The Placement Test and the Validation Tests differ in substantial ways. The Placement test has been designed for students who have never taken Spanish at Georgetown. It is administered online and it can only be taken once. The Spanish Validation Exam (also known as the Confirmation Exam, NSO placement exam, or proctored exam) is a proctored test, administered twice a year, right before the fall and spring semesters begin. The Validation Exam can not be used as a placement exam, it is primarily for those students who need to demonstrate a certain level of proficiency in Spanish for reasons other than placement in a language course, for example, to fulfill the language requirement, or to advance in the sequence after taking courses at other institutions during the summer. Both tests evaluate vocabulary and grammar in context as well as reading skills, but not oral skills. This point is important for students in the SFS who must pass the Oral Proficiency Test to graduate. Please write ONE email addressed to BOTHDr. Anne Thinglum and Dr. Tatevik Gevorgyan with any questions regarding the exam.
(AP) Spanish (either exam) – For a score of 4 or 5, students are eligible to receive up to six credits for Advanced Spanish I and II (SPAN-2003 and 2004 in the COL, MSB and NHS; SPAN-2001 and 202 in the SFS). In order to receive three credits for SPAN-2003 (for COL, MSB, NHS) or SPAN-2001 (for SFS), a student must place into and successfully complete SPAN-2004 or SPAN-2002 respectively. In order to receive six credits for SPAN-2003 and SPAN-2004 (for COL, MSB, NHS) or SPAN-2001 and SPAN-2002 (for SFS), a student must place into and successfully complete a Spanish course at or above the level of Gateway. Placement is determined by SAT II score or departmental placement exam administered during New Student Orientation. Students who place into SPAN-2001, SPAN-2003, SPAN-2010 or below, as well as students who opt not to continue Spanish coursework at Georgetown, will not receive credit.
(International Baccalaureate) Language A – Students with a score of 6 or 7 on the Higher Level exams in languages other than English are eligible for credit. In order to receive credit, students must place into and successfully complete an appropriate language course at Georgetown (see AP policies for specific languages above for more details). Placement is determined by departmental language placement exams or SAT II scores for Spanish, French, or Italian.
The Spanish Proficiency Exam is offered every Spring (April) and Fall (November) semester, and again during finals week for SPAN 2161 Oral Review students only.
All exams starting in S24 will be in person. Now that we have adjusted academically to COVID, we are returning to the original standards of proficiency pre-COVID.
The Portuguese Proficiency Exam for SFS, CLAS, MSFS, Business students, and program directors is TBD for the Fall 2019 Semester. Students must sign-up in advance to secure a time slot, the sign-up sheet can be found on the Georgetown Spanish & Portuguese Department’s front desk (ICC 403). Undergraduate students must have taken at least ADVANCED PORTUGUESE II in order to take the exam, with the exception of students who has lived abroad in a Portuguese-speaking country, or are native speakers. Undergraduate and Graduate students must also prove that the proficiency exam is a requirement for their program, not just to add to their Curriculum Vitae.
Students may sign up in the Spanish and Portuguese Department (ICC 403)
The Oral Proficiency Exam takes 40 minutes and is divided into two parts:
Reading (20 minutes). The examinee will read the article without consulting any dictionary or outside sources. They may take notes on a blank sheet of paper provided, however, they cannot look at the notes page or the article during the interview.
To prepare for the expected level of linguistic accuracy and fluency as well as to accumulate the necessary encyclopedic and current knowledge on socio-economic matters related to Latin America and Spain, students should complete the following sequence of SFS language courses: 2001, 2002, and/or 2161, according to your placement and following the guidelines outlined above. For students who meet those guidelines, please click here for more information about the exam.
For additional information about the Portuguese Oral Proficiency Exam, please contact the Director of Portuguese Studies, Professor Vivaldo Santos, by email here or (202) 687-5694.
All non-beginner students
who plan to take fall semester Spanish courses MUST take the online summer
placement exam to determine the appropriate level for course enrollment unless
they have taken the SAT II in Spanish (language or literature).
Students who wish to earn AP credit must take the online placement exam (unless they have a qualifying SAT II score) and take the appropriate course. For additional information about advanced credit, please consult the AP/IB Policies .
Read carefully all the information on the homepage.
Once you have read the instructions, you will find the link for
the test at the bottom of the page.
After you submit the last page of the test you will get a point grade. You can always see this result by clicking on “Grades” in the left menu. When done with the test MAKE SURE you go back to the home page and click on the link at the bottom of the page: find out here where to register (Links to an external site).
Make sure that you
have a reliable Internet connection. Set aside ample quiet time before you
begin the exam so that you can complete it in one sitting; you will not be able
to stop and restart once the exam has launched.
Close other programs
running on the computer. Avoid distractions; focus only on the exam until it is
completed.
To begin the exam,
click the link only once. It may take some time for the exam to load; give it
at least one full minute. If, after clicking once, nothing happens for over a
minute, contact the UIS Service Center as soon as possible. Do not click the
link multiple times: if you do, you will see a message stating that you have
already taken the exam and you will not be able to access it again.
Do not use the Back
and Forward buttons in your browser to move around within the exam. Use the
links and buttons in the exam pages to proceed.
Do not click the final
Save and “submit” button until you are completely finished with the exam.
If you encounter a
problem or a technical difficulty that prevents you from finishing the exam,
contact the UIS Service Center as soon as possible.
Students who believe they will place out of the College’s foreign language requirement in Spanish, and who do not intend to continue their study of Spanish at Georgetown, should sit for the on-campus proctored confirmation exam during New Student Orientation unless they have a qualifying SAT II score. Students taking this test should bring their Georgetown ID (GUID) to the exam; students will obtain this ID upon their arrival on campus for New Student Orientation.
Please contact Professor Annie Thinglum in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese for more information.
Students who have taken the SAT II in Spanish should determine their level as follows:
200-360 SPAN-003 Introductory Spanish I or SPAN-011 Intensive Basic Spanish
370-480 SPAN-004 Introductory Spanish II or SPAN-011 Intensive Basic Spanish
490-550 SPAN-021 Intermediate Spanish I or SPAN-032 Intensive Intermediate Spanish
560-630 SPAN-022 Intermediate Spanish II or SPAN-032 Intensive Intermediate Spanish
640-700 SPAN-103 Advanced Spanish I or SPAN-110 Intensive Advanced Transatlantic Visions
710-740 SPAN-104 Advanced Spanish II or SPAN-110 Intensive Advanced Transatlantic Visions
Students who believe they will place out of the College’s foreign language requirement in Portuguese, and who do not intend to continue their study of Portuguese at Georgetown, should sit for the proctored placement exam during New Student Orientation.
Please contact Professor Vivaldo Santos in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese for more information.
Native Speaker Exam
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese (henceforth The Department) is the only unit at Georgetown that can certify the native Spanish speaker status of a Georgetown student. Through The Department, Georgetown students who are native Spanish speakers have 3 options to certify their native speaker status.
Option 1: Presenting an original document proving completion of a high school degree (or equivalent) from an institution located in a Spanish speaking country. The predominant language of instruction in that institution must be Spanish. Since these documents are normally in Spanish The Department usually reviews the documents. Nonetheless, check first with your dean’s office because different schools or programs may have different arrangements with The Department.
Option 2: Complete first the Spanish Validation Exam. Students getting a score above 80% in the Spanish Validation Exam will need to schedule an oral interview with The Department for final confirmation.
Option 3: SFS/MSFS students can complete the Oral Proficiency Exam. If the panel of two evaluators administering the exam determines that during the oral interview the student has performed as a native speaker, they will mark the appropriate option in the results ballot.
The appropriate member of The Department (Professor Annie Thinglum and Professor Tatevik Gevorgyan) will communicate by email, or exam ballot, to the appropriate dean the results of the assessment. It is up to the different Georgetown schools to determine the administrative weight, meaning, or consequences of the native Spanish speaker status. In some cases it entails the inclusion of this status on the student transcript. For most programs, with this status, students can skip all lower division Spanish classes (Span 001-161) and register in upper level courses. We highly recommend that native speakers who have not been educated in a Spanish-speaking school complete at least one level of Spanish for Native Speakers (1 course is offered each semester).
