Proficiency Exams for Satisfying Language Requirements
Also Good for Placement (Course Enrollment)
1. Read the following information
2. Check the Proctored Exam Calendar & make your reservation
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 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 making any reservation.
- It is advised that you reserve a proficency exam at least 24 hours in advance, but walk-ins are accommodated whenever possible.
- 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:
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FRENCH* ** |
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 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. |
| ITALIAN (Proctored & In Person) |
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 as a proficiency test via proctoring. |
| JAPANESE (Proctored & In Person) |
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. |
| CHINESE (Proctored & In Person) |
The main purpose of the computerized Chinese evaluation is to determine whether you have fulfilled the foreign language requirement. However, a proctored exam can also serve the purpose of the placement exam for enrolling in an appropriate course. If you are also interested in taking a Chinese course, please read the information on the Foreign Language Placement Exams page by clicking on this link: https://ucdlc.ucdavis.edu/foreign-language-placement-exams. The Chinese Placement Evaluation consists of a background survey and a multiple-choice exam including listening, grammar and reading. It may take up to 60 minutes, depending on your Chinese competence, to complete both the survey and the exam. You will receive your placement result immediately upon completing the exam. Important: 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). 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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All Other Language Exams or questions about foreign language requirements
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Contact: Michael Mills |
| Aggie Orientation Foreign Language Proficiency Exam Schedule | It is advised that all Freshmen take foreign language placement exams even if they don’t have a language requirement because academic plans may change during your time here at UCD and you will likely have a higher language proficiency level in your freshman year. If you are not sure whether you need to test, contact Michael Mills – mwmills@ucdavis.edu or 530-752-1508. |