TOCFL explained: the bands and levels, the 0–80 cut scores, traditional or simplified characters, and why TOCFL says HSK 6 is only B2

TOCFL sorts its levels into bands, and you book a band, not a level. Band A covers Level 1 (入門級, A1) and Level 2 (基礎級, A2); Band B covers Level 3 (進階級, B1) and Level 4 (高階級, B2); Band C covers Level 5 (流利級, C1) and Level 6 (精通級, C2). Your score decides which of the two levels you reach. There is also a Novice band (準備級) below A1, with two levels.

TOCFL suggests study hours for each level, and they double outside a Mandarin-speaking region: Level 3 (B1) is 360–480 hours in a Mandarin-speaking area and 720–960 elsewhere; Level 4 (B2) is 480–960 and 960–1,920.

Listening and reading are each reported on a scale score from 0 to 80, calculated with a Rasch (IRT) model since 2013, so the score reflects question difficulty and not just the number right. Each skill has its own cut scores, and reading's are higher:

Band A: Level 1 at 41 in listening, 42 in reading; Level 2 at 57 and 60. Band B: Level 3 at 46 and 48; Level 4 at 61 and 64. Band C: Level 5 at 50 and 52; Level 6 at 61 and 69.

Our reading: the gap is widest at the top. Level 6 needs 61 in listening but 69 in reading, eight points apart on the same 80-point scale.

The listening test in Bands A, B and C has 50 multiple-choice questions and lasts about 60 minutes.

If you do not know which band to book, TOCFL suggests its computerised adaptive test (CAT): the questions get harder or easier with your answers, and the score runs to 700. It has about 35 listening questions (about 50 minutes) and about 35 reading questions (60 minutes).

The CAT's cut scores also differ by skill; for Level 6 they are 655 in listening and 690 in reading. If you answer fewer than 25 reading questions, your reading score is scaled down in proportion to the questions you answered, so pace yourself.

TOCFL in Taiwan is offered only in traditional characters. Outside Taiwan, you can choose traditional or simplified. If you learned simplified characters and are sitting the test in Taiwan, plan for that.

TOCFL publishes a table comparing itself with the HSK, built on the position of the Fachverband Chinesisch (the association of Chinese teachers in German-speaking countries). In it, HSK 1 and 2 are below A1, HSK 3 is A1, HSK 4 is A2, HSK 5 is B1, and HSK 6 is only B2. TOCFL's Level 4 is B2, Level 5 is C1 and Level 6 is C2.

The same table gives word counts: 500 words for TOCFL Level 1, 1,000 for Level 2, 2,500 for Level 3, 5,000 for Level 4 and 8,000 for Level 5.

This is TOCFL's comparison, built on a third party's position; it is not an official HSK mapping. For the HSK side, see HSK levels explained.

Since 2026, results and certificates are digital only. You download them as PDFs from your TOCFL account from the day results are announced, and anyone can verify them through the Ministry of Education's certificate verification system. Paper certificates from tests before 31 December 2025 remain valid.

Certificates have no expiry date, but schools and employers can set their own rules. TOCFL keeps scores for only two years: after that you can no longer download the certificate, and TOCFL says you would have to sit the test again.

In Taiwan, a re-check costs NT$250 per band and must be requested within two months of results going online. It takes 3–5 working days for listening and reading. You cannot see your answers, and if the re-check lowers your score, the level is lowered too.

In Taiwan, the 2027 listening and reading test (or the adaptive test) costs NT$2,000 at any band; speaking or writing costs NT$1,400 each. On the 2027 schedule, results come about three weeks after the test: the 9–10 January sitting is announced on 29 January.

Registration in Taiwan: you pay within 3 days of registering. A refund must be requested within 4 days after registration closes, and NT$300 is deducted. Each sitting is booked separately, so a date cannot be moved, only cancelled and rebooked.

For the Ministry of Education's Taiwan Scholarship to study in a programme not taught fully in English, where TOCFL is offered, applicants must show TOCFL Level 3 (進階級) or above, and the page says other tests are not accepted.

For the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Taiwan Scholarship, applicants going straight into a Chinese-taught degree need Level 2 in both listening and reading.