Language Placement
Fulfilling the Language Requirement
To fulfill the WCAS Language Requirement in French or to enroll in French classes for the first time, please follow the instructions below.
French Online Placement Test
All students including first-year students and transfer students who have previously studied French and who plan to fulfill a language requirement or want to continue with their study of French MUST take the online French placement test before registering for French courses at Northwestern.
If you have an AP of 5, you have satisfied the Weinberg foreign language requirement in French. We encourage you to continue your French studies at Northwestern. Please take the online French placement test prior to registering for an advanced French course. If you have questions, please consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies for French.
If you take the French Placement Test during the academic year, your results will be posted at https://placement.madstudio.northwestern.edu within 72 hours of your submission. If you have any questions, please contact Prof. Aude Raymond.
Other than during Wildcat Welcome, validation interviews will be held by appointment only. Once you have retrieved your placement exam results online, if it indicates validation test, please email Prof. Aude Raymond to make an appointment.
FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE THE FRENCH PLACEMENT TEST BY JULY 31st.
The French placement test is given online only. There are many advantages to taking it by July 31:
- You'll get your score in time to learn about the course in which you'll begin.
- You can take the test when you feel ready.
- You can take the time you need to complete the test.
- You can work in a quiet, relaxed testing environment.
Before you take the placement test, please read carefully:
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The purpose of the placement test is to place you in the course that best fits your current level of proficiency. You have two hours to complete the test and have to do so in one sitting. This two-hour window is designed to include students who receive the accommodation of extra time on tests. Answer each question honestly and to the best of your ability, without the help of any tool, dictionary, online translator, AI device, or person. We are interested in knowing what YOU CAN DO ON YOUR OWN. If you do not know the answer to an item, do not be discouraged. This exam is intended to differentiate levels from first-to-third-year college French. It is not possible for you to place out of the language requirement on the basis of the online placement test alone. If your level is high enough to validate your proficiency, you will be asked to come for an in-person validation of proficiency that consists of an oral interview and written exercises. If you use any type of help, beware that your placement results may place you in a course that is not appropriate to your proficiency level. This will not only create a difficult situation for you but may also lead to a referral to the Assistant Dean for Academic Integrity. |
The Validation test consists of an oral interview and a short writing test (C-test and written composition).You will receive a Canvas invitation to complete the written part, and oral interviews will be conducted on Zoom as indicated below.
Dates of oral interviews: Wednesday, September 11 and Thursday, September 12, 2024
Time: TBA
Location: on Zoom
This process will determine whether you have satisfied the Weinberg foreign language requirement and/or for which course you can register. The results will be posted to the online placement test website at the latest by Friday September 13th at 3:00pm.
The French Placement Test is valid for one year. For any questions email Prof. Aude Raymond
Sample Placement Test Questions
A sampling of the types of questions on the placement test is available. Please review the sample questions before taking the test.
| If you have... | |
|---|---|
| a score of 5 on the Advanced Placement French Exam: | Congratulations! You have satisfied the WCAS Language Proficiency Requirement in French. We encourage you to continue your French studies at Northwestern. Please take the online French placement test prior to registering for French 210 or French 211. Please e-mail Prof. Cynthia Nazarian for advice on choosing a French Minor or Major. |
| a score of 3-4 on the Advanced Placement French Examination (AP Exam): | Great! Welcome to the French Language Program. You must take the French Placement test. You will have either 1 course to take (French 201) or 2 courses (French 125-2 and 3), or you may even be certified proficient and eligible to take French 202 or 203. Please contact Prof. Aude Raymond or Prof. Margaret Dempster for information. |
| a score of 1 or 2 on the Advanced Placement French Examination or any prior knowledge or study of French: | Great! Welcome to the French Language Program. You must take the French Placement test. You will be placed in the appropriate course for your level, French 111-1, French 115-1 or French 121-1. Please contact Prof. Aude Raymond or Prof. Margaret Dempster for information. |
| never studied any French before: | Welcome to the French Language Program. You will need six courses to satisfy the WCAS Language Proficiency Requirement in French. You may place yourself into 111-1 Elementary French (given only in the Fall). |
Instructions For All Other Students
If you are an incoming or transfer student who intends to register for a French course (either to satisfy the Weinberg language requirement or to simply continue studying French), you MUST take the French Placement Test before being allowed to register for any French course at Northwestern University.
Additional Information
If you need additional information, contact Professor Aude Raymond, araymond@northwestern.edu