BCT - Business Chinese Test

The new BCT—as an international, standardized test of Chinese language proficiency—focuses on assessing non-native Chinese speakers’ abilities to use the Chinese language in real business or common working environments, while evaluating the language tasks they are able to complete. It aims to provide references for companies to recruit and select employees, for schools and training institutions to organize teaching activities, and for learners to evaluate themselves.

The BCT, as a test series, consists of three independent tests: BCT (A), BCT (B), and the BCT Speaking Test.

• BCT (A) is oriented towards beginners, and is designed to examine test takers’ ability to communicate in Chinese in daily life and during basic business activities.
• BCT (B) is oriented towards intermediate and advanced learners, and is designed to examine test takers’ ability to communicate in Chinese during complex business activities.
• The BCT Speaking Test is oriented towards learners of all levels, and adopts the form of a computer-based test as well as personalized and targeted questions to examine test takers’ ability to complete various communicative tasks by using spoken Chinese.

The BCT has the following characteristics:

• It focuses on the practical use of Chinese when conducting business activities. The practical test is oriented towards speaking and listening, and emphasizing abilities in the workplace by recreating actual situations in the workplace.
• It has set the Standards for Business Chinese Language Competence and advocates a combination of teaching and examination as a method of improving Chinese language skills. The Standards for Business Chinese Language Competence, which is based on large-scale surveys and data analyses aligned with the BCT Outlines, provides a basis for a refined assessment of competence and systematic teaching activities.
• It includes business culture as a part of the test, so as to improve learners’ intercultural communicative competence.

Test Takers

The BCT is held for non-native Chinese speakers. Anyone who is a non-native speaker, whether capable of basic communication or fairly skillful communication in Chinese, may take the BCT. There are no restrictions on test takers’ age, education, or length of time spent learning Chinese.

Test Time and Location

The BCT is held regularly in mainland China and other countries each year. In addition, BCT can provide special testing services as required by relevant enterprises or organizations. For information about the test dates and test centers for the BCT, please log on to the Chinese test service website: www.chinesetest.cn.

For more information, please contact Heidi Zhang at heidi.zhang@csulb.edu or call (562) 985-4060.