Knowledge and writing well is not enough when learning Mandarin, one must also be proficient in the spoken language. This is why year after year, the Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi (PSC) Test, which is an official test of spoken fluency in Standard Mandarin intended for native speakers of the Chinese language, continues to attract encouraging participation from local educators.

KLC International Institute (KLCII), which administers the Test, registered 128 participants for the assessment programme from 27 to 27 August 2020, in spite of the Covid-19 crisis. They attended the hybrid test session at KLCII, where the test was carried out by an examiner in Singapore and an examiner in Beijing  online via ZOOM.

Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi (PSC) Test, the first time the assessment has been done online.

The test was carried out under the enhanced safe distancing measures including Temperature / Health screening, staggering test periods and physical spacing with protective screens.

This test has helped many non-native Mandarin speakers, including Chinese language teachers in preschools and international schools and those in the media and communication sectors,  since it was introduced here in 2006.

Ms Wang Shu Ling, a student of the WSQ PDECCE course with KLCII, says “By learning and practising the standard pronunciation I am able to better express myself more clearly, especially the various emotional nuances. The PSC Test has given me greater confidence to teach the language.”

The PSC Test is highly popular because standard Putonghua pronunciation is currently used all over the world. Developed by China’s Ministry of Education and the Institute of Applied Linguistics, PSC is recognised internationally and is a specified requirement for many jobs in broadcasting, education and government in China.

This test programme has been administered by KLCII since 2006 and from whence two assessment sessions have been held every year. The second session for this year will be conducted in November.