HSK... HSK...

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I had a super CHINESE-INFUSED Saturday last week!
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It is a result of taking HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi)- a Chinese Proficiency Test. Call it Chinese TOEFL/ IELTS if you like...
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HSK is 4-hour long. It consists of Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, designed to assess the Chinese standard of non-native speakers.
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I received a last-minute notice to take the test on the NEXT DAY.
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What is the level?
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ADVANCED!!! *faint*
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Language cannot be easily learnt within a day...
With NO TIME for a good preparation, I said a little prayer and went ahead to give my best shot!
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Both the listening and speaking parts were manageable.
The challenge came from the reading and writing part.
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READING
It is like a comprehension.
The candidate is greeted with a densely-populated ("Mi Mi Ma Ma") Chinese passage and is expected to answer various questions.
No time to read + understand the WHOLE passage from TOP to BOTTOM.
3-Step Tip from Examiner! Scan the questions. Pluck out relevant answers. Move off quickly to the next question!
This part is TOUGH; SUCKED a lot of ENERGY from me!
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WRITING
To be honest, I have not written a Chinese essay since secondary school days (which is 10+ years ago).
On that day, I just threw ("Hump Tump") what crossed my mind.
I do not even bother to amend my strokes cos I am afraid, in the process, will distort my original memory of how the Chinese character looks like.
By God's grace, I managed to pen something decent in the 500-word essay.
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Never had I a day "bombarded" with Chinese for so long!
I must admit, HSK is mentally-straining.
And I thank God for bringing me TO and THRU!
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Come to think of it, my past effort to WATCH Chinese news, READ Chinese papers, SPEAK Mandarin & practise WRITING the characters unknowingly reaped some rewards!!!
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How would I know this day will arrive?
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"Preparation is the KEY to your destiny"
When THE day comes, it just comes... ... No time to prepare.