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Placement Test FAQ

How do I sign-up for the placement test?

You do not need to register in advance for a placement test. All tests are in-person, walk-in, and held in the Language Building, room 106. Students will need a valid form of photo ID, their 8-digit Student ID number, and their EUID to take the exam. Days/times will vary per semester. Please see the current Placement Test schedule here. 

Students needing ODA accommodations, please email worldlanguages@unt.edu for further instructions on securing accommodations for your test.

Can I take the test on a day not listed on the schedule?

We do not offer alternative days/times. The placement test is held several times during the semester to provide students options to take the exam. Students will need to plan accordingly and choose a test date from our test schedule.

Please be aware of enrollment deadlines if you are planning to take the placement test to enroll in a course for next semester. View the UNT academic calendar here.

Only Arabic can be scheduled on a different date. Please contact Dr. Caroline Najour (Caroline.Najour@unt.edu) to schedule an Arabic placement test if you cannot make it to one of the test dates above.

Can I take the test online from a remote location?

No. The placement test is a proctored exam and is held several times during the semester to provide students options to take the exam. Students will need to plan accordingly and choose a test date from our test schedule.

Is there a cost to take the test?

The placement test is free to take. However, UNT charges a flat fee of $53 to post any number of credit hours to your transcript. This fee is charged to the student's MyUNT account around the time the credits are posted onto the transcript. The fee can be paid online at my.unt.edu.

What materials do I need to take the test?

All test materials will be provided to you on the day of the exam. Remember to bring a valid form of photo ID with you and know your 8-digit student ID number and EUID. You may not use any supplementary materials such as textbooks, dictionaries, other devices, etc.

What will I be tested on?

Language tests cover concepts taught at the 1010 - 2050 level through questions on grammar, reading, and comprehension. 

For ASL, you will be tested on receptive skills at the 1010 - 2050 level.

How many credit hours can I earn with the placement test?

You may earn up to 12 credit hours of language credit.

How long does it take to complete the test?

The total time it takes to complete the test depends on the language you are testing and your proficiency in the language. Generally, students take 45 minutes - 2 hours to complete the placement test.

Please note: The ASL placement test has 4 modules with a 30-minute time limit for each module.

Is there a time limit to complete the test?

For most languages, students have until the scheduled end-time according to the placement test schedule to complete the test. The ASL placement test has 4 modules with a 30-minute time limit for each module.

Students should show up at the beginning of the test time in order to have the full testing time.  No additional time will not be provided for students that arrive late and students must finish by the end of the testing time. Please arrive at the LANG 106 no less than 1 hr before the end of the testing time. If you think that you will not be able to finish the test in 1 hr, plan to arrive earlier or attend a different testing date.

Can I take the test more than once?

No. You may only take the test one time per language and you must finish the exam by the end of the testing time. No additional time will be given. You may take a placement test in another language.

Does the Department of World Languages, Literatures, & Cultures provide study guides for the placement test?

We do not have study guides. The test is designed to determine your language proficiency and place you at the appropriate level.

I am having technical issues. What should I do?

Let the test proctor know at the time of the test and they will help assist you. Contact the UNT Help Desk at (940) 565-2324 if you experience any technical issues with Canvas or Lockdown Browser.

When will I receive my test results?

  • For ASL, French, German, Italian, and Spanish: At the end of your exam, notify the test proctor. They will review your score with you and  inform you if you receive any credits. If you recieve any credits and would like those added to your transcript, you will need to notify the proctor and confirm. 
  • For Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Latin scantron tests: These will be graded within 1-2 business days and you will be notified of your results via your UNT student email address. If you recieve any credits and would like those added to your transcript, you will need to reply to our email to confirm. 

What score do I need to receive credit?

For ASL, a minimum score of 70% or higher is required to test out of each level of 1010, 1020, and 2040. A score of 80% or higher is required to test out of 2050.

For French, German, and Italian, the testing website will automatically tell you your placement level. 

For Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Latin, we will send an email to your UNT student email address with your results within 1-2 business days.

For Spanish, a minimum score of 20 out of 25 questions must be correct to test out of each level of 1010, 1020, and 2040. A minimum score of 23 out of 25 questions must be correct to test out of 2050.

How do I get credit posted to my transcript?

Credits are not automatically posted to your transcript. You must let the test proctor know you want to have the credits applied to your transcript and provide your signature. If you took the test previously, but did not sign for your credits and want to get that process started, please reach out to us by email. 

If you took the test online/remotely during the Fall 2023 semester or prior, you recieved an email to your UNT email address with your test results after finishing the exam. This email asks if you would like the credit posted to your transcript. You must reply to this email to confirm that you accept the credit and the $53 fee. You can pay the fee at my.unt.edu. Contact us if you need to accept credits from an online exam.

How long will it take for my credit to appear on my transcript and degree audit?

After accepting credit, it takes about 6-8 weeks for credit to be posted to student transcripts. Several UNT departments are responsible for processing credit by examination. If you need language credit to graduate, please be aware of this process and plan to take the placement test early in your academic career to avoid time delays.

Do I have to wait for my credit to be posted to my transcript before enrolling in a course?

No. If you have accepted your credits, we can enroll you in a course while your credits are being processed. Please email worldlanguages@unt.edu with your full name, student ID number, the day you took the placement exam, the course name and number, and the section number of the course you need to enroll in.

Do I have to pay the fee before my credits are posted to my transcript?

No. The fee and credits are processed separately by different UNT departments. The Department of World Languages, Literatures, & Cultures is not responsible for taking payments or updating transcripts; however, if you accepted your credits and they have not been posted to your transcript after ~8 weeks, contact us at worldlanguages@unt.edu and we can try to determine the issue.

Will accepting my credits affect my GPA?

No. Credit by exam does not have a letter grade assigned when posted to your transcript and does not affect your GPA.

I accepted my credits and they have not been posted to my transcript. What do I do?

First, make sure you accepted and signed for your credits during the in-person test. Credits are not automatically posted without your confirmation. If you did not confirm that you wanted your credits on test day, email worldlanguages@unt.edu with your name, UNT ID number and let us know you would like your credits.

Processing time: Once you have accepted your credits, it typically can take ~6-8 weeks from the day you accepted for your credits to be processed. Several UNT departments are responsible for processing credit by examination, and processing times may be longer during busy periods in the semester.

If your credits have not been posted to your transcript after 8 weeks, contact us at worldlanguages@unt.edu and we can try to determine the issue.

I did not accept my credits on the day of my exam. Can I accept my credits at a later time?

Yes. We keep a record of your placement test results. If you decide at a later time that you need the credits on your transcript, email us at worldlanguages@unt.edu with your name and UNT ID number and let us know you would like your credits.

If I already have AP or CLEP credit, can I take the placement test?

Yes. If you already have credit from a different exam, you may still take our placement test to try and test out of a higher-level course. Be aware that UNT charges $53 to post any credits earned through the placement test. If you have AP credit and earned more credit with our placement test, let us know at the time of accepting your placement test credit.

Can I take a placement test for a language not taught at UNT?

We only offer placement tests for languages taught at UNT. However, it may be possible to take a proficiency exam for other languages to satisfy your major's language requirement. Your major's college will determine if you are able to satisfy your language requirement with proficiency credit. Learn more about proficiency testing here.