Language Testing

Placement

The Placement Exam is done online for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, and is used only for placement into a course at the appropriate level. No credit is given for placement exams. You can access the placement test through NextSteps or the LPPE website.

Proficiency

The Proficiency Exam is an in-person proctored examination designed to demonstrate language proficiency. It serves as a means to fulfill the second language requirement for your degree, and successful completion allows for the waiver of this requirement. It is important to note that no credit is given for proficiency exams.

Chinese Placement & Proficiency Test

  1. If students with a Chinese language background want to take a Chinese class, please take the online placement (grammar) via NextSteps for freshmen or LPPE for other students before you register.
  2. On Friday, August 29th from 3 p.m. –  5 p.m., there will be an in-person placement test (writing, listening, speaking) in the Learning Services Building, room 107. The students who are placed into CHN 102 or a higher-level class are required to take the in-person test.
  3. Students who do not want to take a Chinese class but are seeking credits or need to meet their second language requirement are required to take the test.
  4. The test is normally given twice a year, on the Friday during both the first week of the Fall semester and the Spring semester. However, if you are placed into CHN 102 or higher and wish to obtain credits for a low-level class, you may only take the test once upon beginning Chinese classes at the University of Arizona.
  5. Sign up HERE to take the in-person placement & Proficiency Test before August 28th at 11:59 p.m. Additionally, if you need credits, please complete this form, obtain all required signatures, and make the payment before taking the exam on Friday, August.

Contact Dr. Hongyi Jia (hjia@arizona.edu) for any questions about the Chinese placement/Proficiency test and the Credit-By-Exam.

Japanese Placement & Proficiency Test in August 2025

  1. Students will take the online placement & proficiency test (i.e., grammar, listening, and reading) via NextSteps for level freshmen or LPPE for other students by 11:59 pm on Monday, August 18th. 
  2. On the 19th, instructors will email each student a Zoom link and a link for a sign-up site for a time slot (e.g., 12:30 pm - 12:45 pm) for his/her/their advanced placement test. 
  3. Students who are placed into JPN 102 or a higher class and students whose proficiency looks higher than JPN 101 will take the advanced test (i.e., an oral interview and an essay) via Zoom between 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm on the 20th. They should keep these hours open.
  4. The test is usually given twice a year: January and August.

Contact Itsumi Ishikawa (itsumi@arizona.edu) for any questions about the Japanese placement/proficiency test and the Credit-By-Exam. 

Korean Placement & Proficiency Test

  1. Students are required to take the online portion of the placement/proficiency exam (covering grammar, listening, and reading) via NextSteps for freshmen or LPPE for other students. 
  2. Students who are placed into KOR 102 or higher level freshmen will be required to take the one-on-one in-person portion of the exam. This test consists of an oral interview and an essay writing, conducted via Zoom. Testing begins on August 19th, 2025.
  3. Speaking & Writing exams are offered twice per semester: one week before the semester begins and one in mid-semester (around the 11th week).
  4. Sign up HERE, if you need to take the one-on-one speaking & writing portion of the exam.

Contact Dr. Jieun Ryu (jryu@arizona.edu) for any inquiries or questions regarding the Korean placement/proficiency test.

Credit-By-Exam

Credit-by-Exam is used to earn course credits in a language through examination. There are additional procedures and fees associated with the credit-by-exam process. Credit by exams are scheduled by appointment only. You can earn credit for 101 (5 credits), 102 (5 credits), 201 (5 credits), 202 (5 credits), 301 (3 credits), and 302 (3 credits) language courses.

Step 1

Follow the procedure specified in the link: Proficiency Exam Policies (Here is the form that you will need: Application for Special Examination)

Step 2

After the department has been notified by the Bursar’s Office that the fee has been paid, you can then contact the language faculty members to schedule an appointment for the exam.

You can test credits for 101, 102, 201, 202, 301, and 302. You can include all the lower levels or any subset of levels on your transcript depending on your needs. 

No, you cannot do credit by exam for classes which you completed and classes at the lower level than the class you have completed.

You take the placement test, fill in the credit-by-exam application form (your name, student's ID, and classes for credit-by-exam), and contact the language director.

No. First, you will take the placement/proficiency test in January or in August. Second, you will complete all paperwork by the 7th week of the semester if you are taking a class. You cannot do credit-by-exam for classes that you have completed. Follow instructions and deadlines which the language director gives you.

See information on credit-by-exam in the University of Arizona catalog at the following link:

https://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/courses-credit/credit/credit-exam

Native/Heritage Speakers

They should contact the language director and take a proficiency test.

Credit-by-exam for 101, 102, 201, 202, 301 and 302 are available. They need to take a proficiency test.

Native speakers cannot take our language classes except classical Chinese/Japanese. Heritage speakers can take language classes depending on their placement test results.

Study Abroad Students
Students who studied language elsewhere for a summer/semester(s)

You don’t need to do credit-by-exam if your study abroad credits get transferred toward language courses. If not, you can do the credit-by-exam. Contact Study Abroad (https://international.arizona.edu/study-abroad) and Office of the Registrar (https://registrar.arizona.edu/records-enrollment/transcripts-verifications/transcripts/transfer-credit) for transfer credit.

Yes, you need to take the test either in January or August right after you return to the University.

Additional Exam Information

Chinese

There are three exams: (1) placement exam, (2) proficiency/competency exam, (3) credit by exam. They serve different purposes, as follows:

  1. Placement Exam: For students with some background in Mandarin Chinese, this test helps determine a student's language level and the appropriate course to enroll in. No course credits are given for taking this exam. 
  2. Proficiency/Competency Exam: This is a testing-out exam. For students who are already proficient in Chinese and want to satisfy the U of A foreign language requirement, this is the exam to take. Passing this exam with a 2nd or 4th semester proficiency will satisfy the foreign language requirement depending on the degree. There is no fee for this exam. No course units are given for taking this exam. 
  3. *Credit by Exam: Students who achieve a passing score on this exam can receive course credit. Credits can be earned as follows: CHN 101 (5 units), CHN 102 (10 units), CHN 201 (15 units, or CHN 202 (20 units). Credit by exam is not available beyond CHN 202. There is a fee for this exam. UA registration policies also apply. 
Japanese
  1. Placement Exam: For all incoming and transfer students as well as students with a background in Japanese, the test helps determine their language level and the appropriate course to enroll in. No course units are given for taking this exam. The test result is also used for credit by exam.
  2. Proficiency/Competency Exam:

    This is a testing-out exam. For students who are already proficient in Japanese and want to satisfy the U of A foreign language requirements or students who are not taking a language class but are interested in credit-by-exam, this is the exam to take. (The same exam as the placement exam we used.)

Korean
  1. Placement Exam: For students with some background in Korean, this test helps determine a student's language level and the appropriate course to enroll in. No course units are given for taking this exam.
  2. Proficiency/Competency Exam: This is a testing-out exam. For students who are already proficient in Korean and want to satisfy the UA foreign language requirement, this is the exam to take. Passing this exam with a 2nd or 4th semester proficiency will satisfy the foreign language requirement depending on the degree. No course units are given for taking this exam.   

  3. Credit by Exam: Students who achieve a passing score on this exam can receive course credit. The following courses are available for Credit by Exam: KOR 101, KOR 102, KOR 201, KOR 202, KOR 301, and KOR 302. The university’s policies apply. 

Chinese
  • Placement exam: This consists of multiple-choice questions, in traditional and simplified characters. The objective of this exam is place the student in an appropriate course. Time allowed: two hours.
  • Proficiency/competency exam: This consists of a translation and a long composition (you will be asked to write on a particular topic). Both traditional and simplified characters will be provided in the test. You can write in either traditional or simplified characters. Time allowed: two hours.
  • Credit by exam: The exam is similar to the final exam of CHN 101, 102, 201, or 202, depending on the level you are testing for. Time allowed: two hours. See below for more information about credit by exam.
Japanese
  • Both placement exam and proficiency exam consist of two types of tests. First, students take the online test which includes grammar, reading comprehension, and listening in Japanese. Time allowed: two hours. Second, students whose results are above 101 take the advanced test via Zoom which includes an oral interview and writing an essay in Japanese.
Korean
  • Placement: the exam consists of grammar, reading comprehension, and listening in Korean. Time allowed: two hours.
  • Proficiency: the exam consists of grammar, reading comprehension, listening, a written essay and oral interview in Korean. Time allowed: two hours.
  • Credit by Exam: The exam consists of grammar, listening, reading, speaking, and writing following student learning outcomes of each available course.

Chinese

The Chinese proficiency exam is offered at the beginning of each semester, two days before the first day of school, and at the end of each semester.

Japanese

The advanced test is given in January and August the week before the semester begins. Students need to take the online test before the advanced test. Usually, the results are valid only for one semester.

Korean

Korean Language Placement & Proficiency Exams are offered twice per semester:

  1. One week before the semester begins.
  2. One in mid-semester (around the 11th week).

The exams last typically one to two hours.

Your student ID.

Chinese

For both exams, you will be given the results immediately afterwards by the instructor who gives the exam.

Japanese

The results will be emailed to you within a couple of days after the exam by the program director

Korean

The results will be emailed to you within a couple of days after the exam.

Chinese

For questions about the placement and or proficiency exam, contact Dr. Hongyi Jia (hjia@arizona.edu).

Japanese

Contact Itsumi Ishikawa (itsumi@arizona.edu).

Korean 

Please contact Dr. Jieun Ryu (jryu@arizona.edu)

Japanese

It is offered twice a year, in January and August. The dates are posted on the EAS homepage. 

Korean

Korean Language Placement & Proficiency Exams are offered twice per semester: one week before the semester begins and one in mid-semester (around the 11th week).

Other

Chinese

There is no break. You can go from CHN 202 to CHN 301 or CHN 302, whichever is offered in the next semester. You can take CHN 301-302 or CHN 302-301.

Japanese

You will have a one-semester break. This happens only when you finish JPN 202 in fall and want to advance to JPN 301 because JPN 301 is offered only in fall. In that case, you will have a one-semester-and-summer break.

Korean

You need to wait until the next level is available. 

You must take the placement test and follow the result (except the advancement from JPN 202 in fall to JPN 301 in fall in the following year. See above).

Students need to earn the grade of C or above to proceed to 102, 201, and 202. Students need to earn the grade of B or above to proceed to 301, 302, 421, and 422). 

You must follow the placement test result.