Foreign Language Placement Testing
Foreign Language placement chart
Description of the Test
There are several general characteristics that each of the UW System Foreign Language Placement Tests share.. Each portion of the test is entirely in the foreign language (except for the instructions) and all questions have a fixed-choice response format. The test is scored as the number of correct answers, with no penalty for guessing and each item has only one best answer.
The tests have a score rang of 150 to 850.
French Placement Test
Reading Comprehension Subtest
The reading comprehension portion of the French Placement Test consists of reading passages drawn from authentic sources including newspapers, magazines, advertisements, and short stories. The questions require a student to understand factual information, to skim and scan for general ideas, to understand logical development of ideas and events, to analyze and synthesize
information, to make inferences and deductions, and to interpret point of view and tone.
Grammar Subtest
The grammar portion of the French Placement Test consists of single sentences from which one or two words are missing. These items assess a variety of morphological and syntactic forms, including adjective and article usage and agreement, verb forms and uses, pronoun forms and uses, expressions for comparison, negation, and interrogation, and lexical choices
Listening Comprehension Subtest
The listening comprehension portion of the French Placement Test was designed to measure a student's ability to comprehend spoken French. The listening passages contain monologues, dialogues, and conversations among three or more speakers in a variety of situations and on a variety of topics. The passages were recorded by native speakers and students hear each passage only once. The questions assess a student's ability to identify the topic, recognize main ideas, order events, infer point of view and tone, and analyze facts and ideas to draw logical conclusions.
Complete description and sample questions.
German Placement Test
Reading Comprehension Subtest
The reading comprehension portion of the German Placement Test consists of passages drawn from authentic sources in the form of short stories, anecdotes, letters, and brief dialogues. The questions accompanying these passages are designed to measure a student's understanding of plot, character, and topic.
Grammar Subtest The grammar portion of the German Placement Test consists of single sentences from which a word or phrase is missing. These items assess a variety of morphological and syntactic forms, including adjective and article usage and agreement, verb forms and uses, pronoun forms and uses, and expressions for comparison, negation, and interrogation.
Listening Comprehension Subtest The listening comprehension portion of the German Placement Test is designed to ascertain how well a student can comprehend spoken German in a variety of everyday situations. The listening passages are monologues and dialogues on a variety of topics that have been recorded by native speakers under studio conditions. The students hear the passage only once and are then asked questions based on the passage.
Complete description and sample questions.
Spanish Placement Test
Reading Comprehension Subtest
The reading comprehension portion of the Spanish Placement Test consists of passages from authentic sources including narratives, advertisements, public notices, anecdotes, jokes, and character descriptions. Two to four questions are asked after each passage, with at least one "easy" factual item and one interpretative item.
Grammar Subtest
The grammar portion of the Spanish Placement Test deals primarily with questions of syntax. The items are based on constructions of acceptable grammar and high frequency of occurrence throughout the Spanish-speaking world. For simpler concepts, two-choice items are used, and for more complex concepts, four-choice items are used. This subtest is divided into three sections.
Listening Comprehension Subtest
The listening comprehension portion of the Spanish Placement Test is similar in construction to the reading comprehension passages. The recorded passages are relatively short, however, and include dialogue simulations, telephone conversations, public announcements, anecdotes, and narratives. The speakers represent several regions in Spain and South America, but all use standard pronunciation and natural articulation. In several cases, appropriate sound effects are added to improve comprehension.
Complete description and sample questions.
