普通话水平测试 · Putonghua Proficiency Test
PSC practice: a timed mock of the three read-aloud parts
Read the same three parts that open the real test — 100 single syllables, a 100-syllable word list and a passage — against the official time limits. Every syllable is scored for its initial, final and tone, and you see which sounds cost you the most.
- ✓Parts 1–3 in the official format and timing (3.5 + 2.5 + 4 minutes)
- ✓Per-part pronunciation range and the initials, finals and tones that cost the most
- ✓Neutral-tone, erhua and third-tone-pair words reported on their own
- ✓Free, in the browser, no account
The PSC format, and what this mock covers
| Part | Items | Time | In this mock |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Read single syllables (读单音节字词) | 100 syllables, no neutral tone or erhua | 3.5 min · 10 pts | ✓ |
| 2 · Read multi-syllable words (读多音节词语) | 100 syllables | 2.5 min · 20 pts | ✓ |
| 3 · Choose and judge (选择判断) | words, measure words, word order | 3 min · 10 pts | —(only at some centres) |
| 4 · Read a passage (朗读短文) | 1 passage, first 400 syllables scored | 4 min · 30 pts | ✓ |
| 5 · Speak on a topic (命题说话) | free talk | 3 min · 30–40 pts | — |
Most mainland centres run four parts and give free talk 40 points; centres that add 选择判断 (for example EdUHK in Hong Kong) give it 10 and free talk 30. Check the format on your own registration.
Covered: the three read-aloud parts — 60 of the 100 points, and in mainland centres the parts the testing system scores by machine.
Not covered: 命题说话 (free talk) and 选择判断. Our scorer can only score text you read aloud, so it cannot judge a free answer.
Take the mock
Read each row aloud in one go. Pinyin is off, as on the real paper; switch it on if you are practising.
Before you start
Find a quiet place and allow the microphone. Each row is one recording: press the button, read, press it again. The clock only runs while you record, so scoring pauses do not count against you.
- Part 1 of 3 · Read single syllablesTime limit 3:30
- Part 2 of 3 · Read multi-syllable wordsTime limit 2:30
- Part 3 of 3 · Read a passageTime limit 4:00
This is not a PSC grade and does not predict one. Native speakers score about 98 on this scorer, so the gaps between 一级甲等 (97+), 一级乙等 (92+) and 二级甲等 (87+) are inside its error: they cannot be told apart here. Use the range and the fix list to decide what to practise.
How the items were built
- Part 1: 100 common characters with a single reading, every initial at least 3 times and every final at least twice (ueng once), the four tones close to even, and no initial or final twice in a row — the construction rules of the official syllabus.
- Part 2: 49 words, 100 syllables, with 3 third-tone + third-tone words, 17 third-tone + other pairs, 4 neutral-tone words and 4 erhua words with different finals.
- Part 3: an original passage of 433 characters. The real test draws from a published list of 50 passages; we do not reproduce them.
PSC practice questions
Will this tell me my PSC grade?
No. Native speakers score about 98 here, so this scorer cannot separate 97 from 92 or 87. It tells you where your pronunciation stands today as a range, and which initials, finals and tones lose the most points.
Is pronunciation scored the same way as in the real test?
It checks the same things the read-aloud parts check — each syllable’s initial, final and tone against standard Putonghua — but it is our own scorer, not the testing system the centres use, and it has no point deductions per error.
Why is free talk (命题说话) not included?
Our scorer scores text you read aloud. A free answer has no script to compare against, so we do not pretend to score it.
I grew up speaking Cantonese or Hokkien. What should I look at?
The comparisons under the result: zh ch sh against z c s, n against l, and front against back nasal finals. Those are the merges most often heard from Hong Kong, Malaysian, Singaporean and Taiwanese speakers.
Do I need an account?
No. The mock runs in the browser with microphone permission. Recordings are scored and not shown to anyone else.
Format sources
- EdUHK Putonghua Training and Testing Centre — PSC brief
- Summary of the 2021 syllabus construction rules (third-party)
- PSC procedure rules from 1 April 2023 (report)
Format checked 10 November 2026. Independent practice from TonePerfect. Not affiliated with the State Language Commission, any PSC testing centre or university; not an official mock or certificate.