The BCT (A) is an international, standardized exam in Chinese language proficiency that focuses on testing non-native Chinese speakers’ abilities to use the Chinese language in real business or common working environments, and that evaluates the language tasks they are able to complete. Following the principle of practicality, oriented towards speaking and listening, and emphasizing abilities in the workplace, this test aims to recreate actual situations in the workplace and takes practical content for communications as the method of examining test takers’ abilities to use Chinese to meet their needs in a working environment.

I. Test Structure

BCT (A) contains 70 question sand consists of three parts: listening, reading and writing.

1. Listening

Section One contains ten questions. You will hear a word or phrase for each question twice. On the test paper, there is a picture for each question. Answer whether the content of the picture is true or false according to what you hear.

Section Two contains ten questions. You will hear a sentence for each question twice. On the test paper, there are three pictures for each question. Choose the right one according to what you hear.

Section Three contains ten questions. For each question, you will hear a dialogue between two people and a question based on the dialogue twice. Choose the best answer from the three choices on the test paper according to what you hear.

2. Reading

Section One contains ten questions. One or two sentences with a blank will be provided for each of the first five questions. Choose the best answer from the choices to complete the sentence. The other five questions are five blanks in a table or a short passage of practical writing. Choose the best answers to complete the table or the passage.

Section Two contains twenty questions. A series of reading materials will be provided, including pictures, tables, paragraphs, passages, etc. Each piece of reading material will be followed by one to three questions, with three choices. Choose the best answer to the question.

3. Writing

This part contains ten questions. For each question, there is a sentence with a blank. Use the correct Chinese character or phrase (Pinyin of the word or phrase will be provided) to fill in the blank.

II. Reference Vocabulary

The BCT (A) has set up a reference vocabulary of 600 words according to language competence, can-do statements, word frequencies of various authoritative Chinese corpora, and the actual state of international Chinese language teaching.

III. Score System

The BCT (A) score report records a test taker’s sub-test scores and total score, without setting a passing score. The report will also provide competence descriptions for all levels of test takers.

The BCT (A) test paper consists of three sub-tests: listening, reading and writing, with a total score of 300 points. Its score system is shown in the table below:

IV. Test Principles

Promote learning through examination: encourage Chinese language learners’ interest and confidence, and further broaden the scope of the test in accordance with the actual demands of overseas Business Chinese learners and Chinese speakers in a general working environment.

Promote teaching through examination: provide teachers and self-learners with graded, task-based teaching resource sand suggestions related to business Chinese, and help teaching and training institutions systematically and effectively improve business Chinese learners and speakers’ abilities to use the Chinese language in real business or common working environments.

Provide positive feedback for test takers: evaluate test takers’ ability to complete various language tasks by asking them to carry out a series of typical business language tasks and provide positive feedback for Chinese language learners to plan their future studies.