Whether college students need to take the Putonghua certificate depends mainly on their personal needs and career planning.

First of all, the Putonghua certificate is a proof of language ability. For some majors and occupations, having a Putonghua certificate may be a necessary condition. For example, teachers' majors, broadcasting and hosting majors and tourism management majors all have higher requirements for Putonghua certificates. In addition, for people who want to engage in related occupations, Putonghua certificate is also essential, such as announcer, host, actor and so on.

For college students of other majors, it may not be necessary to take the Putonghua certificate, but it is recommended to consider taking it. The reason for this is the following：

Improving personal language ability: Obtaining a Putonghua certificate can help college students improve their Putonghua level and help their career development in the future.

Enhance employment competitiveness: In some recruitment positions, having a Putonghua certificate may become a priority. Therefore, having a Putonghua certificate may increase the employment competitiveness of college students.

Satisfy personal interests and hobbies: College students can also satisfy their personal interests and hobbies in language learning by obtaining Putonghua certificates.

In short, for college students, whether to take the Putonghua certificate depends on their personal situation and career planning. If an individual is interested in language learning, or his major requires a Putonghua certificate, it is necessary to obtain a Putonghua certificate. At the same time, if the future career planning requires good language skills, it is also very meaningful to obtain a Putonghua certificate.