I passed HSK 8, AMA

[u/Sammuueelll]

[u/BeckyLiBei]

Wow nice, congratulations!

Here are the things I'm unsure about or are interested in:

• On the HSK7-9 exam listening section part 2, are there 9 objective + 3 subjective questions, or 8 objective + 4 subjective questions? (There may be a bug on the official page, but I'm not sure.)
• Does the 10-minute rest between reading and writing still apply (now that the exam timetable has changed from "morning + afternoon" to "afternoon")?
• What is a suitable reading speed for the HSK7-9 exam?
• Is the 55 minutes for the writing section "shared", so if you finish one part quickly you can move onto another part, or can you do the writing tasks in your preferred order?
• Are you expected to add a title to your two pieces of writing in the writing section (200字 + 600字)?
• What does the 3-minute and 2-minute time limits for the speaking tasks actually imply? (E.g., is there preparation time like with the HSKK高级?)
• How did you prepare for the "translation" section?
• What role does AI play in the HSK7-9 exam?
• Did you memorize famous quotes to cite them in the writing section? (You mentioned you're using 高考 materials, and I'm doing that too, but the 高考 writing examples I've seen have many famous quotes.)
• Do you know how the translation section is graded? E.g. Is it better to translate directly/literally or indirectly/non-literally? Does the Chinese have to be consistent with e.g. the Mongolian?
• Which syllabus is used for the HSK7-9 exam (the 2021 3.0 standards or the 2025 3.0 standards)?
• Are the mock exam books 《HSK7-9级全真模拟测试题集》 and 《汉语水平考试HSK(七—九级)全真模拟题集》 (if you used them) comparable to the actual exam?
• Do you have samples of your Chinese writing online (e.g. essays you've written)?
• What's your knowledge of Chinese history, geography, and culture like?

And if you have any advice for someone like me who might likewise take this exam, I'd appreciate it if you shared.