking foundation

So when I started HSK1, I could focus on words and structure, not just how to say things.

Finding Structure

Even after that, I still felt inconsistent.

I had the HSK textbooks, and technically, I could have just gone page by page.

But in practice, I didn’t.

I would:

  • Open a section
  • Skim through it
  • Tell myself I “studied”

…but I wasn’t really following a process.

There was no accountability, no pacing, no clear sense of completion.

So even though I had the right material, it still felt random.

What Changed

Then I found:

Chinese Zero to Hero

They follow the HSK textbooks section-by-section, which made a huge difference.

Instead of wondering: “Did I actually learn this section?”

I could:

  • Follow along with each lesson
  • Go through the material in order
  • Actually complete a section with confidence

It turned the textbooks from something I had into something I could actually use.

That structure is what finally made things click.

What I Used (My Stack)

Anki Deck (HSK 1–5)

This was probably the most important tool.

I found these decks from an 8-year-old Reddit post, and they were honestly perfect.

  • Characters + pinyin + meaning
  • Example sentences
  • Audio

Everything I needed in one place.

The only issue was that they weren’t available on Anki anymore.

So after realizing how useful they were, I decided to re-upload and organize them myself:

HSK 1 Mandarin – Characters, Pinyin, Sentences + Audio
(and the same format for HSK 2–5)

Now anyone can use them the same way I did.

What made this so effective:

  • Daily reps
  • Reinforcement through sentences
  • Listening + reading together

It made recognition feel automatic.

HSK Workbook + Lessons

Good for:

  • Reinforcing grammar
  • Seeing patterns repeatedly

But there’s a catch.

The Biggest Gap (Reading vs Speaking)

The workbooks are great for input.

But they don’t force output.

You can get really good at:

  • Reading
  • Recognizing
  • Understanding

…and still not be able to speak.

That’s the biggest weakness.

What I Started Doing Instead

Every now and then, I force myself into a situation:

“I want to say something… even if I don’t know all the words.”

Example:

今天天气太热了，我想睡觉。
Jīntiān tiānqì tài rè le, wǒ xiǎng shuìjiào.
Today the weather is too hot, I want to sleep.

What I do:

  1. Build the sentence in my head
  2. Say it out loud
  3. Check if it makes sense (grammar, flow, and how natural it sounds)

Even if it’s wrong, it forces:

  • Sentence construction
  • Active recall
  • Real usage

Attempting Conversations (and the Problem)

I’ve tried using ChatGPT voice conversations.

But there’s a problem:

When I pause to think … it thinks I’m done.

So I get responses that don’t match what I was trying to say.

That makes it hard to practice real conversation pacing.

The Mock Exam (37/40 😤)

I took a practice HSK1 test included with the workbook and got:

37 / 40

Which is great…

…but I have some disagreements.

The Two “Wrong” Answers (Yes… but also no)

Both of these were yes/no questions.

Which makes it worse.

1. 吃饭 (chī fàn) vs Apple

Picture: someone eating an apple
Audio: 吃饭 (chī fàn)

I answered: Yes
Correct answer: No

吃饭
chī fàn
to eat a meal

And okay… fine.

Eating an apple ≠ eating a full meal.

I understand the distinction.

Do I like it?

No.

2. 电脑 (diànnǎo) vs TV

Picture: a TV
Audio: 电脑 (diànnǎo)

I answered: Yes
Correct answer: No

电脑
diànnǎo
computer

At a quick glance, it looked like a monitor.

And if you use a desktop setup, your brain just goes:

“Yep. Computer.”

Turns out… it was just a TV.

So yes, I got it wrong.

This one I accept.

Reluctantly.

The One Actually Wrong Answer

There was one I genuinely got wrong.

No excuses.

It involved:

前 / 后
qián / hòu

Which, if you’ve learned Chinese, you already know … it gets weird depending on context.

I’ll save that for another article.

Why I’m Not Taking the HSK1 Exam

It doesn’t align with my goals.

I’m not learning Chinese to:

  • Pass a test
  • Get a certificate

I’m learning to:

  • Speak
  • Hold conversations
  • Connect with people

HSK1 doesn’t measure that well.

My Plan Moving Forward

I’m continuing with:

--> HSK2 → HSK3 → HSK4

Then later:

--> Transition into HSK 3.0

Why:

  • The original system is proven
  • It has years of successful learners
  • I want a solid base first

Then I’ll adapt to the newer system once I have momentum.

What I’m Focusing on More

  • Speaking (even if it’s slow)
  • Thinking in sentences
  • Accepting mistakes

Less:

  • Passive recognition only

Final Thoughts

HSK1 wasn’t difficult.

But it was important.

It gave me:

  • Structure
  • Direction
  • Momentum

Now the real challenge starts:

Actually using the language.

Next Step

HSK2.

And more speaking, even if it’s uncomfortable.