YCT assesses the Chinese that primary and secondary students actually use — in class, at home and with friends. Four written levels and two speaking levels, pitched to build confidence rather than to sort candidates.
YCT is written around a school student’s world. The topics, the pacing and the design of the paper all assume a young learner, which is why it works where HSK can feel remote.
Designed for learners of Chinese as a second language who are still in school, using the vocabulary of daily and academic life rather than workplace or academic Chinese.
The official syllabus states the aim plainly: to build confidence and a sense of achievement. Levels step up gently, and YCT 1 asks for only 80 words.
Unlike HSK 3.0, where speaking became compulsory from Band 3, YCT written and speaking papers are independent. A student can sit either, or both.
Every level is listening and reading only, except YCT 4, which adds a writing section and is marked out of 300 rather than 200.
| Level | Vocabulary | Sections | Items | Time | Score | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YCT 1 | 80 words | ListeningReadingWriting | 35 | ~35 min | 200 | 120 |
| YCT 2 | 150 words | ListeningReadingWriting | 40 | ~50 min | 200 | 120 |
| YCT 3 | 300 words | ListeningReadingWriting | 60 | ~60 min | 200 | 120 |
| YCT 4 | 600 words | ListeningReadingWriting | 80 | ~80 min | 300* | 180 |
YCT Speaking is a separate paper with its own two levels. Elementary works from around 200 words and leans on listen-and-repeat; Intermediate works from around 400 and asks the student to describe pictures and answer questions in their own words.
Three parts: listen and repeat (15 items), listen and reply (5 items), and picture description (5 items). Seven of the nineteen minutes are preparation time.
Three parts: listen and repeat (10 items), picture description (2 items) and answering questions (2 items). Ten of the twenty-one minutes are preparation time.
The official YCT syllabi carry an equivalence table against HSK and the CEFR. It is a useful guide for parents deciding whether a child should move across to HSK.
These equivalences were published against the six-level HSK — what is now called HSK 2.0. No official mapping of YCT onto the nine bands of HSK 3.0 has been published. Treat the table as indicative, not as a conversion.
| YCT level | Vocabulary | HSK equivalent | CEFR |
|---|---|---|---|
| YCT 1 | 80 | No equivalent | — |
| YCT 2 | 150 | HSK 1 | A1 |
| YCT 3 | 300 | HSK 2 | A2 |
| YCT 4 | 600 | HSK 3 | B1 |
Every figure on this page comes from the official test pages or syllabi. Where they are silent or disagree, we say so.
We can run YCT alongside HSK at your school, on a date that fits your calendar.