Placement Exam

World Languages and Cultures uses a computer-based, adaptive placement exam in most of the languages we offer. 

The cost of the exam is five dollars and is billed to your Drake account. The exam takes approximately 20-30 minutes.

If you are an Entering First-Year student with prior experience in your language of choice:

A placement test for previous experience with Chinese, French, German, or Spanish should be taken prior to orientation. The test can be taken online at a convenient date and time, and you will receive results immediately upon exam completion. You will then be able to register for the course into which you have been placed when it's offered next. The test fee will appear on your first Drake bill. For previous experience with Japanese, please complete the online Japanese survey.

Links to Placement Exams:

Chinese Placement Exam
French Placement Exam
German Placement Exam
Spanish Placement Exam
Japanese Survey
For American Sign Language, please email worldlanguages@drake.edu 

If you are an Entering First-Year student starting a new language:

You will be able to register for the 001-level at summer orientation—no placement exam is needed. Only students with absolutely no knowledge of a language may register for the introductory 001-level courses. If you have any prior experience with the language, you must take a placement exam. 

If you are a current Drake student with prior experience in your language of choice:

Contact WLC to make arrangements to take the placement exam for previous experience with Chinese, French, German, or Spanish. For previous experience with Japanese, please complete the online Japanese survey.