Should I use the original HSK books or the new HSK 3.0 books on Baulchino?

Use the original HSK books if you are preparing for the current HSK exam or following a course built around the existing Levels 1–6. Use the new HSK 3.0 books if your goal is the updated 2026 curriculum and you want to study the revised material from the start. Baulchino hosts both sets side by side, so the deciding factor is which exam or syllabus you are actually working toward — not which set is "better."

What Baulchino offers for each track

Baulchino presents the two curricula as parallel sections on its homepage, each with its own books, audio, and practice material.

Two things follow from this table. First, the original track is the only one where the site explicitly states level coverage (1–6). Second, the mock test section is listed once, without a 3.0-specific counterpart, so if mock testing is central to your plan, check whether the available tests match your target exam before committing.

How the two tracks differ in positioning

The page describes the original HSK books simply as downloadable HSK books for Levels 1–6. The new HSK 3.0 material is framed as "released in 2026" with an "updated curriculum for modern Mandarin learning" — the same wording is used for both the 3.0 books and the 3.0 audio files.

That wording tells you the 3.0 set is positioned as a curriculum refresh, not an add-on to the existing books. It does not tell you how the levels map between the two systems, and the page does not state a level range for 3.0. If you need to know which 3.0 level corresponds to, say, old HSK 4, that mapping is not on this page — verify it against the official exam syllabus you are targeting.

Choosing based on your exam goal

Work backward from the test you will sit:

• Sitting the current HSK exam, or enrolled in a course using it: take the original HSK track. Its Levels 1–6 structure and unit-by-unit audio line up with the textbooks and workbooks you are already using.
• Targeting the new HSK 3.0 / 2026 curriculum: take the 3.0 books and 3.0 audio. Starting with the old set risks covering material that the updated curriculum reorganizes.
• Unsure which exam applies to you: confirm the exam version and level requirements with your school, test center, or the official HSK body first. The site itself does not resolve this for you.
• Studying for general fluency rather than an exam: either track works as a structured base. Pick one and stay with it, since mixing two curricula makes progress harder to track.

Audio and mock tests: check the pairing

Audio is split cleanly by track — HSK Audio Files follow the HSK textbooks and workbooks unit by unit, and the 3.0 audio files are listed separately for the 2026 material. There is also a "Download all HSK audio files" option covering every HSK textbook and workbook, which appears tied to the original set rather than 3.0.

Mock tests are the gap to watch. The page offers HSK mock test bundles and an online simulation, but does not label them as 3.0-specific. Before you rely on them for 3.0 preparation, confirm the format matches the exam version you are taking.

Beyond the two book tracks

Baulchino also lists supporting tools that are not tied to either curriculum version: Anki decks covering HSK 1–4 vocabulary, hanzi writing material on stroke order and radicals, downloadable calligraphy templates, and a template generator for custom stroke-order and radical practice. These work alongside either track, though the Anki decks are labeled HSK 1–4, so they align more directly with the original level structure.

The site also links to Chinese learning YouTube channels and an About/Roadmap/Support section. The page's Q&A includes "How much does it cost?" but the answer text is not shown in the available material, so no pricing conclusion can be drawn here — check that section directly if cost matters to your decision.