What are the French and German Placement Tests like? |
The on-line tests consist of multiple-choice questions on grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. If your score indicates that you belong in one of the first four semesters of a language course at College of Charleston, your exam will end here and you'll be told a "placement level" (1st semester, 2nd semester, 3rd semester, 4th semester) immediately. The information will be available to your advisor, whom you will meet during the second day of orientation.
If your score falls above the cut-off for fourth semester and you do not enroll in a 300-level language course, you are required to complete a supplemental placement exam during the first week of classes in order to satisfy the General Education requirement in Foreign Languages. The supplemental exam, a writing sample of 100-150 words, will be completed in the Language Lab in the College of Charleston Education Center, room 225. The Language Lab is open from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday. Please contact Georgia Schlau at schlaug@cofc.edu if you have additional questions.
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| What is the Latin Placement Test like? |
The exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions testing your knowledge of Latin word forms and grammatical constructions as well as your ability to translate Latin sentences into English. The on-line test through WebCT normally takes 30 to 45 minutes to complete. You may not use any supplemental resources to assist you with completing the Latin placement exam.
As an incoming freshman you may receive up to twelve placement credits for courses you placed out of through the Latin placement exam. To earn this credit, you must take and pass with a "C" (2.0) or better a validation course within your first two semesters at the College. Students who place above the 202-level and do not enroll in LATN 301 are required to complete a supplemental Latin exam in order to satisfy the General Education requirement in Foreign Languages.
Please contact Dr. Darryl Phillips (phillipsd@cofc.edu) if you have any additional questions about the Latin Placement Examination.
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| How am I placed in Spanish? |
The Department of Hispanic Studies places you according to the number of years of high school Spanish you have taken. You can find more information about placement testing at the Hispanic Studies website.
If you have 0-1 years of high school Spanish, you’ll start in SPAN 101 Beginning Spanish.
If you have 2-3 years of high school Spanish, you’ll start in SPAN 190 Elementary Spanish and receive 6 semester hours of credit upon successful completion of the validation course (SPAN 190) with a grade of C or better in the first year of enrollment.
If you have 4 years of high school Spanish, you'll start in SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish and receive 12 semester hours of credit upon successful completion of the validation course (SPAN 202) with a grade of C or better in the first year of enrollment.
If you have more than 4 years of high school Spanish, you'll be placed in SPAN 275 Spanish Skills Review and receive 15 semester hours of credit upon successful completion of the validation course (SPAN 275) with a grade of C or better in the first year of enrollment.
Please contact the Department of Hispanic Studies at spanish@cofc.edu if you have any additional questions about the Spanish placement program.
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| How much time do I need for the test? |
French and German Online Foreign Language Placement Testing
Set aside 45 minutes, so you can take all parts of this test uninterrupted. But depending on your language level, you may be finished in as little as 20 minutes. Most students complete the multiple-choice test in less than 25 minutes. The exam does not have a time limit, so students' exam times vary.
Latin Online Foreign Language Placement Testing
The on-line test normally takes 30 to 45 minutes to complete. You may not use any supplemental resources to assist you with completing the Latin placement exam.
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| Is it OK to get "help" during the exam? |
No. There is no advantage to receiving help from others (including grammar books, native-speaking friends for help with writing, etc.), and we expect you to receive no such help. If you are placed into a class that is harder than you can handle, you may hurt your GPA and scholarships by earning a low grade.
For students who place above the 101-level, the College of Charleston grants academic credit retroactively only after you take and pass with a "C" or better the class into which you place. It is to your advantage to do your own work and let us place you into an appropriate language class.
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| What are the placement credit policies? |
As an incoming freshman who has studied a language in high school, you may receive up to twelve credits for courses you placed out of through the placement exam. To earn this credit, you must take and pass (with a "C" or better) a validation course within your first two semesters at the College. Language placement credit is not awarded to transfer students. For clarification on foreign language placement policies, please consult the College of Charleston Catalog.
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| Can I take more than one placement test? |
Yes! We want students to study multiple foreign languages at College of Charleston. Students should complete the placement exam for each language that was studied in high school.
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| Should I take the exam again to better my score? |
No, there is no advantage to this. We process your first score and use it to reliably determine where you belong. Just do your best during your test session and you'll be placed into the right class.
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If I have a disability and cannot access the test, what should I do? |
If you have a disability, please contact the Center for Disability Services at snap@cofc.edu or (843) 953-1431.
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| Other Information |
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