The Graduate Language Exams in Spanish and Italian, also known as Proficiency and Mastery exams, are offered twice per semester through the Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. The exams are available to currently enrolled graduate students who are required to demonstrate foreign language "proficiency" or "mastery" in order to satisfy certain degree requirements. The precise dates of the exams are set early in the semester, although they are generally offered in October, November, February and March.

Spring 2013 Exam Dates:

• February 2013  -  Thursday, February 21
• March 2013  -  Wednesday, March 27

Important: The department is unable to offer the Portuguese Language Exams during the Spring 2013 semester. Please check back in August 2013.

Examination Policies

On the day of the exam, please report to the department office (Wilson 115) between 10 am and 12 pm to pick up the exam materials. All materials, including the exam handouts, must be returned on the day of the exam, to the department, by no later than 4 pm. Students who do not reside in the Charlottesville area may request to take the exam electronically in the 'Comments' section of the registration form.

Exam answers may be typed or legibly handwritten. If the answers are handwritten, a blue/green examination book must be used. Examination books are available for purchase from the UVa Bookstore. The department does not provide them.

Students are on their honor to complete the exam within the specified time limit. If a student does not return his/her exam, he/she will receive a failing grade and will not be eligible for a refund of the exam fee.

The department does not provide examples or practice exams.

If you have any questions, please contact us at sipexams@virginia.edu.

Examination Fee and Registration

The exam fee is $17 per exam and must be paid when the exam is picked up. Please present a check or money order made payable to the University of Virginia. Cash is not accepted.

All candidates must register online for the exam at least one (1) week in advance.  EXAM REGISTRATION FORM

Notification of Results

Please note that the exams are graded promptly (within approximately two weeks) and the results are sent to the graduate advisor or the department secretary, depending on the department’s policy. This department will not directly report exam results to students.

Copies of the exam results are also sent to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The graded exams are the property of the University of Virginia and they remain in the Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.