^{School of Languages, Cultures, and Race} _{College of Arts and Sciences}

Foreign Language Placement Testing

WSU Language Course Placement Test Information and Guidelines

NOTE: This Foreign Language Placement Testing is only for placement into WSU language courses.

Incoming students with prior expertise in a language, wishing to take any foreign language course in Chinese, French, German, Japanese or Spanish past the first semester level (101), must be placed into the appropriate level language course before they can enroll.

Non-native speakers of these languages take an online placement exam to determine language level placement. See instructions below.
Heritage speakers and native speakers of Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish are encouraged to contact the School of Languages, Cultures and Race Foreign Languages Advisor Laurie Heustis to discuss placement.

Language Placement Exam Information

You will need a valid WSU ID number, login and password in order to access the exam in the WSU system.
The exam is free; it is taken online without proctoring.
To avoid any technical issues, you should use the web browsers Chrome or Firefox.
Make sure the audio on your computer works; you will need it to complete the listening part.
You might need headphones or ear buds if you plan to complete the test in a public area.
The exam includes 4 parts:
- A survey to gather your information
- Three quizzes (grammar, listening, reading – consisting mostly of multiple-choice questions) that will determine your placement score.
- A writing section that is not scored but will allow us to better assess your proficiency in case your score on the other three parts falls between two levels.
You must complete the entire exam in one sitting. If you leave the site, you will be able to re-enter, but your previous work will not be computed in the placement score.
You will have two hours to complete the exam, although it is likely that you will not need that much time.
At the two-hour mark, the test will shut down and you will receive a score based on what you were able to complete.

Important Guidelines

When taking this placement exam, you should not receive any help of any kind, including taking notes during the test, and especially not using any translation apps or tools. Doing so might give you a higher score on the test, but if that score does not reflect your actual language proficiency, you could be placed into a course that is more advanced than your current ability to be successful in that course. The objective of this test is to determine enrollment in the language level course where you will be the most successful, not simply how high you can score.
To the same end, is is best not to guess when answering questions. If you do not know the answer to a question, that is – if you cannot make an informed guess, just choose the option “I don’t know.” But if you think you know the answer, even if you are not 100% sure, do answer the question.

Your Score

You will have access to the score upon completion of the exam by clicking on “Grades” in the CANVAS course space.
Your score will automatically be uploaded in the Test Score Area in myWSU.
Your score will expire in one year. If you do not enroll in the recommended language course within one year of the exam completion, the exam will have to be taken again to determine your proficiency level.

Enrolling in a Language Course

If you have taken the placement test during NCO-New Coug Orientation, your assigned advisor will be able to enroll you in the appropriate language course using the “green sheet” – ask your NCO advisor.
If you are a current WSU student and have tested past the first semester of 101, please contact the Foreign Languages undergraduate advisor, Laurie Heustis to enroll in the appropriate language course.

Access to the Placement Test

Use the web url below for your chosen language below. You will be prompted to enter your WSU ID number, login, and then self-enroll. You will then be directed to your WSU Canvas dashboard. Click on the relevant Canvas tile for your language:

Chinese Placement Test: https://apps.aoi.wsu.edu/li/canvas/self-enroll.aspx?id=1737895
French Placement Test: https://apps.aoi.wsu.edu/li/canvas/self-enroll.aspx?id=1717198
German Placement Test: https://apps.aoi.wsu.edu/li/canvas/self-enroll.aspx?id=1737893
Japanese Placement Test: https://apps.aoi.wsu.edu/li/canvas/self-enroll.aspx?id=1737894
Spanish Placement Test: https://apps.aoi.wsu.edu/li/canvas/self-enroll.aspx?id=1737892

If you need additional assistance, please contact the School of Languages, Cultures, and Race: by phone at 509-335-4135 or by email at slcr@wsu.edu

BENCHMARKS FOR PLACEMENT IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE COURSE

Chinese Benchmarks
• Total score 40 or below….,,,,,,,,……..CHINESE 101 is recommended
• Total score of 41-80 .,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.CHINESE 102 is recommended
• Total score over 81……………………….CHINESE 203 is recommended

French Benchmarks
• Total score 30 or below ………………..FRENCH 101 is recommended
• Total score of 31-59 ……………………..FRENCH 102 is recommended
• Total score of 60-92 ……………………..FRENCH 203 is recommended
• Total score of 93-103 ……………………FRENCH 204 is recommended
• Total score over 103 …………………….Contact Laurie Heustis for possible placement
at the 300 level.

German Benchmarks
• Total score 30 or below…………………..GERMAN 101 is recommended
• Total score of 31-45 ……………………….GERMAN 102 is recommended
• Total score of 46-60 ……………………….GERMAN 203 is recommended
• Total score of 61-80 ……………………….GERMAN 204 is recommended
• Total score over 81……………………….…Contact Laurie Heustis for possible placement
at the 300 level.

Japanese Benchmarks
• Total score 44 or below……………………JAPANESE 101 is recommended
• Total score of 45-59…………………………JAPANESE 102 is recommended
• Total score of 60-74 ………………………..JAPANESE 203 is recommended
• Total score of 75-89 ………………………..JAPANESE 204 is recommended
• Total score of 90-100 ………………….….Contact Laurie Heustis for possible placement
at the 300 level.

Spanish Benchmarks
• Total score 30 or below……………………SPANISH 101 is recommended
• Total score of 31-59 …………………………SPANISH 102 is recommended
• Total score of 60-79 …………………………SPANISH 203 is recommended
• Total score of 80-93 …………………………SPANISH 204 is recommended
• Total score over 93……………………….…..Contact Laurie Heustis for possible placement
at the 300 level.

PREVIOUS AVANT SCORES FOR PLACEMENT IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE COURSE

EXAM Score	ACTFL Level	ILR Level	Course Placement
6	Advanced	2	306, 307 or 308
5*	Intermediate-High	1+	204, 306, 307, 308
5	Intermediate-Mid	1+	204
4*	Intermediate-Low	1	204
4	Intermediate-Low	1	203
3*	Novice-High	0+	203
3	Novice-High	0+	203
2*	Novice-Mid	0	102
2	Novice-Mid	0	102
1	Novice-Low	0	101