The Business Chinese Test (BCT) is an international standardised test of Chinese language proficiency to assess non-native Chinese speakers’ abilities in using the Chinese language in real business or common working environments. Developed by the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban)  – a public institution affiliated with the Ministry of Education, China, it has been the main assessment tool adopted for the Chinese Workplace Literacy (CWPL) Programme/Business Chinese since its inception in 2006. The International BCT has been adopted by 17 countries worldwide, including China, Korea, Japan, the USA, and Argentina. Many of these test-takers are from the retail, services, finance, and education sectors.

The International BCT, as a test series, consists of three independent tests: BCT (A), BCT (B), and the BCT (Oral iBT) tests. Test-takers will be tested in four skills of the language, namely Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. The structure of the three tests is shown in the table below.

* Test Duration refers to the estimated amount of time taken to complete the test, including administrative procedures

Trainees undergoing Chinese Workplace Literacy (CWPL) Programme/Business Chinese training will be advised by their training providers on the type of International BCT they should attempt, based on the skills and level of training covered in the training programmes.

Upon completion of the tests, test-takers will be awarded an e-certificate from Hanban, which is recognised internationally. The e-certificate is a score report which records the test-taker’s sub-test scores and total score, without setting any passing score. The e-certificate will also provide competence descriptions for all levels of test-takers, and indicate the date of the International BCT taken by the test-taker. There is no expiry date for the International BCT e-certificate.

The table below outlines the language proficiency descriptors of the International BCT.