1. University of Virginia
  2. Arts & Sciences

Foreign Language Placement

It is the student’s responsibility to familiarize him/herself with College of Arts & Sciences and departmental policies on placement and enrollment in language courses. Students who place themselves incorrectly will not receive credit for the courses in which they enroll without permission.

Italian Placement Exam

The Italian placement exam is only held twice a year on the Monday before classes begin each semester (RSVP required). All students with prior experience in Italian, before coming to UVa, must take the placement exam before beginning the sequence of courses at UVa. Students with no prior experience may enroll directly into Elementary Italian (ITAL 1010); no placement exam is needed.

Please RSVP for the exam by contacting Professor Emily Scida.

Spring 2013 Exam Date:

Monday, January 14, 2013  (3:00 pm– 6:00 pm)  in Gibson Hall, 211   (RSVP Required)

 

Spanish Placement Exam

The Spanish placement exam is an online exam that may only be taken once. Attempting to take the exam more than once, without permission, is considered an honor offense. All students with prior experience in Spanish must take the placement exam before beginning the sequence of courses at UVa.

Two courses, SPAN 1010 and 1020, are reserved exclusively for students who present no entrance credits in the language. Students who enter with two or more entrance credits, who wish to continue in Spanish, will be placed according to scores obtained on the College Entrance Examination Board SAT II tests, the AP Exam, or the UVa Spanish placement exam.

The sequence of courses, depending on the level at which the student begins, is as follows: SPAN 1010-1020-2010-2020; or SPAN 1060-2010-2020; or SPAN 2010 & 2020; or SPAN 2020. The sequence must be followed to complete the language requirement.

 

Placement Exam Instructions

It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with College of Arts & Sciences and department policies on placement and enrollment in language courses. Please read the following carefully before starting the placement exam, because you may only take this exam once.

Print the grade confirmation page at the end of the exam. It is your responsibility to keep this page as proof of placement to show your instructor.

You must enroll in the course in which you have placed. Students are not permitted to enroll in a level different from their placement. Students who place themselves incorrectly will not receive credit for the courses in which they enroll without permission.

Submission of the exam in your name means that the score honestly reflects your current language abilities without assistance from other people or any materials.

If you experience a technical or computer malfunction, you must obtain permission to retake the exam again by e-mailing spa-pla@virginia.edu.

Follow these steps:

1.  Disable any pop-up blockers. You will need to consult your individual Internet browser, or any additional software that provides pop-up blocking in order to do this. Usually there are directions in the Help menu of relevant software programs.

2.  Once you enter the exam site, type in the exam password: cavaliers1 (notice there are no spaces).

3.  Fill out the information page. Please include your first and last names only. We do not need middle names and/or suffixes, such as “III”.

4.  Your UVa computing user ID (i.e., abc9d) and your e-mail address are required. You must include your computing user ID or your score will not be saved.

5.  Take the SPANISH ONLINE PLACEMENT EXAM

6.  Print the grade confirmation page at the end of the exam. (It is your responsibility to keep this page as proof of placement to show your instructor.)

For additional information or questions, e-mail Spanish Placement Advisors.

 

Additional Resources