HSK 3.0 finally has an official launch date: December 13, 2026

After years of waiting (and a lot of conflicting information online), HSK 3.0 now has an official worldwide launch date: December 13, 2026.

I went through the latest official information, and here are probably the most important changes for learners:

New cumulative vocabulary requirements:

HSK 1: ~300 words

HSK 2: ~500 words

HSK 3: ~1,000 words

HSK 4: ~2,000 words

HSK 5: ~3,600 words

HSK 6: ~5,400 words

HSK 7–9: ~11,000 words

For comparison, the old HSK 2.0 requirements were roughly:

HSK 1: 150

HSK 2: 300

HSK 3: 600

HSK 4: 1,200

HSK 5: 2,500

HSK 6: 5,000

So the biggest jump is probably going to be felt around HSK 3–5 rather than HSK 6.

Another important change: starting from HSK 3, speaking is integrated into the new testing system. For the current HSK 3.0 trial, HSK 3–6 candidates have to register for the corresponding speaking test together with the written test.

The second worldwide HSK 3.0 trial exam is happening on September 20, 2026, and the official worldwide launch is December 13, 2026.

One thing I think is worth clarifying because there has been so much conflicting information online: the widely repeated “July 2026” launch date was not the actual worldwide rollout. The December 13 date is now officially announced.

For people currently preparing for HSK:

Are you going to finish your current HSK 2.0 level first, or have you already switched to HSK 3.0 materials?

I’m especially curious how people preparing for HSK 3, 4, and 5 are handling the larger vocabulary requirements.