Placement Exam

UPDATED  PROCEDURES FOR PLACEMENT EXAMS

Placement exams in Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Russian, Spanish for Heritage Speakers as well as Spanish for Non-Heritage Speakers will be offered in campus there are two versions of the exam: The written Exam which can be taken Monday through Friday in the Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures Department at NAC 5/223. This test is a walk-in in test.

The second Version of the test is Online; For this exam you must pre-register for the desired session you plan to take separately Sessions for this test are once per month and have limited seating. (ie, you cannot take 2 different language exams on the same day/at the same time). 

- The Online Placement Exam Will be be In-Person at the Testing Center in the NAC 6/212.

Once you have signed up, you must take the exam at the date and time you selected; if you miss your appointment, you will have to go through the sign-up process all over again or take the written exam instead.
Here is what you will need in order to take the exam:

Test Guidelines for Written Version:

• Follow all CUNY COVID-19 safety protocols for campus entry.
• A physical valid photo ID is required to enter the building and testing session.
• EMPLID number.

Test Guidelines for Online Version:

• Follow all CUNY COVID-19 safety protocols for campus entry.
• A physical valid photo ID is required to enter the building and testing session.
• Your citymail email (you will need this email to sign into the testing site)
• EMPLID number (keep this handy if you don’t have it memorized – you’ll be asked for your student ID when you sign into the website to take the test)
• Please arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled start of your test(s) (see above).
• Latecomers will not be accommodated.

Your score and placement will appear on the screen when you have completed the test. If you have any questions about your score please email rmartinez@ccny.cuny.edu .

Please note that scores are subject to random verification by faculty in our Department. You may be asked to attend a follow-up interview in the target language to confirm your score.

The next dates to take the placement exam are below. Please note that limited space is available.

Next Test: Monday, May 20th 

Last day to register Thursday, May 16th by 2:00 PM

Test Time(s): 1:00 PM

To sign up for the online placement exam please email Giovanni Gomez ( ggomezgarcia@ccny.cuny.edu ) with the following information:

- First and Last Name.
- EMPLID.
- Language (s) in which you wish to be tested.
- Preferred session time from the available ones.

You will receive a confirmation email with the date and time of your test along with additional instructions about what to expect. If you do not receive an email at least 24 hours before the test day and time please email the office to let us know.

FAQs

Do I need to take a placement exam?
For information on who should take a placement exam please click here.

Which exam should I take?
To determine which exam you should take, please, speak with an advisor - see list of advisors below.

What if I want to take the exam in Arabic, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese or another language not listed above?
Please, speak with an advisor - see list of advisors below.

How do I prepare for this exam?
These kinds of computer-adaptive tests are given at hundreds of universities across the United States in order to determine how comfortable you are communicating in a particular language. The tests we use at CCNY are primarily focused on reading and grammar: you may be asked to read short passages and answer questions about overall meaning or to fill in blanks with the appropriate verb tense, mode, vocabulary word, etc. to complete a sentence correctly.

How long does the test take?
This is a multiple-choice computer-adaptive test so test time can vary. Some students finish in less than twenty minutes, but give yourself at least an hour to complete the test.

When will I get my score?
You will receive your score immediately after taking the exam along with information about the course level into which you have been placed or if you have scored high enough to be considered exempt from the requirement altogether. After you receive your score, register for the indicated language class or, if you are exempt, you may wish to register for an upper-level elective in that language (classes at the 300-level or higher are considered electives).

Can I retake the test?
No, you cannot retake the test in the same language. To speak with an advisor please see list of advisors below.

What do I do if I have questions about my score?
For questions about your score, please speak with an advisor - see list of advisors below.

What do I do if I can’t register for the class I need to take on CUNYFirst?
Please, speak with our Department Administrator, email Rosa Martinez ( rmartinez@ccny.cuny.edu )

Advisors emails:

ARABIC: Prof. Amr Kamal ( akamal@ccny.cuny.edu )

CHINESE: Prof. I-Hsien Wu ( iwu@ccny.cuny.edu )

FRENCH: Prof. Bettina Lerner ( blerner@ccny.cuny.edu )

ITALIAN: Profs. Corinna Messina-Kociuba ( cmessinakociuba@ccny.cuny.edu ) or Devid Paolini ( dpaolini@ccny.cuny.edu )

LATIN: Prof. Jennifer Roberts ( jroberts@ccny.cuny.edu )

JAPANESE: Prof. Richard Calichman ( rcalichman@ccny.cuny.edu )

PORTUGUESE: Prof. Regina Castro-McGowan ( rcastro-mcgowan@ccny.cuny.edu )

SPANISH: Profs. Angel Estevez ( aestevez@ccny.cuny.edu ), Araceli Tinajero ( atinajero@ccny.cuny.edu )

FOR ALL OTHER LANGUAGES PLEASE EMAIL PROF. DEVID PAOLINI ( dpaolini@ccny.cuny.edu )