Mandarin Chinese test for hiring
Check workplace Mandarin comprehension across short messages, workplace texts, grammar and vocabulary.
- 12 minuten
- 20 vragen
- Intermediate
- Multiple choice
- Questions in Chinees
- Phone and desktop
Het korte antwoord
The Mandarin Chinese Proficiency test is a 12-minute, 20-question check of workplace listening, reading, grammar and vocabulary. It uses multiple-choice questions written in simplified Chinese and reports a CEFR-aligned estimate from A2 to C1. Use it for intermediate customer support, sales, hospitality and account roles, or advanced customer success, editing, writing and content roles.
Wat het meet
Listening, reading, grammar and vocabulary in workplace Mandarin, as a CEFR-aligned estimate.
Listening
Candidates listen to short spoken messages in standard Mandarin, played at a clear, natural pace.
Lezen
Candidates read short workplace texts written in simplified Chinese characters.
Grammar and sentence structure
Questions check grammar and sentence structure in workplace Mandarin.
Vocabulary
Questions check vocabulary used in everyday workplace situations.
Question formats
Multiple choice
The candidate: Reads a short situation, table or statement and picks the right answer, or every right answer.
You see: Whether the candidate knows the material well enough to apply it, not just recognize it.
20 questions in 12 minutes, served one at a time.
Roles this test fits
Roles that use Mandarin with customers or colleagues: customer support, sales, hospitality and account roles at an intermediate level, and customer success, editing, writing and content roles that need advanced Mandarin.
What this test adds to hiring
Evidence beyond a resume
See how a candidate handles Mandarin listening and reading questions, alongside grammar and vocabulary, rather than relying on a self-described language level.
A focused first check
The 12-minute, 20-question test gives you a consistent starting point before arranging role-specific conversations or work samples.
A level estimate to review
The result maps to a CEFR-aligned estimate from A2 to C1. Review it as evidence, not as a decision about the candidate.
A closer match to the role
Use the result when considering Mandarin needs in customer support, sales, hospitality, account, customer success, editing, writing or content work.
What you get for each candidate
A CEFR-aligned estimate of C1 or above: understands denser texts, formal register and implied meaning, with precise grammar and a wide vocabulary.
- Stayed on the test tab throughout
- No pasted answers
- Answered at a steady pace
Scores, profiles and integrity signals are evidence for you to review alongside an interview, never an automatic decision.
Test integrity signals for review
Each candidate receives a different set of questions from large question pools. Questions appear in a different order for each attempt, and answer options are shuffled. The browser receives one question at a time, while answer keys stay on HireValid’s servers. Timing runs on the server; reloading returns the same question with only the remaining time. Candidates cannot copy or select question text, and a blocked copy attempt is recorded. HireValid records signals such as time away from the test tab, pastes into answers and answers faster than a question can be read. An Integrity Score and evidence timeline summarize these signals for employer review. They do not decide on their own. With the candidate’s consent, an employer can add webcam photos at random moments.
Hoe we fraude met AI tegengaan · Integrity signals
Use the estimate as one piece of evidence
The result is a CEFR-aligned estimate from a short test, not a formal qualification. Consider it alongside a job-relevant work sample and a structured interview. Speaking and writing are not tested, so use the work sample or interview to explore any spoken or written Mandarin the role requires. Review candidates in the context of the role, such as Customer Support Agent or Sales Development Rep, and use the candidate-friendly hiring guide when planning a clear process. Do not use the score alone to decide.
Vragen voor gestructureerde sollicitatiegesprekken
Tell me how you would clarify a customer’s request if a short Mandarin message left you unsure what they needed.
Listen for a clear approach to checking meaning and confirming the customer’s need.
Describe how you would respond to a Mandarin-speaking customer whose issue needed help from a colleague.
Listen for how the candidate would explain the situation and coordinate a handoff.
How would you check that a short Mandarin workplace message is clear before sharing it with a customer?
Listen for a thoughtful review process that fits the writing and editing needs of the role.
Understand scoring and benchmarks
Fairness and accommodations
Questions use everyday workplace situations in standard Mandarin (Putonghua) and simplified characters, avoiding slang, dialect, regional sayings, holidays and points where usage differs between Mandarin-speaking regions, with names of people from many backgrounds. Recordings are spoken at a clear, natural pace and may be played twice. Candidates who read only traditional characters should be told in advance that the test uses simplified characters. The level is a CEFR-aligned estimate from a short test, not a formal qualification, and speaking and writing are not tested.
You can give any candidate extra time as an accommodation. Results are evidence for a person to review, never an automatic decision.
Provisional: reliability is reported once 200 candidates have completed it, and the level cut scores are reviewed against the results of a panel of Mandarin speakers at known levels.
Test details
A timed check of Mandarin Chinese for work: listening to short spoken messages, reading short workplace texts, grammar and sentence structure, and vocabulary. Questions are written in simplified Chinese characters, and the score maps to a CEFR-aligned estimate of the candidate's level, from A2 to C1. Candidates need sound or headphones for the listening questions.
- Questions are in Chinees.
- No aids are needed.
- Each question is answered once, in order, with no going back.
- 4 practice questions, 4 minutes, before the timed test.
- Results include a CEFR-aligned estimate of the candidate’s level.
Veelgestelde vragen
What does the Mandarin Chinese Proficiency test measure?+
It checks workplace Mandarin listening, reading, grammar and vocabulary. Questions include short spoken messages and short workplace texts, and the result is a CEFR-aligned estimate from A2 to C1. Speaking and writing are not tested.
Who should use the Mandarin Chinese Proficiency test?+
It is intended for intermediate customer support, sales, hospitality and account roles that use Mandarin with customers or colleagues. It also suits advanced customer success, editing, writing and content roles that need Mandarin.
What should candidates know before taking the Mandarin Chinese Proficiency test?+
Questions are written in simplified Chinese characters, so tell candidates who read only traditional characters in advance. Listening questions need sound or headphones. Recordings use a clear, natural pace and may be played twice.
How long is the Mandarin Chinese Proficiency test?+
The test has 20 multiple-choice questions and takes 12 minutes. Candidates can try a practice set first, with 4 questions in 4 minutes. They cannot go back to an earlier question during the test.
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