Placement Exams & Online Course Policies
Find out if you need to take a placement exam, as well as when and where it is taking place. This document provides procedures for taking placement exams and the online course policy.
Who needs to take the Placement Exam?
- Students who have taken more than two years of a language in high school and who intend to take the same language at AU must take the exam
- Students who are bilingual or native speakers of the language they wish to take or who have spoken the language at home
- Students do not need to take the exam if they did not study a language previously or if they are planning to take a different language in college
Exams are given in Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Results will be posted for the Advisors only on Banner under Test Scores. Students cannot access their own scores.
When is the Placement Exam Offered?
The Foreign Language Placement Exam is now administered online. Online exams can be taken in Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
Students must PREREGISTER by emailing Prof. Sandra Singer. In the email include the language (Chinese, French, German, Italian or Spanish) in which you would like to be tested. Anyone wanting to take the exam must preregister.
When is the best time of year to request this Exam?
- During New Student Orientation
- The First week of Fall or Spring classes
- The week before or during Advisement Week in the Fall or Spring
For example, for 2021-2020:
- August 19th- August 27th
- October 18th- October 29th
- January 18th- January 21st
- March 21st- April 1st
Procedure to Demonstrate Proficiency in a Language other than Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish:
- Register with FLATS, Foreign Language Achievement Testing Service, through Brigham Young University
- Pay the fee
- Schedule your exam with the Division of Modern Languages Chair who will serve as Proctor
Once you have obtained test scores from Banner, please use the following guidelines for registration:
- 0 - 200 You should start with the first semester course (101)
- 201-400 You should start in the second semester of the language (102)
- 401-600 You should start in the third semester course (201)
- Students who have completed the foreign language requirement are encouraged to continue their foreign language studies. Please contact any faculty member or the office of Modern Languages for guidance choosing which level would be most appropriate.
- Please Note: To be considered for membership in Phi Beta Kappa, students must have, among other qualifications, demonstrated intermediate proficiency in a foreign language through 200-level coursework.
International Students:
Foreign Language Requirement Waiver Request Policy and Form
Modern Languages - Online Course Policy
General Education Foreign Language Competency (III)
The Division of Modern Languages does not accept courses taken online for transfer credit in fulfillment of the General Education Foreign Language Competency (III). The position of the Division of Modern Languages regarding courses taken online is based upon the National Standards for Language Learning as delineated by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). In exceptional circumstances, the Division of Modern Languages may choose to review this policy on a case by case basis.