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阅读理解:请读下面这封邮件。 "各位同事:下周三上午我们将停电检修,请大家提前保存好电脑里的文件,并在下班前关好电脑。物业部" 请问同事们应该提前做什么? (Reading comprehension: Read the email. 'Colleagues: Next Wednesday morning there will be a power outage for maintenance. Please save your computer files in advance and turn off your computers before leaving. Property Department.' What should colleagues do in advance?)

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Key Facts: BCT(A) Exam

BCT(A) is China's official elementary Business Chinese Test, with 70 questions (Listening 30 + Reading 30 + Writing 10) scored out of 300; it covers a 600-word business vocabulary at roughly CEFR A2–B1.

Sample BCT(A) Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your BCT(A) exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1听力理解:两个同事在办公室谈话。男的说:"小王,下午三点的会议改到几点了?"女的说:"改到四点半,在二楼会议室。"请问会议改到了几点? (Listening comprehension: Two colleagues talk in the office. Man: 'Xiao Wang, what time was the 3 p.m. meeting changed to?' Woman: 'It was moved to 4:30, in the second-floor meeting room.' What time is the meeting now?)
A.三点 (sān diǎn — 3:00)
B.四点半 (sì diǎn bàn — 4:30)
C.二点 (èr diǎn — 2:00)
D.四点 (sì diǎn — 4:00)
Explanation: The woman says 改到四点半 (gǎi dào sì diǎn bàn), meaning the meeting was moved to 4:30. 半 (bàn) means 'half,' so 四点半 is 'half past four.' Workplace scheduling dialogues are core BCT(A) listening content, so always catch the final stated time, not the original one.
2听力理解:经理对秘书说:"请帮我订两张去上海的飞机票,星期五早上的。"秘书说:"好的,我马上去办。"请问经理要去哪里? (Listening comprehension: The manager tells the secretary: 'Please book me two plane tickets to Shanghai, for Friday morning.' Secretary: 'OK, I'll do it right away.' Where is the manager going?)
A.北京 (Běijīng)
B.广州 (Guǎngzhōu)
C.上海 (Shànghǎi)
D.深圳 (Shēnzhèn)
Explanation: The manager says 去上海的飞机票 (qù Shànghǎi de fēijī piào), meaning 'plane tickets to Shanghai.' 去 + place names the destination. Business-travel arrangements are a frequent BCT(A) topic; listen for the city directly after 去.
3听力理解:客户打电话来。客户说:"喂,请问张经理在吗?"接电话的人说:"对不起,他现在不在,您要留言吗?"请问张经理现在怎么样? (Listening comprehension: A client phones. Client: 'Hello, is Manager Zhang there?' The person answering: 'Sorry, he is not here right now. Would you like to leave a message?' What is Manager Zhang's situation?)
A.他在开会 (He is in a meeting)
B.他现在不在 (He is not here right now)
C.他在打电话 (He is on the phone)
D.他生病了 (He is sick)
Explanation: The person answering says 他现在不在 (tā xiànzài bù zài), meaning 'he is not here right now.' 不在 is the standard polite phrase for someone being unavailable. The follow-up 您要留言吗 (would you like to leave a message?) confirms he is absent. Phone etiquette is central to BCT(A).
4听力理解:女的问:"这个月的销售报告你写完了吗?"男的说:"还没有,我明天上午就交给你。"请问男的什么时候交报告? (Listening comprehension: Woman: 'Have you finished writing this month's sales report?' Man: 'Not yet, I'll submit it to you tomorrow morning.' When will the man submit the report?)
A.今天下午 (this afternoon)
B.明天上午 (tomorrow morning)
C.明天下午 (tomorrow afternoon)
D.今天晚上 (tonight)
Explanation: The man says 明天上午就交给你 (míngtiān shàngwǔ jiù jiāo gěi nǐ), 'I'll submit it tomorrow morning.' 上午 means 'morning (forenoon).' Report deadlines are common BCT(A) listening content; distinguish 上午 (morning) from 下午 (afternoon).
5听力理解:男的说:"我们公司一共有多少员工?"女的说:"现在大概有三百人,比去年多了五十人。"请问公司现在有多少员工? (Listening comprehension: Man: 'How many employees does our company have in total?' Woman: 'About three hundred now, fifty more than last year.' How many employees does the company have now?)
A.二百五十人 (250 people)
B.三百人 (300 people)
C.三百五十人 (350 people)
D.五十人 (50 people)
Explanation: The woman says 现在大概有三百人 (xiànzài dàgài yǒu sān bǎi rén), 'about three hundred now.' The phrase 比去年多了五十人 (fifty more than last year) is extra detail, not the current total. BCT(A) listening often adds comparison numbers to test careful listening.
6听力理解:图片描述题。你听到一个词语:"传真机"。请问下面哪个选项是这个词的意思? (Listening comprehension — word recognition: You hear the word '传真机' (chuánzhēnjī). Which option matches its meaning?)
A.复印机 (photocopier)
B.传真机 (fax machine)
C.打印机 (printer)
D.电话机 (telephone)
Explanation: 传真机 (chuánzhēnjī) means 'fax machine.' 传真 means 'fax' and 机 means 'machine.' BCT(A) Listening Part One plays a word or phrase and shows a picture; office-equipment vocabulary is frequently tested. Learn the 机 (machine) family of words together.
7听力理解:男的说:"李小姐,这份合同请你今天下班前发给客户。"女的说:"没问题,我现在就发。"请问女的要做什么? (Listening comprehension: Man: 'Miss Li, please send this contract to the client before you leave today.' Woman: 'No problem, I'll send it right now.' What will the woman do?)
A.打印合同 (print the contract)
B.把合同发给客户 (send the contract to the client)
C.签合同 (sign the contract)
D.和客户开会 (have a meeting with the client)
Explanation: The man asks her to 发给客户 (fā gěi kèhù), 'send to the client,' the contract, and she agrees 我现在就发 (I'll send it right now). 发 here means 'to send.' BCT(A) tests task instructions in the workplace; match the verb (发, send) to the action.
8听力理解:一段通知。说话人说:"各位同事请注意,明天下午两点公司将进行消防演习,请大家准时参加。"请问明天下午两点有什么活动? (Listening comprehension — announcement: 'Attention all colleagues, tomorrow at 2 p.m. the company will hold a fire drill. Please attend on time.' What activity is happening tomorrow at 2 p.m.?)
A.公司聚餐 (company dinner)
B.消防演习 (fire drill)
C.员工培训 (staff training)
D.年终会议 (year-end meeting)
Explanation: The announcement says 进行消防演习 (jìnxíng xiāofáng yǎnxí), 'will hold a fire drill.' 消防 means 'fire safety/firefighting' and 演习 means 'drill/exercise.' BCT(A) Listening Part Three uses workplace announcements; catch the named activity.
9听力理解:女的说:"王先生,欢迎您来我们公司参观。我先带您去参观我们的生产车间,好吗?"男的说:"好,麻烦您了。"请问他们要先去哪里? (Listening comprehension: Woman: 'Mr. Wang, welcome to visit our company. Let me first take you to see our production workshop, is that all right?' Man: 'Sure, thank you for the trouble.' Where will they go first?)
A.办公室 (the office)
B.生产车间 (the production workshop)
C.餐厅 (the cafeteria)
D.会议室 (the meeting room)
Explanation: The woman says 先带您去参观我们的生产车间 (xiān dài nín qù cānguān wǒmen de shēngchǎn chējiān), 'first take you to see our production workshop.' 先 means 'first,' indicating the initial stop. Company-visit hosting is a typical BCT(A) scenario.
10听力理解:男的说:"这批货什么时候能到?"女的说:"工厂说下周三发货,大概星期五能到。"请问货物大概什么时候到? (Listening comprehension: Man: 'When can this batch of goods arrive?' Woman: 'The factory says they will ship on Wednesday next week, and it will probably arrive around Friday.' When will the goods probably arrive?)
A.下周三 (Wednesday next week)
B.星期五 (Friday)
C.今天 (today)
D.下周一 (Monday next week)
Explanation: The woman says 大概星期五能到 (dàgài xīngqīwǔ néng dào), 'will probably arrive around Friday.' 下周三发货 (ship Wednesday) is the shipping day, not the arrival day. BCT(A) logistics dialogues often separate the ship date from the arrival date — read the question carefully.

About the BCT(A) Exam

The Business Chinese Test (A) — BCT(A), in Chinese 商务汉语考试 (Shangwu Hanyu Kaoshi) — is the elementary level of China's official business-Chinese proficiency test, administered by Chinese Testing International (CTI) under the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC, formerly Hanban). It measures the ability to use Chinese for everyday workplace communication — office tasks, meetings, phone calls, emails and notices, schedules, business etiquette, simple negotiations, numbers and money, and business travel — rather than testing professional business theory. The full BCT(A) has 70 questions across three sections: Listening (30 questions, about 20 minutes), Reading (30 questions, 30 minutes), and Writing (10 questions, 10 minutes), with a maximum total of 300 points and each section worth 100. Listening and Reading are multiple-choice and use simplified characters drawn from a 600-word business reference vocabulary, placing BCT(A) at roughly CEFR A2–B1 (about HSK 1–3 with added business terms). The Writing section asks candidates to handwrite the correct character or word into a pinyin-prompted blank, so it is not multiple-choice. The complete on-site test takes about 70 minutes including time to fill in personal information. BCT(A) is aimed at learners and employees who need basic working Chinese, while the higher-level BCT(B) covers intermediate-to-advanced business Chinese with a larger 4,000-word vocabulary. Registration and official sample papers are available through ChineseTest.cn.

Questions

70 scored questions

Time Limit

Approximately 70 minutes total: Listening ~20 minutes, Reading 30 minutes, Writing 10 minutes, plus about 5 minutes to fill in personal information.

Passing Score

Scored out of 300 (Listening, Reading, and Writing each worth 100 points). BCT(A) maps the total to a proficiency level rather than applying a single fixed pass mark.

Exam Fee

Varies by country and test center (e.g., roughly ₹500–₹2,000 in India; about USD 20–40 equivalent at many centers). Verify the current fee at ChineseTest.cn or your local center. (Chinese Testing International (CTI), Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC, formerly Hanban), Ministry of Education, China)

BCT(A) Exam Content Outline

43%

Listening Comprehension

30 MCQs in 3 parts: word/phrase picture true-false, sentence-to-picture matching, and short workplace-dialogue comprehension with a follow-up question. Each recording plays twice; topics include meetings, phone calls, schedules, and business travel.

43%

Reading Comprehension

30 MCQs based on business texts — notices, emails, advertisements, tables, business cards, and short passages — with one to three questions each. Item types include multiple-choice, true/false, and business-vocabulary gap-fill.

14%

Writing

10 questions: handwrite the correct character or word into a pinyin-prompted blank. Handwritten and not multiple-choice; tested separately and not included in this MCQ practice bank.

How to Pass the BCT(A) Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Scored out of 300 (Listening, Reading, and Writing each worth 100 points). BCT(A) maps the total to a proficiency level rather than applying a single fixed pass mark.
  • Exam length: 70 questions
  • Time limit: Approximately 70 minutes total: Listening ~20 minutes, Reading 30 minutes, Writing 10 minutes, plus about 5 minutes to fill in personal information.
  • Exam fee: Varies by country and test center (e.g., roughly ₹500–₹2,000 in India; about USD 20–40 equivalent at many centers). Verify the current fee at ChineseTest.cn or your local center.

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

BCT(A) Study Tips from Top Performers

1Build the 600-word business reference vocabulary first, grouping workplace terms by theme — meetings (会议, 安排, 推迟), office tasks (报告, 文件, 传真机), money (报销, 发票, 打折), and travel (出差, 订机票, 接机).
2Master the Chinese discount system early: 打九折 means paying 90% (10% off) and 打八折 means 20% off, since BCT(A) Listening and Reading frequently test prices and discounts.
3Drill numbers, dates, times, and floor/room references (上午 vs 下午, 第二个路口, 三零五房间) — workplace listening items often hinge on catching the exact figure or the final stated value rather than the original one.
4Practice reading short business texts daily — notices, emails, advertisements, business cards, schedules, and price tables — and answer who/what/when/where questions, because Reading uses these formats with one to three questions each.
5Learn high-frequency business connectives and patterns (虽然…但是…, 因为…所以…, 不仅…还…, 把-sentences, resultative complements like 谈成/放好) so you can handle gap-fill and paraphrase questions in Reading.
6Use the official BCT(A) sample paper on ChineseTest.cn to rehearse under timed conditions; note that recordings play twice and that the Writing section requires handwriting characters from pinyin prompts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the BCT(A) exam and who administers it?

BCT(A), the Business Chinese Test (A) or 商务汉语考试, is the elementary level of China's official business-Chinese proficiency test. It is administered by Chinese Testing International (CTI) under the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC, formerly Hanban), part of China's Ministry of Education. Registration is through ChineseTest.cn.

How is BCT(A) scored and is there a pass mark?

BCT(A) is scored out of 300 points, with Listening, Reading, and Writing each worth up to 100. Rather than a single fixed pass mark, the total score is mapped to a proficiency band that describes the candidate's level of working Chinese. Check ChineseTest.cn for current score reporting at your center.

What is the format of the BCT(A) exam?

BCT(A) has 70 questions across three sections: Listening (30 questions, ~20 minutes), Reading (30 questions, 30 minutes), and Writing (10 questions, 10 minutes). The full test takes about 70 minutes including time for personal information. Listening and Reading are multiple-choice, while Writing requires handwriting characters from pinyin prompts.

What vocabulary and level does BCT(A) require?

BCT(A) is built on a 600-word business reference vocabulary and sits at roughly CEFR A2–B1, comparable to about HSK 1–3 plus workplace terms. It focuses on everyday business communication such as meetings, emails, phone calls, schedules, money, and business travel, not professional business theory.

How is BCT(A) different from BCT(B)?

BCT(A) is the elementary level with a 600-word business vocabulary and 70 questions, suitable for basic working Chinese. BCT(B) targets intermediate-to-advanced users with a much larger reference vocabulary (about 4,000 words), more questions, and a longer test, covering more complex business interactions.

What does the BCT(A) Listening section involve?

The Listening section has 30 questions in three parts: Part 1 plays a word or phrase to judge against a picture as true or false; Part 2 plays a sentence to match to one of three pictures; Part 3 plays a short two-line workplace dialogue followed by a question with three answer choices. Every recording plays twice.