The Nottingham Confucius Institute (NCI) is proud to be an officially accredited Chinese testing centre in the UK, authorised by Chinese Test International and the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC).
NCI administers both the HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) and YCT (Youth Chinese Test), the only internationally recognised Chinese proficiency certifications accepted in mainland China. Each exam assesses writing and speaking skills, providing a credible measure of language ability for academic institutions and employers worldwide.
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HSK – Designed for non-native Chinese learners of all ages, evaluating proficiency from beginner to advanced levels. The HSK has six levels of writing tests and three levels of speaking tests. Find out more about HSK.
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YCT – Tailored specifically for primary and secondary school students, making language learning accessible and motivating for younger learners. It has four levels of writing tests and two speaking levels. Find out more about YCT.
Those who achieve high marks in HSK tests may be eligible to apply for scholarships offered by CLEC to study in China. For details on the scholarship application procedure please visit our website.
Test dates
HSK exams are typically held in March, May, and December, with registration opening approximately two months before each test date.
Registration for the December 7th HSK tests is closed.
Upcoming Test Dates
| Test Type | Test Date | Registration Period | Expected Result Announcement |
|---|
| HSK |
7 Dec 2025 |
7 Oct - 7 Nov 2025 |
7 Jan 2026 |
| YCT |
21 Mar 2026 |
21 Jan - 21 Feb 2026 |
21 Apr 2026 |
| HSK |
22 Mar 2026 |
22 Jan - 22 Feb 2026 |
22 Apr 2026 |
| HSK |
16 May 2026 |
16 Mar - 16 Apr 2026 |
16 Jun 2026 |
| HSK |
13 Dec 2026 |
13 Oct - 13 Nov 2026 |
13 Jan 2027 |
How to register
Step one - visit the University online store to pay the registration fee required by Chinese Testing International.
Step two - register for the exam online. During the process, a step called “pay online” will appear: please ignore it as this is designed only for those who take exams in China. View the Registration Guidance for HSK or Registraton Guidance for YCT.
Please note that you need to select "paper-based test" as test format and "The University of Nottingham Confucius Institute" as your test centre.
Please also note that you are required to upload an ID photo (with white background, no hats- please refer to registration guidance for details) during this stage of the online registration. Should you experience difficulty in doing so, please email qi.xu2@nottingham.ac.uk
Step three - email the following documents to qi.xu2@nottingham.ac.uk before the deadline with ‘HSK exam registration - your name’ in the subject line (e.g. ‘HSK exam registration - John Smith’)
- A scanned copy of the same personal ID you used when registering for the exam in step two (ID card, driving licence or passport)
- The automatic confirmation email you received from the University online store after completing step one
View our privacy notice to find out how we process your personal data.
Your HSK/YCT permit will be emailed to you after your application has been processed. You will need to bring a hard copy of this permit along with personal ID (ID card, driving licence or passport) to the test centre on the day of the exam. Failure to bring either of these will prevent you being able to enter the test venue. You will only need pencils and an eraser for the test. You are not allowed to bring dictionaries or other written materials with you.
You will be able to check the test results approximately one month after the test date on www.chinesetest.cn. You will be notified by email as soon as the test certificates arrive at NCI. Collection can then be arranged from the NCI Library (A23, Si Yuan Centre, Jubilee Campus).
Registration deadline: 12:00 noon, 7 November 2025
We offer a number of Free Online HSK Exam Prep Courses in both Spring and Autumn terms. Click the link to register or find out more.
For further information, please email our exams coordinator Ms Qi Xu at qi.xu2@nottingham.ac.uk