Placement Exams Only Good for Course Enrollment
Check the Proficiency Exams Page for Satisfying Language Requirements & Placement
Foreign language requirements for an undergraduate degree are based on the requirements for your college AND in some cases for your major. Most Bachelor of Science degrees do not have a foreign language requirement, but a specific major may have one. For example, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences does not have a foreign language requirement, but their major in International Agricultural Development does. To confirm, it is best to speak with both your college and your major advisor as soon as possible since some majors require as many as two years of foreign language proficiency.
- College of Letters & Science - A.B and B.A.S. degrees require proficiency at the 15 unit level. Some majors require more than a 15 unit proficiency – check with advisor
https://lettersandscience.ucdavis.edu/degree-requirements - College of Biological Science - Bachelor of Arts Degree
https://biology.ucdavis.edu/undergrad/degree-requirements - College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences – only a B.S. in International Agricultural Development has a foreign language requirement
https://caes.ucdavis.edu/students/academics - College of Engineering - no foreign language requirement
https://engineering.ucdavis.edu/undergraduate/majors-and-minors
Adding a double major?
It is important to consider any additional language requirements early, if you are considering adding a major with a foreign language requirement in the future. In an effort to avoid retention issues from your high school foreign language study as well as course scheduling challenges in the junior or senior year, it is strongly suggested that students take a language placement exam as a freshman even if a student does not have a foreign language requirement within his or her current academic plan. It is likely that students will place higher on a foreign language placement or proficiency exam as they have just completed studying the language prior to admission.
You can fulfill the requirement in 6 ways:
- Foreign Language Proficiency Exam (Proctored) - demonstrate your foreign language proficiency with an assessment exam. Please see the Proficiency Exams page.
- College Board Subject Test – scoring at least a 550 on a College Board Foreign Language Subject Test**
- College Board Advanced Placement Examination – scoring a 5, 4 or 3 on any foreign language College Board AP Exam.**
- International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination – score 7, 6 or 5 on Chinese A, A1 or B, French A1, A2 or B Exam, Italian A1 Exam, Latin A1 Exam, or the Spanish A1 Exam taken in high school.**
- Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) – students may satisfy the requirement by attaining certification of the IGETC completion.**
- Course completion in college – completing the equivalent of 15 unit level of proficiency in one language. Example – completion of SPA 3 or JPN 3.
IMPORTANT NOTE
- If you have successfully completed the second or third year of a language in the tenth grade or higher in high school, you may receive unit credit for course 1 of that language when taken at UC Davis. However, you will only be issued a Pass/No Pass grade, which cannot be changed.
- DO NOT take a Foreign Language Placement/Proficiency Exam if you have completed any of these requirements...INSTEAD contact a Foreign Language Advisor in Sproul Hall.
The Davis Language Center administers placement exams to UCD students only. You may take each language exam once during your academic career. This includes any exam taken during Aggie Orientation.
- Please check the links in the left column in the following language sections before taking your exam.
- You must have your UCD Student ID to take a placement or proficiency exam.
- The DLC staff are not able to interpret your results. If you have any questions regarding your proficiency or placement level, please contact Michael Mills (mwmills@ucdavis.edu).
Call the DLC at 530-752-1508 or e-mail us at ucdlc@ucdavis.edu to schedule an appointment for your proctored proficiency exam (also good for placement). See languages below:
FRENCH* ** GERMAN SPANISH RUSSIAN For Course Enrollment (Non-Proctored) (WebCAPE 2.0) |
These exams are web-based, computerized, and adaptive (that is, the exam selects each test item as you proceed based on the answer given to the previous question). The exam takes one hour or less to complete and all questions are multiple-choice. Your results will be issued immediately. You do not need to study for this exam - it is a placement test to determine your current language proficiency. After you have completed the exam the Davis Language Center will issue a print out with your score and suggested course level, with the score being final. * Please go to https://frenchanditalian.ucdavis.edu/placement-guidelines-french-language for complete information on French placement guidelines. |
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ITALIAN For Course Enrollment (Non-Proctored) (PDF Guide) (Video Guide) |
The Italian exam is a computer-based multiple choice test with a one hour time limit. Your score will be issued immediately. To get the recommended course level, please take your score to the Italian Coordinator listed on the DLC info sheet for Italian that you will be given at the completion of the exam. Anyone who has had significant exposure to the Italian language through formal classroom study or from living with heritage speakers should take the Italian placement exam. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
JAPANESE For Course Enrollment (Non-Proctored) (PDF Guide) (Video Guide) |
Anyone who has had significant exposure to the Japanese language through formal classroom study or living with heritage speakers should take the placement exam. If you have never been exposed to the Japanese language, no placement exam is required. Just enroll in a Japanese 1 course. The new Japanese Language Assessment Examination is a multiple choice test with three primary parts which include grammar, reading and listening comprehension. The exam will take about one hour to complete based on your Japanese competence. You will get your results and placement level immediately upon completion of the test. You can register for a Japanese language class prior to taking the placement exam; but after testing it may be determined that you are in an inappropriate class level based on your language proficiency. The test is offered throughout the academic year at the DLC. ATTENTION: the online Japanese exam can ONLY be taken once each calendar year.INFORMATION FOR JAPANESE PLACEMENT TEST TAKERS: To take the Japanese Placement Examination, contact the UC Davis Language Learning Center (DLC) at 530-752-1508 or email them at ucdlc@ucdavis.edu. The assessment will be given at the DLC located in 53 Olson Hall and will take approximately 1 hour to complete. |
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CHINESE For Course Enrollment (Non-Proctored) (PDF Guide) (Video Guide) |
The purpose of the computerized Chinese Placement Evaluation is to identify the level of your Chinese proficiency and to direct you to the appropriate Mandarin Chinese course for your level.
Placement Exam NOT REQUIRED for These Courses The computerized Placement Evaluation does not assess your spoken Chinese competence. Therefore, it is possible that your teacher will advise you to switch to a more appropriate level based on your oral competency during the first or second class. To take the Chinese Placement Evaluation, contact the UC Davis Language Learning Center (DLC) at 530-752-1508 or email them at ucdlc@ucdavis.edu. The assessment can be completed online at https://ucdlc.ucdavis.edu/internal-foreign-language-exams. Please keep in mind that if you are taking the Chinese exam in order to fulfill the UC Davis foreign language requirement, the exam MUST be proctored either at the DLC or through Zoom (email the DLC for information about proctoring through Zoom). A proctored exam can also serve as a placement exam. ATTENTION: the online Chinese exam can ONLY be taken once every two years unless you are returning from a Chinese program outside of UC Davis or an internship from a Chinese-speaking country.
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ME/SA Languages For Course Enrollment (Non-Proctored) (PDF Guide) (Video Guide) |
The purpose of the digital test is to enable you to demonstrate your knowledge of a ME/SA language for the purpose of placement in the ME/SA language program, or if you would like to assess your proficiency for other purposes. The automated, confidential evaluation of your placement test will include instructions regarding which UC Davis course you should register for based on your knowledge of the language. If your evaluation instructs you to register for any course other than Level 001, please share your evaluation with the ME/SA Undergraduate Advisor so that they can assist you in registering for the appropriate course. |
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All Other Language Placement Exams or questions about foreign language requirements (Register/Arrange) |
Contact: Michael Mills |