CSCA / CSCA questions applicants actually ask
CSCA questions applicants actually ask
Short answers to the questions that come up most often, each pointing at the source you should confirm it against.
CSCA is required for international applicants to undergraduate programmes at Chinese Government Scholarship universities. You sit only the papers your intended major requires, sittings repeat several times a year so retakes are possible, and the score report forms part of the application file rather than being a simple pass or fail.
Common questions
Who has to take the CSCA?
International applicants for bachelor’s degrees at Chinese Government Scholarship universities. Postgraduate applicants, exchange students and non-degree language students are not covered by the same requirement. Confirm your own case on the university’s current admissions notice.
How many subjects do I have to sit?
Only the combination attached to your intended major. Many applicants sit Mathematics plus one science paper; applicants to Chinese-taught programmes normally add the relevant Professional Chinese paper. There is no requirement to sit all five.
Is CSCA pass or fail?
It produces a score report rather than a pass mark. Some universities publish a minimum score; others use the result as one element of a broader admissions review.
Can I retake it?
Sittings run several times a year, so retaking before an application deadline is usually possible. Check the registration window for the later sitting and any rule the assessment authority publishes on repeat attempts.
How long is a CSCA score valid?
Validity is set by the assessment authority and can be applied differently by individual universities. Confirm both the official validity period and the university’s own rule before relying on an older result.
Do I still need HSK if I take Professional Chinese?
Usually yes, and they are not interchangeable. HSK measures general Chinese proficiency; Professional Chinese tests academic reading in a subject context. A university may require both, either, or set its own alternative.
Do English-taught programmes require CSCA?
Often yes, though normally without a Professional Chinese paper. An English-taught applicant may still need Mathematics or a science paper in English. Check the subject table for your specific major.
Where is the exam held?
It is delivered primarily as an online test taken at home under remote proctoring, which removes the need to travel to a test centre but adds device, connection and identity requirements you must meet.
Are official past papers published?
Live exam papers are not publicly released. The assessment authority publishes sample questions, and the fuller papers circulating online are reconstructions built from candidate recall after each sitting.
Are the free CSCA papers online reliable?
They vary. Question text is often broadly accurate because it comes from candidate recall, but answer keys are frequently wrong or unexplained, and Chinese and English versions of the same question sometimes disagree. Check any key before you learn from it.
In which language should I sit the papers?
Science papers are available in Chinese and English versions. Choose the language you can read fastest under time pressure, unless your university or programme requires a specific version.
When should I sit it in my application timeline?
After you have a shortlist and before you submit applications. Work backwards from the earliest score deadline across your shortlist and leave room for one retake.
Keep reading
- CSCA: the entrance test for undergraduate study in China
- What the CSCA syllabus covers
- CSCA sittings, registration windows and score timing
- Study in China FAQ
CSCA past papers — Question style and pacing are learned from full papers, not from topic lists.
Reviewed 2026-08-13.