First of all, you have to know why you are studying for HSK, if you are studying to apply for a scholarship. Possibly, it is a good idea to join HSK exam. If you are not in a hurry I think it is best to start joining HSK 3.
2-)Learning with listening is very important. I suggest you to learn all the words with its pronunciation. Because during the exam the listening part will be the most challenging one. In addition, it is very hard to learn pronunciation later.
3-)Diversify your sources but be sure you are really learning. Learning Chinese is not as easy as learning English.
4-)Test yourself once in 3 days. Get used to question system of HSK exam to maximize your score.
5-)Believe yourself. There are millions of people who can speak and write this language fluently!
