China updated the standards in 2021. The new "Level 6" is roughly equivalent to the old "Level 4/5," and it goes up to Level 9. If you are starting fresh, use the new standard. However, most current textbooks still use the old 1-6 standard.
The traditional HSK 2.0 system (still widely used for current exams) requires a cumulative total of across six levels. Words to Learn Difficulty Focus Areas Level 1 Basic phrases and daily life items Level 2 Basic daily communication and conversations Level 3 Navigating daily life with more complex expressions Level 4 Intermediate Discussing social and cultural topics Level 5 Intermediate Communicating confidently in diverse situations Level 6 Professional terms (medicine, finance) and culture hsk 1-6 vocabulary list excel
Hide the Pinyin column. Try to read the Hanzi aloud. If you hesitate, unhide the Pinyin and highlight the row red. This is much faster than flipping pages in a book. China updated the standards in 2021