A language test for non-native speakers of Chinese will begin next month to assess their proficiency at the workplace.

The "C.Test", short for Chinese Test, is designed by Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), a school that also created the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) or the Chinese Proficiency Test.

Sun Dejin, director of the university's HSK centre, said the HSK is similar to the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), while the C.Test is more like the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), which focuses more on the ability of using Chinese in everyday business activities.

"It could be used as a standard for workplace Chinese language proficiency by institutions, companies and government agencies worldwide," he said.

There will be two test levels C.Test Basic and C.Test Intermediate-Advanced, based on the degree of difficulty.

The basic-level test lasts 115 minutes with 140 questions in listening comprehension and reading; and the higher-level test takes 140 minutes with 160 questions in listening and a practical application section. Questions will be made public after the exam.

The participant will receive a certificate with the score and a report with a detailed analysis of the examinee's language skills.

Trial runs of the C.Test were conducted in China and Japan in July, August and this month with 1,150 participants from 17 countries and regions. "Our surveys showed that the majority of examinees responded favourably to the new test, saying the results reflected their real language skills," Sun said.

The first official C.Test will be held on November 19 in Japan and 10 Chinese cities Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Harbin, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xi'an.

Applicants can sign up for the test at exam sites in any of the cities from today till next Tuesday. Exam fees are 200 yuan (US$25) for the basic level and 260 yuan (US$32) for the higher level.

According to the centre, it will be the only test this year but there will be four next year whose dates have not been decided.

Meanwhile, a new HSK test, the HSK Threshold, has been developed as a supplementary to the existing HSK tests. It targets beginners who have learnt Chinese for less than 300 hours.

Currently, the HSK is divided into three types: beginning level, elementary to intermediate level and advanced level.

Sun said the HSK Threshold is for Chinese beginners who recognize less than 1,000 Chinese characters and know only basic grammar rules.

The first official HSK Threshold will be held on November 26 in the same 10 cities where the C.Test will be held, and the fee is 200 yuan.

More than 200,000 people took the HSK tests last year, and about 30 million people worldwide are learning Chinese as a foreign language.

(China Daily October 24, 2006)