Youth Chinese Test

Youth Chinese Test (YCT),an international standardized test of Chinese language proficiency, assesses the primary and middle school students’ abilities to use Chinese as second language in their daily and academic lives. YCT is divided into writing and speaking tests, which are independent to each other. The writing testconsistsof four levels, namely, YCT (level I), YCT (level II), YCT (level III), and YCT (level IV). The speaking testconsists oftwo levels, YCT Speaking (Primary Level) and YCT Speaking (Intermediate Level).

YCT Level I

The YCT (Level I) assesses test takers’ ability in daily use of Chinese. Test takers who are able to pass the YCT (Level I) can understand and use some of the most common Chinese phrases and sentences and possess the ability to further their Chinese language studies.

I. Test Target

The YCT (Level I) is intended for young students who have studied Chinese for three months, with 2-3 class hours per week. These students have mastered 80 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.

II. Test Content

The YCT (Level I) test is made up of listening comprehension and reading comprehension sections and contains a total of 35 items.

Section		Number of Items		Duration (Min)
I. Listening	Part I	5	20	About 10
	Part II	5
	Part III	5
	Part IV	5
Filling out the answer sheet(Mark your answers for listening comprehension on Answer Sheet)				3
II. Reading	Part I	5	15	17
	Part II	5
	Part III	5
Total	/	35		About 30

The duration of the test is 35 minutes (including 5 minutes in which the test takers fill in personal information).

1. Listening Comprehension

There are 5 items in Part I. The recording of each item will be played twice. For each item, a sentence and a picture will be provided. The test takers should make a true-or-false judgment based on what they hear.

There are 5 items in Part II. The recording of each item will be played twice. For each item, a phrase and 3 pictures will be provided. The test takers should choose a picture that best corresponds with the phrase based on what they hear.

There are 5 items in Part III. The recording of each item will be played twice. For each item, a sentence and a picture will be provided. The test takers should make a true-or-false judgment based on what they hear.

There are 5 items in Part IV. The recording of each item will be played twice. For each item, a dialogue and 3 pictures will be provided. The test takers should choose the corresponding picture based on what they hear.

2. Reading Comprehension

There are 5 items in Part I. Each item consists of a picture and a phrase. The test taker should judge whether or not they are consistent with each other.

There are 5 items in Part II. Several pictures will be displayed on the paper. A sentence will be provided for each item. The test taker should choose the corresponding picture based on the sentence.

There are 5 items in Part III. Each item consists of a picture and an incomplete dialogue. There will be 6 possible answers from which the test taker needs to choose the best answer.

All the items on the test paper are displayed in pinyin.

III. Results Certificate

The results of YCT are valid for a considerable period of time. Three results will be provided for the YCT (Level I),) including listening, reading and the total. A score of 120 or more is considered a passing score.

	Max Score	Your Score
Listening	100
Reading	100
Total	200

YCT Level II

The YCT (Level II) tests test takers’ ability in daily use of Chinese. It is the counterpart of the Level I of the Chinese Language Proficiency Scales for Speakers of Other Languages and the A1 Level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEF). Test takers who are able to pass the YCT (Level II) can understand and use some simple Chinese phrases and sentences and cope with basic level communications.

I. Test Target

The YCT (Level II) is intended for young students who have studied Chinese for a semester (half an academic year), with 2-3 class hours per week. These students have mastered 150 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.

II. Test Content

The YCT (Level II) test is made up of listening comprehension and reading comprehension sections and contains a total of 40 items.

Section			Number of Items			Duration (Min)
I. Listening		Part I	5		20	About 15
		Part II	5
		Part III	5
		Part IV	5
Filling out the answer sheet(Mark your answers for listening comprehension on Answer Sheet)						3
II. Reading		Part I	5		20	27
		Part II	5
		Part III	5
		Part IV	5
Total	/			40		About 45

The test will last for a total of 50 minutes (including 5 minutes in which the test takers fill in personal information).

1. Listening Comprehension

There are 5 items in Part I. The recording of each item will be played twice. For each item, a phrase and a picture will be provided. The test takers should make a true-or-false judgment based on what they hear.

There are 5 items in Part II. The recording of each item will be played twice. For each item, a sentence and several pictures will be provided. The test takers should select corresponding pictures based on what they hear.

There are 5 items in Part III. The recording of each item will be played twice. For each item, a dialogue and 3 pictures will be provided. The test takers should choose the corresponding picture based on what they hear.

There are 5 items in Part IV. The recording of each item will be played twice. Each item consists of a question and three possible answers. Test takers need to choose the right answer based on what they hear.

2. Reading Comprehension

There are 5 items in Part I. Each item consists of picture and a phrase. The test taker should judge whether or not they are consistent with each other.

There are 5 items in Part II. Several pictures will be displayed on the paper. For each item, a dialogue will be provided. The test taker needs to choose the corresponding picture based on the dialogue.

There are 5 items in Part III. This section consists of 5 questions and 5 answers for the test taker to match.

There are 5 items in Part IV. Each item consists of an incomplete dialogue. There will be 6 possible answers from which the test taker needs to choose the best answer.

All the items on the test paper are displayed in pinyin.

III. Results Certificate

	Max Score	Your Score
Listening	100
Reading	100
Total	200

YCT Level Ⅲ

The YCT (Level III) tests test takers’ ability in daily use of Chinese. It is the counterpart of the Level II of the Chinese Language Proficiency Scales for Speakers of Other Languages and the A2 Level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEF). Test takers who are able to pass the YCT (Level III), having reached an excellent level in basic Chinese, can communicate on familiar daily topics in a simple manner.

I. Test Target

The YCT (Level III) is intended for young students who have studied Chinese for two semesters (one academic year), with 2-3 class hours per week. These students have mastered 300 common words and related grammar patterns.

II. Test Content

The YCT (Level III) test is made up of listening comprehension and reading comprehension sections and contains a total of 60 items.

Section		Number of Items		Duration (Min)
I. Listening	Part I	10	35	About 20
	Part II	10
	Part III	10
	Part IV	5
Filling out the answer sheet(Mark your answers for listening comprehension on Answer Sheet)				5
II. Reading	Part I	5	25	30
	Part II	5
	Part III	5
	Part IV	10
Total	/	60		About 55

The test will last for a total of 60 minutes (including 5 minutes in which the test takers fill in personal information).

1. Listening Comprehension

There are 10 items in Part I. The recording of each item will be played twice. For each item, a sentence and a picture will be provided. Test takers should make a true-or-false judgment based on what they hear.

There are 10 items in Part II. The recording of each item will be played twice. Several pictures will be displayed on the paper. For each item, a dialogue will be provided, and the test takers should choose the corresponding picture based on what they hear.

There are 10 items in Part III. The recording of each item will be played twice. Each item consists of a question and three possible answers. Test takers need to choose the best answer based on what they hear.

There are 5 items in Part IV. The recording of each item will be played twice. Each item consists of a dialogue between two persons, followed by a question about the dialogue. There will be three possible answers on the test paper, from which the test takers can choose the right one based on what they hear.

2. Reading Comprehension

There are 5 items in Part I. There will be several pictures on the test paper. For each item, a dialogue will be provided. The test taker needs to choose the corresponding picture based on the dialogue.

There are 5 items in Part II. Each item consists of a picture and 3 sentences. The test taker needs to choose the sentence that corresponds with the picture.

There are 10 items in Part III. Each item consists of a question and 3 possible answers. The test taker needs to choose the best answer.

There are 10 items in Part IV. Each item consists of a dialogue with a blank section. The test taker should choose one of the 3 suggested words to fill in the blank.

All the items on the test paper are provided displayed in pinyin.

III. Results Certificate

	Max Score	Your Score
Listening	100
Reading	100
Total	200

YCT Level IV

The YCT (Level IV) tests test takers’ ability in daily use of Chinese. It is the counterpart of the Level III of the Chinese Language Proficiency Scales for Speakers of Other Languages and the B1 Level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEF). Test takers who are able to pass the YCT (Level IV) can communicate in Chinese at a basic level in their daily, academic and professional lives. When travelling in China, they can manage most forms of communication in Chinese.

I. Test Target

The YCT (Level V) is intended for young students who have studied Chinese for more than two semesters, with 2-3 class hours per week. These students have mastered 600 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.

II. Test Content

The YCT (Level IV) test is made up of listening comprehension, reading comprehension and writing sections and contains a total of 80 items.

Section		Number of Items		Duration (Min)
I. Listening	Part I	10	40	About 30
	Part II	10
	Part III	10
	Part IV	10
Filling out the answer sheet(Mark your answers for listening comprehension on Answer Sheet)				5
II. Reading	Part I	5	30	30
	Part II	10
	Part III	10
	Part IV	5
III. Writing	Part I	5	10	15
	Part II	5
Total	/	80		About 80

The test will last for a total of 85 minutes (including 5 minutes in which the test takers fill in personal information).

1. Listening Comprehension

There are 10 items in Part I. The recording of each item will be played twice. For each item, a dialogue and a picture will be provided. The test takers should make a true-or-false judgment based on what they hear.

There are 10 items in Part II. The recording of each item will be played twice. For each item, 3 sentences and 3 pictures will be provided. The test takers should choose the sentence that corresponds with the picture based on what they hear.

There are 10 items in Part III. The recording of each item will be played twice. Each item consists of a dialogue between two persons followed by a question. There will be three possible answers on the test paper. Test takers can choose best answer based on what they hear.

There are 10 items in Part IV. The recording of each item will be played twice. For each item, a short passage will be read out. A sentence will be displayed on the test paper (with pinyin). The test takers should make a true-or-false judgment based on what they hear.

2. Reading Comprehension

There are 5 items in Part I. Each item consists of a picture and 3 sentences. The test taker needs to choose the sentence that corresponds with the picture.

There are 10 items in Part II. In this section, there are 20 sentences divided into 2 groups. The test taker should match them.

There are 10 items in Part III. Each item consists of a dialogue with a blank section. The test taker should choose one of the 3 suggested words to fill in the blank.

There are 10 items in Part IV. Each item consists of a passage and a question. The test taker needs to choose the correct answer out of 3 possible answers.

3. Writing

There are 5 items in Part I. Each item consists of several words. The test taker should construct a sentence using these words.

There are 5 items in Part II. Each item provides a sentence with blanks. The test taker should fill in the blanks with the right characters.

III. Results Certificate

The results of YCT are valid for a considerable period of time. Four results will be provided for the YCT (Level I),) including listening, reading, writing and the total. A score of 180 or more is considered a passing score.

	Max Score	Your Score
Listening	100
Reading	100
Writing	100
Total	300

YCT Speaking Test Primary Level

The YCT Speaking Test (Beginner Level) assesses test takers’ ability to expressing themselves orally in Chinese. It is the counterpart of the Level I and Level II of the Chinese Language Proficiency Scales for Speakers of Other Languages and the A Level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEF). Test takers who are able to pass the YCT Speaking Test (Beginner Level) can understand and use familiar everyday expressions that meet specific needs for communication.

I. Test Target

The YCT (Beginner Level) is intended for young students who have studied Chinese for 1-2 semesters, with 2-3 class hours per week. These students have mastered 200 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.

II. Test Content

The YCT Speaking Test (Beginner Level) is made up of three parts and contains a total of 25 items.

Section		Number of Items	Duration (Min)
Part I	Listen and Repeat	15	6
Part II	Listen and Reply	5	2
Part III	Describe Pictures	5	4
Total		25	19(including 7 minutes for preparation)

The test will last for a total of 19 minutes (including 7 minutes for preparation).

There are 15 items in Part I. For each item, a sentence recording will be played. The test taker should repeat the sentence.

There are 5 items in Part II. For each item, the recording of a question will be played. The test taker should provide a brief answer.

There are 5 items in Part III. Each item consists of a picture. The test taker should use 2-3 sentences to say something based on the picture.

III. Results Certificate

The maximum score of the YCT Speaking Test (Beginner Level) is 100. A score of 60 or higher is considered a passing score.

Max Score	Passing Score	Your Score
100	60

YCT Speaking Test Intermediate Level

The YCT Speaking Test (Intermediate Level) assesses test takers’ ability to expressing themselves orally in Chinese. It is the counterpart of the Level III of the Chinese Language Proficiency Scales for Speakers of Other Languages and the B1 Level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEF). Test takers who are able to pass the YCT Speaking Test (Intermediate Level) can understand simple spoken Chinese and engage in basic communication with native Chinese speakers.

I. Test Target

The YCT (Intermediate Level) is intended for young students who have studied Chinese for more than two semesters, with 2-3 class hours per week. These students have mastered 400 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.

II. Test Content

The YCT Speaking Test (Intermediate Level) is made up of three parts and contains a total of 14 items.

Section		Number of Items	Duration (Min)
Part I	Listen and Repeat	10	5
Part II	Describe Pictures	2	3
Part III	Answer the Questions	2	3
Total		14	21 (including 10 minutes for preparation)

The test will last a total of 21minutes (including 10 minutes for preparation).

There are 10 items in Part I. For each item, a sentence recording will be played. The test taker should repeat the sentence.

There are 2 items in Part II. Each item consists of a picture. The test taker should write a passage based on the picture.

There are 2 items in Part III. The test taker should answer the two questions (using pinyin).

1. Listening Comprehension

2. Reading Comprehension

There are 5 items in Part I. Each item consists of a picture and 3 sentences. The test taker needs to choose the sentence that corresponds with the picture.

There are 10 items in Part II. In this section, there are 20 sentences divided into 2 groups. The test taker should match them.

There are 10 items in Part III. Each item consists of a dialogue with a blank section. The test taker should choose one of the 3 suggested words to fill in the blank.

There are 10 items in Part IV. Each item consists of a passage and a question. The test taker needs to choose the correct answer out of 3 possible answers.

3. Writing

There are 5 items in Part I. Each item consists of several words. The test taker should construct a sentence using these words.

There are 5 items in Part II. Each item provides a sentence with blanks. The test taker should fill in the blanks with the right characters.

III. Results Certificate

The maximum score of the YCT Speaking Test (Intermediate Level) is 100. A score of 60 or higher is considered a passing score.

Max Score	Passing Score	Your Score
100	60