HSK 4 study plan
HSK 4 · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Listening & Reading
Build a 60-item personal vocabulary deck from HSK 4 word lists, tagging each word with its part of speech and one collocation
Complete 4 timed reading passages (about 400 characters each) and log every unknown word into the deck
Listen to 3 short dialogues (2-3 minutes) twice each: once for gist, once to transcribe 5 key sentences
Drill the 把 construction and 被 construction by rewriting 15 active sentences into both forms
Your checkpoint
A shared spreadsheet with 60 tagged vocabulary entries, 4 timed reading scores, and 15 rewritten 把/被 sentence pairs
Listening & Reading
Expand the deck to 150 items and mark the 40 highest-frequency words for daily review
Complete 5 timed reading passages and answer all question types without pausing the clock
Shadow 3 audio clips of 3 minutes each, repeating aloud sentence by sentence to match speed and tone
Identify and correct 10 common reading traps: synonym substitution, scope shifts, and absolute wording
Your checkpoint
A reading accuracy log across 5 passages showing per-question-type accuracy and a list of 10 trap patterns with corrected examples
Listening & Reading
Finish 6 listening sets under exam timing, noting which question stems (number, location, relationship, intent) cause errors
Complete 6 reading passages and cap each at 8 minutes to build pacing
Review all deck items due this week and retire words answered correctly three times in a row
Write 10 short summaries (2 sentences each) of listening passages to test comprehension beyond keyword matching
Your checkpoint
A listening error chart by question type plus 10 two-sentence passage summaries
Listening & Reading
Take one full-length timed mock covering listening and reading and record section scores separately
Analyze every wrong answer from the mock and classify each as vocabulary, grammar, pacing, or attention
Re-drill the top 3 error categories with 20 targeted items each
Re-listen to the mock audio and transcribe the 10 sentences you missed
Your checkpoint
A mock exam report with section scores, an error classification table, and a revision list for weeks 5-8
Writing & Translation
Practice writing 8 short passages (about 80 characters) from picture prompts, using a fixed 3-sentence structure
Build a bank of 20 sentence patterns for sequencing, cause-effect, and contrast, and use each at least once
Translate 15 Chinese sentences into English and 15 English sentences into Chinese, focusing on tense and measure words
Self-edit each writing sample for character accuracy, punctuation, and word order, then rewrite it once
Your checkpoint
A portfolio of 8 corrected writing samples with first and revised drafts side by side
Writing & Translation
Write 8 more passages under a 10-minute limit each and check character count
Complete 40 translation drills covering 把/被, 是...的, complements of degree, and directional complements
Memorize and correctly write the 60 characters you most often miswrite, tested by dictation
Compare your translations against model answers and list 10 recurring differences in structure or word choice
Your checkpoint
A dictation score sheet for 60 characters plus a 10-item list of recurring translation weaknesses
Listening & Reading & Writing & Translation
Take a second full-length timed mock across all four sections and compare against the week-4 baseline
Write 5 timed passages and translate 20 sentences under exam conditions
Review the entire vocabulary deck and flag any word still failing after three reviews
Rehearse listening section openings so you can read questions before audio starts
Your checkpoint
A second mock report with a week-4 versus week-7 comparison table for all four sections
Listening & Reading & Writing & Translation
Take a final full-length mock and target a score at or above your week-7 result
Do light review only: deck items flagged in week 7 plus the 10 recurring translation weaknesses
Practice the writing section twice under strict timing to lock in the 3-sentence structure
Prepare exam-day logistics: timing checkpoints per section and a plan for skipping stuck items
Your checkpoint
A final mock scorecard and a one-page exam-day timing and strategy sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Vocabulary deck reaches 150 tagged entries and timed reading accuracy is at least 60 percent across 5 passages
Week 4: First full mock completed under timing with listening and reading section scores recorded and every error classified
Week 6: Eight timed writing samples completed and dictation accuracy on 60 high-risk characters reaches at least 80 percent
Week 8: Final mock score equals or exceeds the week-7 score and all four sections are completed within time limits