Course · Ages 6–15 · levels 1–4
YCT for Young Learners
The YCT (Youth Chinese Test) is the official Chinese exam written for school-age learners — shorter, friendlier, and picture-rich. Our course takes children through its levels one certificate at a time, so progress in Chinese becomes something a child can hold.
- When
- Year-round · after-school & weekend groups
- Where
- Gaobeidian campus, Beijing · online
- Class size
- 4–8 in group · one-to-one available
- Ages
- 6–15
- Price
- Ask for a quote
What the YCT is
The Youth Chinese Test is the young learners’ counterpart to the adult HSK: four written levels, from Level 1’s first 80 words to Level 4 — which overlaps the adult HSK 3 — plus separate speaking tests. Questions use pictures generously and passages stay short, so the exam measures Chinese, not stamina. Certificates come from the same official body as the HSK, which makes them meaningful to schools everywhere.
How kids prepare (without noticing)
Preparation at this age should feel like a good Chinese class, with a certificate at the end of it:
- Games and stories carry the vocabulary lists — level words show up as characters kids meet, not columns they copy.
- Songs, flashcards, and role-play cover the listening and speaking skills the test samples.
- Short practice tests are introduced late and lightly, so exam day is familiar rather than frightening.
Groups run four to eight children, banded by age and level, after school and on weekends — with one-to-one and online options for families elsewhere.
The path upward
Levels 1 and 2 give beginners quick, confidence-building wins; levels 3 and 4 build real reading and a vocabulary that transfers directly onto the adult HSK track when the time comes. Our Chinese Characters course pairs naturally from Level 2 up, and teens ready for more can step into HSK preparation.
Exams and milestones
We prepare students for YCT sittings and help families arrange registration; summer works especially well, when our summer camp concentrates a level’s progress into a few weeks and the certificate lands before the new school year.
In pictures
What it looks like
Good to know
Your questions, answered
What's the difference between the YCT and the HSK?
Same official body, different audience: the YCT is written for school-age learners — shorter papers, friendlier topics, generous pictures — across four written levels. YCT 4 overlaps the adult HSK 3, so a child who climbs the YCT ladder steps onto the HSK track with nothing wasted.
At what age and level should my child start?
From about age 6, and from zero: YCT 1 asks for only 80 words, which is the point — it's an early, winnable milestone. Children with some Chinese take a short, gentle placement so they start at the level that will stretch rather than bore them.
Will exam prep squeeze the fun out of Chinese?
The opposite is the design. Lessons run on games, stories, songs, and role-play; the level vocabulary hides inside them. Practice tests appear late and lightly, so children walk into the exam having already succeeded at everything on it.
How does my child actually sit the test?
YCT sittings run at official test centres, and we help families arrange registration and dates. Summer is popular: a few camp weeks concentrate a level's progress, and the certificate arrives before the new school year starts.
Get in touch
Tell us who's learning
Ready when you are
One conversation is enough to check dates, fit, and the right level.