Placement Test | World Languages, Literatures, & Cultures

Placement Test

In-person placement tests are walk-in and held in the Language Building, room 106. You do not need to contact us to pre-register for an in-person exam. Simply show up at the listed time and day and make sure to bring any form of photo ID. (See schedule below).

To register for a remote test for ASL, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Korean, Latin, or Japanese, please email the following complete information to worldlanguages@unt.edu. (You do not need to email a request for in-person exams).

  1. Name
  2. Language
  3. Testing date (listed below)
  4. Major
  5. 8-digit UNT ID number
  6. EUID (e.g. abc1234) (for ASL only)

You will receive a confirmatioin email with further test instructions shortly after we receive your registration request. Please allow 1-2 business days to receive your confirmation email.

To schedule an Arabic placement exam, please email our Coordinator for Arabic, Caroline Najour at: caroline.najour@unt.edu

(Information on the Spanish placement test is on the Department of Spanish website)


Fall 2023 Placement Test Schedule

  • Wednesday, August 30 (In-person) 2 pm - 4pm
  • Tuesday, September 5 (Remote) 10 am - 12 pm
  • Friday, September 22 (In-person) 2 pm - 4 pm
  • Wednesday, September 27 (In-person) 10 am - 12 pm
  • Monday, October 2 (Remote) 2 pm - 4 pm
  • Friday, October 13 (In-person) 10 am - 12 pm
  • Wednesday, October 25 2 pm - 4 pm
  • Thursday, November 2 10 am - 12 pm
  • Wednesday, November 8 2 pm - 4 pm
  • Tuesday, November 14 (Remote) 10 am - 12 pm

For frequently asked questions about the placement test, click here.

Placement Testing Information

  1. You must be a UNT student or accepted as a student to take the test. The test is offered for languages taught at UNT: Arabic, ASL, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, and Spanish.
  2. The test can only be taken ONE TIME per language. The only exception to this rule is for graduate students who are using the placement test to qualify for the Graduate Translation Exam.
  3. Tests in ASL, French, German, and Italian are computer-based. Arabic is a written test. Tests in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Latin are done via Scantron. We offer both Traditional and Simplified Chinese tests. For information about the Spanish placement test, please visit the Department of Spanish website.
  4. The computer-based test consists of multiple-choice questions in vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension to test you from the 1010 level through the 2050 level. You may receive between 3 and 12 hours credit, depending on the score. The test can take anywhere from 45min-2hr to complete and varies per student.
  5. The test is free; however, if a student places out of credit hours and wants that credit posted on his/her transcript, there is a flat fee of $53.00 charged to the student's MyUNT account. In order to receive credit on your transcript, be sure to ask the Testing Coordinator or a member of the office staff about this as soon as you receive your results. For students who do not need to pay for the credit, a note will go on your transcript declaring that you took the placement exam and stating how well you did (e.g. Proficient in GERM 1010, 1020).
  6. Please consult the schedule for dates and times of testing. The test must be taken at the scheduled location, unless otherwise specified.
  7. Students must provide 8-digit student ID number and a picture ID at time of test. Students must sign in with the proctor at least 30 mintutes before the ending time. It is highly recommended to show up at the beginning of the exam time in order to have the full amount of testing time.
  8. Students must finish by the designated ending time otherwise the test will be canceled and the student will not be allowed to retake it.
  9. Students who are fluent in languages that we do not offer at UNT should look in the Profiency Testing section under Resources or contact the department main office for further information. Though we cannot provide credit, we may be able to test you and waive the foreign language requirement for you.
  10. *New as of November 2011: Students may now take the placement exam if they have already earned credit in the language they are testing in. For example, if you started in SPAN 1010 and did very well, thinking you might be able to place out of the next class, you may take the placement exam to earn credit or proficiency in SPAN 1020, and then register for SPAN 2040.