- Describe the structure and question types of the Professional Chinese test
- Recognise key maths, physics and chemistry terms in Chinese
- Understand the function words used in problem statements
- Apply strategies for reading academic texts
On a Chinese-taught programme you will hear lectures and read textbooks in Chinese from day one. That is why the Professional Chinese test checks not everyday conversation but your ability to learn a subject in Chinese: do you recognise “the domain of a function” or “reaction rate”, and do you understand a problem statement correctly? The test exists only in Chinese and is normally required only for Chinese-taught programmes.
The two versions of the test
| Feature | Humanities Chinese (文科中文) | STEM Chinese (理科中文) |
|---|---|---|
| Aim | follow first-year humanities lectures, take notes, skim and scan texts and pick out keywords | read first-year textbooks in maths, physics, chemistry and computing and discuss the subject with teachers |
| Topics | literature, philosophy, law, education, history, the arts and more | maths symbols and formulas, physical laws and chemical equations, lab terms, reading graphs and tables, programming terms |
| Format | 90 min, 80 multiple-choice questions, 0–100 | 90 min, 80 multiple-choice questions, 0–100 |
The official question types
| Chinese | Pinyin | What it checks |
|---|---|---|
| 识解汉字 | shíjiě hànzì | recognising characters and understanding their meaning |
| 选词填空 | xuǎncí tiánkòng | choosing the right word for a gap |
| 辨析词语 | biànxī cíyǔ | telling similar words apart |
| 选词成段 | xuǎncí chéngduàn | choosing words to complete a paragraph |
| 补全语句 | bǔquán yǔjù | completing a sentence |
| 阅读理解 | yuèdú lǐjiě | reading comprehension |
What language level do you need?
The official CSCA syllabi describe the tasks but do not name an HSK level. Chinese-taught bachelor's programmes, however, usually also ask for an HSK certificate: often at least HSK 4, and HSK 5 for some humanities, medicine or top-university programmes. Check the exact requirement in your university's admission rules. For preparation, the “Vocabulary Lists” section of csca.cn has official word lists: a basic Chinese list (基础中文词汇表) plus a Humanities or STEM list.
Key words: the language of science
Problem statements, however, rely less on terms than on function words. Without them you can know the formula and still misread the question.
A reading strategy
- 1Read the question first
Know what you are looking for: a fact, a cause, a result or “the correct statement”? Then go to the text.
- 2Scan for keywords
Find the terms, numbers and names from the question in the text; don't try to translate every word.
- 3Watch the connectors
但是,然而,却signal contrast;因为…所以…,由于,因此cause and result;例如an example;总之a conclusion. The author's main point often comes after “but”. - 4Guess unknown words
Radicals and context help:
氵water and liquids,钅metals,讠speech,火fire. Not knowing one word does not mean losing the whole question. - 5Split your time
90 minutes ÷ 80 questions ≈ 67 seconds. Answer the word questions in 30–40 seconds and save the rest for the long reading texts.
一、阅读短文，回答问题。
物体所含物质的多少叫做质量，质量不随物体位置的改变而改变。重力则不同：同一个物体在月球上受到的重力约为在地球上的六分之一。因此，宇航员到了月球上，质量不变，重力却变小了。
根据短文，下列说法正确的是：
A. 物体到了月球上，质量会变小
B. 重力与物体所在的位置无关
C. 同一物体在月球上受到的重力比在地球上小
D. 质量和重力是同一个概念
二、选词填空。
在一个标准大气压下，水的沸点是100℃，______在高山上，水的沸点低于100℃。
A. 因此 B. 然而 C. 由于 D. 例如
Solve the two practice items above and justify your answers.
Show solutionHide solution
六分之一) of that on Earth and ends with 重力却变小了, “but the weight became smaller”. A is wrong: 质量不变, the mass does not change. B is wrong: weight depends on location. D is wrong: 重力则不同 contrasts the two ideas.2) Answer B,
然而 (“however”): the first clause describes the normal case, and the second contrasts with it. 因此 signals a result, 由于 a cause and 例如 an example.Key points
- Professional Chinese: Humanities (
文科中文) and STEM (理科中文) versions, 90 min, 80 questions, Chinese only. - Six question types: characters, gap-filling, similar words, paragraphs, sentence completion, reading.
- Chinese-taught programmes usually ask for HSK 4 (sometimes HSK 5); official word lists are on csca.cn.
- In problem statements, function words such as
已知,求,设and若…则…matter as much as the terms. - Read the question first, scan for keywords, watch the connectors and guess with radicals.
Check yourself
10 questions. Every correct answer earns XP.