Question 1

What is the CSCA and who needs it?

Accepted Answer

The China Scholastic Competency Assessment is the standardised entrance exam for international students applying to undergraduate programmes in China. From the 2026/2027 intake, applicants are expected to take it before submitting applications. It applies to foreign passport holders; students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and overseas Chinese use a separate joint-admission exam instead.

Question 2

Which subjects do I need to take?

Accepted Answer

There are four subjects: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and academic Chinese (humanities or STEM version). Which ones you need depends on how you apply. Self-funded applicants take Mathematics, and add the Chinese subject only for Chinese-taught programmes: for example, English-taught humanities and business programmes usually ask for Mathematics only, English-taught engineering adds Physics or Chemistry, and medicine usually asks for all three sciences. For Chinese Government Scholarship applicants, csca.cn lists Mathematics and the Chinese subject as required and gives no exception for English-taught programmes; some universities' subject lists for English-taught programmes leave out Chinese, so scholarship applicants should confirm with the university. Each STEM paper is 48 single-choice questions in 60 minutes, no calculator, no penalty for wrong answers.

Question 3

English paper or Chinese paper, and does the English track need the Chinese subject?

Accepted Answer

The paper language is decided by your target programme's teaching language. Chinese-taught programmes require the Chinese-language paper; English-taught programmes take the English paper. Self-funded applicants to English-taught programmes take only the STEM subjects and no Chinese subject (IELTS is still required); Chinese Government Scholarship applicants also take the Chinese subject, according to csca.cn. Some universities accept either language, so confirm with your target school directly.

Question 4

What score do I need?

Accepted Answer

There is no official pass mark. The CSCA score is one input in a competitive review: each university and scholarship sets its own bar, and it moves with the applicant pool each year; even near-perfect scores have been rejected by top programmes. Admissions also weigh GPA, language certificates, interviews and your portfolio. So the useful question is not "how many points are enough" but "what does my target programme ask for this year". Check its admission page directly.

Question 5

How often is it held, and can I retake it?

Accepted Answer

Six sittings a year: November, December, January, March, April and June. Each sitting has its own registration window on csca.cn, and it can be short (7 days for November 2026), so check early. Retaking is normal and most universities count your best score, though policies vary by school. A retake means paying the fee again and reinstalling the latest exam software.

Question 6

How hard is it, really?

Accepted Answer

It stays at Chinese high-school level (up to Year 11) and covers far less than the full curriculum. Our Exam Insights page shows exactly which topics appear and how often.

Question 7

How do I register, and how much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Register on csca.cn with your passport (name exactly as printed), upload a digital ID photo, pick your subjects and pay: ¥450 for a single subject or ¥700 total for two or more, via Alipay, WeChat Pay, UnionPay, Visa or Mastercard. Unpaid registrations are void, and subjects and personal details cannot be changed after payment, so double-check before you pay.

Question 8

Do I still need HSK or IELTS?

Accepted Answer

Yes: the CSCA does not replace language certificates. Chinese-taught programmes usually require HSK 4-5; English-taught programmes require IELTS (around 6.0) and no HSK. The CSCA Chinese subject tests academic Chinese, which is not the same thing as HSK. One known exception: applicants to Chinese-language majors holding HSK 4 may be exempt from the CSCA Chinese subject. Confirm with your target university.

Question 9

How does the CSCA relate to scholarships (CSC)?

Accepted Answer

CSCA scores now feed into the review for the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC Type A/B) and many university, provincial and Belt & Road scholarships. Bear in mind it is one input among several: GPA, language certificates, interview and portfolio all count, and a strong score does not guarantee an award. Partial (e.g. 50%) scholarships are markedly easier to win than full ones.

Question 10

What happens on exam day, and what software do I need?

Accepted Answer

The exam runs as a proctored home test or at designated test centres, depending on the sitting. In the week before: install the latest official exam software (remove old versions; Windows laptop/desktop recommended, iPads do not work), print your Admission Ticket, and join the official mock test to check your camera, network and room setup (a 360° room scan is required). The timetable is published in Beijing time, so convert it carefully to your timezone; missing the slot because of timezone confusion is a real and common mistake.

Question 11

When do results come out?

Accepted Answer

Within 10 working days of the exam, in your account on csca.cn. This applies from the November 2026 sitting; earlier sittings took about seven working days. Results include your global percentile and are valid for two years.

Question 12

Where can I take the CSCA: online or at a test centre?

Accepted Answer

Both exist: proctored online at home, or in-person at designated centres. In China these have included Tongji University (Shanghai), Central University of Finance and Economics (Beijing) and Nanjing Normal University, among others. Which centres and cities are open is announced per sitting on csca.cn.

Question 13

How is CSCA Start different from a textbook or a syllabus PDF?

Accepted Answer

Everything here is built from measured real past papers, not summarised syllabus documents: topic weights, difficulty bands and question style all come from tagging real sittings. Every question ships with a full worked solution, and independent checking happens before anything is published.

Question 14

What do the Easy / Intermediate / Hard labels mean?

Accepted Answer

They are our own bands, calibrated by tagging the real papers, per subject: Easy matches the fundamentals that make up the bulk of each sitting, Intermediate is standard exam level, and Hard covers the thin tail of genuinely difficult questions. Filter the bank by band to spend time where the paper spends its marks.

Question 15

Does the mock exam look like the real CSCA software?

Accepted Answer

Timed mocks run in a faithful recreation of the official computer-based interface (blue header with countdown, candidate panel, question-number grid, mark-for-review and font-size controls), plus what the official software never gives you: instant grading, a wrong-answer review and full worked solutions. By exam day the interface should feel routine, not novel.

Question 16

Can I download practice material as PDF?

Accepted Answer

Yes: free PDF sample papers, no sign-up needed. 48-question papers for Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, built to the real exam format, plus 10-question sample sets for both Chinese tracks, all with full worked solutions.

Сдайте CSCA.Готовьтесь к тому, что реально спрашивают.

В основе CSCA лежит китайская школьная программа

То же содержание, уровень школы

Тот же формат

Мы разметили реальный охват

Почему здесь

Полное решение к каждому

Независимая проверка

Только то, что в экзамене

Бесплатно и открыто

Практика по предметам

Китайский язык

Математика

Физика

Химия

Что такое CSCA?

Один экзамен, большинство вузов

Пять предметов, все с выбором ответа

Уровень средней школы

Одна ошибка, и вы освоите весь паттерн Премиум

Ошибитесь

Посмотрите похожие задачи

Отрабатывайте до автоматизма

CSCA: ответы на вопросы

Что такое CSCA и кому он нужен?

Какие предметы и формат?

Можно сдавать на английском?

Какой балл нужен?

Как часто проводится?

Насколько он сложный?

Сколько стоит экзамен?

Нужен ли ещё HSK или IELTS?

Как CSCA связан со стипендиями (CSC)?

Как проходит день экзамена и какая программа мне нужна?

Когда публикуются результаты?

Где можно сдать CSCA: онлайн или в экзаменационном центре?

Чем CSCA Start отличается от учебника или PDF с программой экзамена?

Что означают уровни Easy / Intermediate / Hard?

Похож ли пробный экзамен на настоящую программу CSCA?

Можно ли скачать материалы для практики в PDF?

Бесплатная практика: старт, а не финиш

Консультации по поступлению

Вопросы? Напишите живому человеку.

Сдайте CSCA.
Готовьтесь к тому, что реально спрашивают.