There are so many wonderful reasons to pick up a new language. Many people learn the Chinese language as a personal interest, to prepare for an overseas placement, or to just to add another skill to their resume.

But one thing that many people face after learning Chinese for a while is this: How do you know if you are improving? Some people spend months learning the language, but it’s hard to gauge what level their Chinese fluency is at.

Sometimes, it’s useful to have some methods to track your progress so that you can feel a sense of achievement at how far you’ve gone! This will help to motivate you and assure you that you are on the right track. Even if you haven’t started learning Chinese, these will be helpful pointers you can aim towards to pace your learning!

Record your learning

There are several ways you can track your learning easily by yourself. For example, if you make journalling a routine part of your language practice, you can simply refer back to your first few entries to see how far you’ve come – from very basic sentences, to more varied sentences and vocabulary.

Or perhaps, if you’ve been reading a lot in Chinese, you can think back to the first few books you read in Chinese. Pick them up again and recall how it was a challenge to read it then – but now, you can rattle through it effortlessly! If you read graded books, it also gives you a clear indication when you ‘graduate’ from one difficulty to another.

Engage the help of a teacher

Sometimes it is hard to assess oneself objectively, especially since learning is a gradual process. But if you have a teacher to guide you along, they can be the ultimate witness to your language growth. Not only can a teacher give you practical guidance, they can also be a constant motivator to you.

Teachers also typically have their own assessments and criteria by which they track students’ progress. So, they will be able to tell you clearly where you are doing well, and what you need more work on.

Take standardised assessments

The previous two methods provide you with a good idea of your own progress relative to when you start learning the language. However, if you are interested to know how you match up to other learners in the world, taking a standardised test is the only way!

One popular and widely-recognised proficiency test for Chinese is the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), which is valid in China and worldwide. So, if you are aiming to study or work in China, or go anywhere where certified proficiency in Chinese is required, preparing yourself for the HSK is the best way to do so. There are different levels of HSK that you can target to complete at various stages of your learning.

And there you have it – 3 great ways to track your Chinese learning progress! Don’t just learn aimlessly anymore; with these methods, you can better evaluate your progress and plan for further improvements.

If you are interested in taking your learning to the next level, we welcome you to join us to learn Chinese in Singapore! Enquire with us for trial classes online today!