Language Placement Testing

white flowers with a blurred background

Language Placement Testing

  • Students who have had 2 years or more of high school study of a language must take a placement test or complete a placement interview in order to determine their first course in a language sequence. Students should wait until they receive their Placement Test scores to enroll in the correct level. They should not request overrides before they take the test.
  • Students who have had less than 2 years of high school study, or for whom it has been 3 years or more since their last language course may sit for a placement test or may begin at 10100. NOTE: If students opt to enroll in 10100, they should indicate in the comments of their registration override request one of the following: “3 years or more since language” or “less than two years of language.”
  • Students may only sit for a placement exam once in any language.
  • Students that are considered Heritage Speakers in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian or Spanish *See below*
  • Students with no previous study of a language should not sit for a placement exam and should contact their advisor for permission to enroll in 10100. On their registration override request, students must indicate in the comments: “No previous knowledge of the language.” NOTE: if instructors detect that students are not true beginners, and 101 is not their appropriate level, they will remove students from the course and place them in the appropriate level, if room is available.
  • Students with advanced credit (transfer, dual credit, AP)
  • Students who are enrolled in or have completed a course in a language at Purdue may not sit for a placement exam.
  • Students that are considered Native Speakers in Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, or Russian *See Below*
  • There is a $35 rate for placement in each language for Purdue students.
  • Charges appear on account through the Bursar’s Office sometime after testing
  • Students who are Pell Grant eligible will receive a waiver and will not be charged.
  • Purdue graduate students, faculty, and staff are exempt.
Registration
  • No advance registration is necessary
  • Requirements for taking the test:
    • A computer, Mac or PC, with a webcam
    • Fast and reliable internet connection
    • Valid photo ID like Purdue ID, driver's license, or passport
    • A quiet space where you can be alone
    • Willingness to allow the testing system to videotape you as you take the test (The video will be erased as soon as it is reviewed.)
    • If you meet these requirements download the test instructions.
Results
  • After successful completion of the placement test, prerequisites will be loaded to your academic record, and you should be able to enroll in your placement course ca. 15 minutes following your exam.
  • Test scores are loaded to students’ academic records within one hour following testing providing prerequisites
  • Students who place into Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, or Russian Level I (10100) should contact their advisor for a “departmental permission override” request in order to be able to register. In the comments of their override request, they should state “Took placement test and placed into level 1.”
  • Earn departmental credit for courses skipped in the 10100, 10200, 20100, and 20200 sequence by completing your placement course with a C- or higher or a P on the WL campus.
  • College Board Advanced Placement Credit -The College Board Advanced Placement (AP) program allows you to establish college credit from tests taken at the completion of high school AP courses.
  • International Baccalaureate (IB Credit) - IB credit exam scores may be eligible for transfer credit at Purdue. Discover what IB credit Purdue accepts and the minimum scores required to earn credit.  
  • College Level Examination Program (CLEP) - CLEP is a group of standardized tests administered by College Board that allow students to earn credit based on knowledge acquired through experience or independent study. 

CHINESE

  • Native Speakers of Chinese Students from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong are considered as native speakers of Chinese if they received elementary and junior high school education with (Mandarin) Chinese as the primary language of instruction. 
  • Due to their native proficiency in the language, they are not permitted to take the placement test nor any language courses (100- to 400-level).  No credits for lower level courses (101-202) will be granted after they complete any literature, culture and calligraphy courses numbered in CHNS 241, 280, 281, 285, 305, 313, 330, 341, 342, 490, 594 and LC490/A&D 391 "History of Chinese Art".
  • Heritage Speakers: Previous research defines heritage Chinese students (learners and speakers) broadly as those language students who are raised in homes outside of Chinese speaking countries/regions where Chinese is spoken, and who speak or at least understand one form of Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin) and are to some degree bilingual in Chinese and in English.  More specifically, heritage students define Chinese with a particular family relevance and who are English-dominant with no or limited reading and writing ability in Chinese. Heritage students are encouraged to take the placement test to determine their language proficiency before signing up for any CHNS language courses.  
  • If you have any questions, please contact: Professor Wei Hong hongwei@purdue.edu : CHNS 101-402 Chinese language; Heritage Chinese; Professor Daniel Hsieh dhsieh@purdue.edu : classical Chinese language and literature Professor Hongjian Wang wang2512@purdue.edu : modern Chinese literature and film  

FRENCH (what about native? Is that the placement section?)

  • Heritage speaker refers to second or third generation immigrants raised in a natural environment where the minority language was spoken in addition to the majority language. Typically, heritage language learners do not receive formal instruction in the home language until later in life (high-school or college) but have good oral skills. This, however, is not always the case and there is a wide range of proficiency variability across the bilingual continuum. For this reason, all students exposed to French during early childhood or adolescence, and who self identify as heritage language learners are required to make an appointment with the Chair of the Department of French for a formal interview to determine appropriate placement. The above criterion of what constitutes a heritage language learner is based entirely on previous linguistic background (exposure to the family language during early childhood or adolescence – generally before the age of 14) and not on ethnic or cultural background. Students who immigrate to the United States past the age of 14 typically have a fully developed native grammatical system, and are recommended to enroll in content language courses.
  • Students exposed to French in a natural setting before the age of 14 are recommended to make an appointment with the Chair of the Department of French. This is regardless of their level of proficiency in French or language of instruction in high school. Based on the results of the interview, the department will recommend placement in either one of the French content courses or in lower levels of French instruction (FR 101, 102, 201 or 202). Students placed in a lower-level language course should complete the regular language sequence (FR 101- FR 202) if they are interested in completing a Major or Minor in French.
  • Questions and Concerns Any questions or concerns regarding the Heritage Language placement should be sent to the Chair of the Department of French. For specific questions regarding placement tests (dates, testing hours and location, required documentation) please contact Jason Baumer, SLC Language Testing and Placement Coordinator at jbaumer@purdue.edu.

GERMAN

  • Native Speaker: Students from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg are considered native speakers of German if they received elementary and junior high school education with German as the primary language of instruction (generally before the age of 14).  Due to their native proficiency in the language, they are not permitted to take the placement exam nor any language courses, including GER 101, 102, 201, 202, 223, 224, 301, 302, 323, 401, 402, 424, or 524.  Native speakers may take literature, culture, or linguistics courses such as GER 241, 341, 342, 480, 561, 562, 563, or 581. No credits for lower-level courses (GER 101, 102, 201, 202/223/224) will be granted after completion of any literature, culture, or linguistics courses.
  • Heritage Speaker: The term heritage speaker of German refers to individuals who were exposed to German during childhood or early adolescence or who self-identify as heritage language learners.  Heritage speakers are often second or third generation speakers who were raised speaking the language in a natural environment outside of any German-speaking country. Typically, heritage speakers do not receive formal instruction in the home language until later in life (high school or college) but have good oral skills.  Thus, there is often a wide range of proficiency across the bilingual continuum.  For this reason, heritage speakers should make an appointment with the Chair of the Department of German and Russian for a formal interview to determine appropriate placement.  The departmental chair may wish to appoint another faculty member to conduct the interview.  Upon completion of the course into which heritage speakers are placed with a minimum grade of C-, they are eligible for credit for GER 101, 102, 202, or 202/223/224. The above criterion of what constitutes a heritage language learner is based on previous linguistic background (exposure to the family language during early childhood or adolescence--generally before the age of 14) and not on ethnic or cultural background.   Students who immigrate to the United States past the age of 14 typically have a fully developed native grammatical system and are recommended to enroll in literature, culture, or linguistics courses such as GER 241, 341, 342, 480, 561, 562, 563, 581.  
  • Questions and Concerns: Any questions or concerns about issues related to heritage or native speakers of German should be directed to the Chair of the Department of German and Russian or to the SLC Language Testing and Placement Coordinator, or to the Undergraduate Advisor for the SLC.  

ITALIAN

  • Native Speaker: Students from Italy are considered native speakers of Italian if they received elementary and at least junior high school education with Italian as the primary language of instruction. Due to their native proficiency in the language, they are not permitted to take the placement exam nor any language courses, including ITAL 101, 105, 102, 201, 202, 205. Native speakers may take the Italian courses required for the minor and major including ITAL 301, ITAL 302 and literature or culture courses taught in Italian such as ITAL 341 and 342. No credits for lower-level courses (ITAL 101, 102, 105, 201, 202, 205) will be granted after completion of any literature courses. 
  • Heritage Speaker: The term heritage speaker of Italian refers to: 1) individuals who are exposed to Italian during childhood or early adolescence but did not receive a formal education in Italy, or their formal education in Italian ended before the age of 14. 2) second or third generation speakers who were raised speaking the language in a natural environment outside of any Italian-speaking country. Heritage speakers may or may not have received formal instruction in the home language or received it later in life (high school or college) but have good oral skills. Thus, there is often a wide range of proficiency across the bilingual continuum. Should a heritage speaker need language sequence courses, they should register the accelerated sequence (ITAL 105 in fall; ITAL 205 in Spring). For this reason, heritage speakers should take the placement test and also make an appointment with the Italian Language Coordinator, Dr. Annalisa Mosca mosca@purdue.edu for a formal interview to determine appropriate placement.  Upon completion of the course into which heritage speakers are placed with a minimum grade of C-, they are eligible for credit for the whole sequence of language courses, up to ITAL 202.  Please note: Native speakers and Heritage speakers are allowed to pursue a major or a minor in Italian. Please contact the Director of Italian Studies, Dr. Tatjana Babic tbabic@purdue.edu for alternative courses. 
  • Questions and Concerns: Any questions or concerns about issues related to heritage or native speakers of Italian should be directed to the Italian Language Coordinator, Dr. Annalisa Mosca mosca@purdue.edu or to the Director of Italian Studies, Dr. Tatjana Babic tbabic@purdue.edu, or to the Undergraduate Advisor for the School of Languages and Cultures, Ms. Rachel King, , king314@purdue.edu. General questions about the placement test should be directed to the SLC Language Testing and Placement Coordinator. 

JAPANESE

  • Native Speaker: Students from Japan are considered native speakers if they received elementary and junior high school education with Japanese as the primary language of instruction (generally before the age of 14). Due to their native proficiency in the language, they are not permitted to take the placement exam nor any language courses, including JPNS 101, 102, 201, 202, 301, 302, 401, or 402. Native speakers may take literature, culture, or linguistics courses such as JPNS 241, 341, 480, or 490. No credits for lower-level courses (JPNS 101, 102, 201, 202) will be granted after completion of any literature, culture, or linguistics courses.
  • Heritage Speaker: The term heritage speaker of Japanese refers to individuals who were exposed to Japanese during childhood or early adolescence or who self-identify as heritage language learners. Heritage speakers are often second or third generation speakers who were raised speaking the language in a natural environment outside of Japan. Typically, heritage speakers do not receive formal instruction in the home language until later in life (high school or college) but have good oral skills. Thus, there is often a wide range of proficiency across the bilingual continuum. For this reason, heritage speakers should make an appointment with the Chair of Japanese for a formal interview to determine appropriate placement. The chair may wish to appoint another faculty member to conduct the interview. Upon completion of the course into which heritage speakers are placed with a minimum grade of C-, they are eligible for credit for JPNS 101, 102, 201, or 202.  The above criterion of what constitutes a heritage language learner is based on previous linguistic background (exposure to the family language during early childhood or adolescence-generally before the age of 14) and not on ethnic or cultural background. Students who immigrate to the United States past the age of 14 typically have a fully developed native grammatical system and are recommended to enroll in literature, culture, or linguistics courses such as JPNS 241, 341, 361, 363, 480, or 490.
  • Questions and Concerns: Any questions or concerns about issues related to heritage or native speakers of Japanese should be directed to the Chair of Japanese or to the SLC Language Testing and Placement Coordinator, or to the Undergraduate Advisor for the SLC. 

KOREAN

  • Native speaker: A native speaker of Korean is defined as someone who was born and raised in Korea receiving education in Korean as the primary instruction language at school (from elementary to high school). If a student is a native speaker of Korean, such a student is not allowed to take the Korean placement test nor Korean language courses of 100- to 200-level. No credit will be granted. However, a native Korean student can take any Korean literature, culture, and history courses taught in Korean.   Definition of a Korean heritage speaker:  
  • Heritage speaker is defined as one who has an ethnolinguistic affiliation to the Korean heritage, but may have a broad range of proficiency from high to none in Korean oral or literacy skills. These students could have grown up outside of Korea, and they have acquired a certain level of proficiency in Korean listening or writing skills. For example, a student grew up in US hearing and speaking Korean to some degree at home. Her or his primary language could have been Korean at some point during childhood, but English—or any language other than Korean—became this person’s dominant and primary language with very limited or some knowledge of reading and writing in Korean by early adulthood.   If a heritage Korean speaker plans to take a Korean language course at Purdue University for the first time, such a student needs to take Purdue Korean Placement Test.
  • Questions or Concerns: Should you have any question, please contact Dr. Huai-Rhin Kim at kim2754@purdue.edu  or Dr. S. No at sno1@purdue.edu . 

RUSSIAN

  • Native Speaker: Students from countries in which Russian is an official language are considered native speakers if they received elementary and junior high school education with Russian as the primary language of instruction (generally before the age of 14).  Due to their native proficiency in the language, they are not permitted to take the placement exam nor any language courses, including RUSS 101, 102, 201, 202, 223, 224, 301, 302, 401, or 402.  Native speakers may take literature, culture, or linguistics courses such as RUSS 241, 341, 342, 424, 480, 561, 562, 563, or 581. No credits for lower-level courses (RUSS 101, 102, 201, 202) will be granted after completion of any literature, culture, or linguistics courses.
  • Heritage Speaker: The term heritage speaker of Russian refers to individuals who were exposed to Russian during childhood or early adolescence or who self-identify as heritage language learners.  Heritage speakers are often second or third generation speakers who were raised speaking the language in a natural environment outside of any Russian-speaking country. Typically, heritage speakers do not receive formal instruction in the home language until later in life (high school or college) but have good oral skills.  Thus, there is often a wide range of proficiency across the bilingual continuum.  For this reason, heritage speakers should make an appointment with the Chair of the Department of German and Russian for a formal interview to determine appropriate placement.  The departmental chair may wish to appoint another faculty member to conduct the interview.  Upon completion of the course into which heritage speakers are placed with a minimum grade of C-, they are eligible for credit for RUSS 101, 102, 201, or 202. The above criterion of what constitutes a heritage language learner is based on previous linguistic background (exposure to the family language during early childhood or adolescence--generally before the age of 14) and not on ethnic or cultural background.   Students who immigrate to the United States past the age of 14 typically have a fully developed native grammatical system and are recommended to enroll in literature, culture, or linguistics courses such as RUSS 341, 342, 424, 480, 561, 562, 563, or 581.
  • Questions and Concerns: Any questions or concerns about issues related to heritage or native speakers of Russian should be directed to the Chair of the Department of German and Russian or to the SLC Language Testing and Placement Coordinator, or to the Undergraduate Advisor for the SLC.  

SPANISH

  • Heritage speakers of Spanish. The term heritage speaker refers to second or third generation immigrants raised in a natural environment where the minority language was spoken in addition to the majority language. Typically, heritage language learners do not receive formal instruction in the home language until later in life (high-school or college) but have good oral skills. This, however, is not always the case and there is a wide range of proficiency variability across the bilingual continuum. The above criterion of what constitutes a heritage language learner is based entirely on previous linguistic background (exposure to the family language during early childhood or adolescence – generally before the age of 14) and not on ethnic or cultural background. Students who immigrate to the United States past the age of 14 typically have a fully developed native grammatical system and are recommended to enroll in content language courses. Given that heritage speakers have specific learning needs compared to second language learners, we have designed two courses that address these needs. These courses are SPAN 305 and SPAN 308. All students exposed to Spanish during early childhood or adolescence, and who self-identify as heritage language learners, are required to take the placement test for Spanish Heritage Speakers in the School of Languages and Cultures. This is regardless of their level of proficiency in Spanish or language of instruction in high school. Based on the results of the test, the department will recommend placement in either SPAN 305 (Spanish for Heritage Speakers), SPAN 308 (Advanced Spanish for Heritage Speakers) or in lower levels of Spanish instruction. SPAN 305 and SPAN 308 are the equivalent courses for SPAN 301 and SPAN 302 for Spanish heritage speakers. Students placed in SPAN 305 should continue with SPAN 308 the following semester if they are interested in completing a major or minor in Spanish. The placement test is offered fully online, and it’s available on a continuous basis 24/7/365. No advance registration is necessary. 
  • Questions and Concerns: Any questions or concerns regarding the Heritage Language Program should be sent to Dr. Alejandro Cuza, Director of Spanish Heritage Language Program at acuza@purdue.edu.