Placement and proficiency exams

This is an online exam that allows you to assess your level of Spanish at the college level. The results of your placement will be given to you at the end of the exam(s) and forwarded to the email address you enter at the beginning of the exam. You must finish the exam to receive the needed results.

This exam is not linked to the university’s systems and only the person taking the exam sees the results (no electronic records of your results are kept anywhere so be sure you print the results and/or keep the email of your results so that you can use it for enrollment purposes). You may take the exam and use the results to enroll in a Spanish class that skips levels by following the directions provided by the department.

Please contact the following to make an appointment for assessment (if placement above 101 is deemed appropriate, request the instructor submit an “Electronic Enrollment Request” on your behalf):

• Chinese: Ms. Di Wu, 928-523-6401
• French: Dr. Michael Rulon, 928-523-8571
• German: Ms. Jessica Wood, 928-523-6731
• Italian: Mr. Kevin Massoletti, 928-523-1236
• Japanese: Sensei Reiko Akiyama, 928-523-8244

If you use email to contact these instructors, please include the following in the subject line, “Placement Needed for Enrollment/Pre-requisite Override”. Please contact Alexandria McConocha for additional assistance if you do not get a response within five days by forwarding the original email you sent the instructor.

CLEP testing and Challenge Exams fall under the general category of “credit-by-exam.” The policies are listed in the current academic catalog under Transfer and Test Credits (Policy 100224). University language requirements for Bachelors Degrees can be found under Policy 100810 – if you are taking an exam to meet a language requirement please REVIEW this policy before proceeding. All advisors and students can contact Alexandria McConocha with questions or concerns. Some basic policies for these exams are as follows:

• You may earn no more than 60 units of credit-by-exam. This includes CLEP, Challenge Exam, Dantes, AP, or credit-by-exam earned at another institution.
• You may not Challenge or CLEP levels 101-202 of your native language. This is determined by the primary language spoken in the high school you graduated from, not what language is predominately spoken in your household.
• You may not repeat an exam within one year of your first attempt. Under no circumstances will you be permitted to take an exam for the same course more than twice.
• Credit earned through an exam must not duplicate credit you have already earned for the same course.
• You may not earn credit-by-exam in a course that is equivalent to, more elementary than, or substantially overlaps another course in which you have already obtained credit. If you are currently enrolled in a foreign language course and want credit for a more introductory course(s), you must take the exam for the lower course by the end of week eight of the current semester of the course in which you are currently enrolled. No exceptions. No refunds.
• Credits earned by Challenge Exam(s) do not transfer to other universities (do not show up on official transcripts).  You may take as much credit-by-exam as you want, provided it does not exceed the total 60 unit limit or the limit designated by your academic plan (Major or Minor). However, it will not become part of your academic record until after you complete your first semester. If you leave Northern Arizona University, Challenge Exam credit is not recognized by other institutions.
• CLEP Exam scores are recognized by other universities for credit; your total score to number of credits awarded varies by university and therefore credits earned at NAU from this exam do not transfer (do not show up on official transcripts). Scores must be transmitted to a different university/entity via the CLEP website, not via NAU.

Please e-mail questions about testing to Alexandria McConocha.

CLEP exams are standard exams for French, German and Spanish only and, depending on the score received, can give a student credit for 101, 102, 201 and 202 (at NAU these courses are 4 credit hours each, maximum 16). Students must have graduated from a high school where the primary language of instruction was in English (see NAU Policy 100810) to receive 101 thru 202 credits at NAU by taking this exam and can do so instead of registering for and attending actual classes. Students who pass the CLEP exam are given credit only for the course(s) that are covered by the exam. Since these exams carry no letter grade, the student’s GPA will not be affected. See the university policies and equivalency scores for CLEP (scroll down to the CLEP Subject Exams section; find the language you seek – tests are in alphabetical order).

CLEP Exam scores may be recognized by other universities for credit. However, since your total score to number of credits awarded varies by university the credits earned at NAU from this exam do not transfer (they do not show up on official transcripts). Scores must be transmitted to a different university via the CLEP website, not by NAU.

CLEP exams are being proctored by the NAU Testing Center in the W.A. Franke College of Business (Bldg 64) – parking and directions. Please visit the Testing Center website and then click on CLEP to register for an exam. For more details or additional information about the NAU Testing Center, please email or call 928-523-6549.

Students may also find a different Arizona location to take the CLEP exam.  Call first to be sure they are still proctoring CLEP exams and ask them how much their proctoring fee will be.

Once you have determined a viable location, go to the CLEP website and set up an account and register for the exam (as required by the College Board). After you register for the exam you will receive a receipt for the amount of the exam (at the time of this website update the fee is $89) and a Ticket ID/CLEP Voucher. Once you have these, contact the testing location you have chosen to arrange a time to take your exam and to pay the required proctoring (fees vary by location). If you are going to take the exam at NAU, call the NAU Testing Center to schedule CLEP proctoring (928-523-2358) and get more information about their proctoring fee; you must bring the Ticket ID/CLEP Voucher to the testing center on the day of the exam.

If a CLEP test is not offered for the language you wish to receive credits in, you should then consider retrocredits or challenge exams. Please keep in mind that students must have graduated from a high school where the primary language of instruction was in English (see NAU Policy 100810) to receive these 101-202 credits at NAU as well. However, challenge exams that are for 300 level course credit and above are exempt from this policy.

Here is some basic information to get you started:

• Currently enrolled NAU students may take Challenge Exams for credit.
• Challenge Exams are locally prepared by NAU faculty.
• Students must have met the pre-requisites for the Challenge Exams they wish to take and/or stipulate they wish to take the exam to show proficiency per their degree requirements.
• Challenge Exams cost $30 per unit (101-202 classes are 4 units so $120 for each Exam / 300 level and above are usually 3 units so they would run $90 for each Exam).
• You must review the Credit by Exam Policies before paying for or taking an exam.

Available Challenge Exams

Please review the current catalog for descriptions of courses offered or contact the name provided below for specific exam questions.

Note: Some of the Challenge Exams are in languages not currently offered as courses at NAU. Procedure questions should be directed to Alexandria McConocha.

• Chinese 101, 102, 201, and 202 (Di Wu/523-6401)
• French 303 and 304W (Professor Erika Hess/523-6676)
• German 303, 304W (Third Year) and 403, 404 (Fourth Year) (Assoc. Chair, Jessica Wood/523-6731)
• Greek (Ancient) 101, 102, 201, and 202 (Professor George Rudebusch/523-7091)
• Italian 101, 102, 201, and 202 (NOTE: prior consent from the instructor is required) (Kevin Massoletti/523-1236)
• Japanese 101, 102, 201, 202, 299 (Special Topics), 303 (Third Year) (Sensei Reiko Akiyama/523-8244)
• Latin 101, 102, 201, 202 (Professor Jeremy LaBuff/523-4518)
• Portuguese 101 and 102 (First Year) (Alexandria McConocha/ 523-6237)
• Russian 101, 102, 201, 202, 399 (Third Year), and 499 (Fourth Year) (Alexandria McConocha/ 523-6237)
• Spanish 303 and 304W (Alexandria McConocha/523-6237)
• Swedish posted as LAN 399 (Third Year/up to 6 credit hours = two semesters), and LAN 499 (Fourth Year/up to 6 credit hours = two semesters) – (Alexandria McConocha/ 523-6237) – Suspended for AY 2021-2022
  • Note: Foreign language requirement must be manually applied by an advisor in LOUIE.

Challenge Exam Procedures

Ready to take a challenge exam? Check out the procedures below to make sure you’re prepared.

1. Read the Northern Arizona University CLEP Policies and Challenge Policies in the academic catalog (most of these same policies apply to Challenge Exams.)
2. Determine which Challenge Exam you would like to take, the number of units it will give you, and if the exam is still available. (IMPORTANT NOTE: Because exams are locally prepared, exam availability varies from semester to semester because faculty take sabbaticals, etc. Even if you see them on the drop-down menu from the Payment Page, they still may not be offered; please contact the department at 928-523-2361 to verify. There is always someone available to administer Spanish, German, and French Challenge Exams.)
3. Consult with your academic advisor or the Gateway Center and the current academic catalog to determine how the units will apply to liberal studies requirements and/or your degree. University language requirements for BAs can be found under Policy 100810 – if you are taking a challenge exam to meet a BA language requirement please review this policy before proceeding. If you think Policy 100810 might apply to you and you’ve received contrary information from your major advisor, please review it with your major advisor before proceeding (they may not be unaware of it). All advisors and students can contact Alexandria McConocha with questions or concerns – some majors are different in their requirements. Note: Demonstrating “proficiency” at a certain level or above does not require lower level units to get to that level of proficiency.
4. Make your payment on the payment page or you can make your payment in the department. Challenge exams cost $30 per unit. Four unit exams are $120 and three unit exams are $90. (Please note that if you pay in the department, we can only accept cash, check, or money order. Credit card payments are taken only from the Payment Page.) There are no refunds. A payment is your assertion that you have done all the research that is necessary prior to submitting that payment and you are ready to actually take the exam.
5. Alexandria McConocha will be notified of the transaction the following day. Students will then be notified by Ms. McConocha via email (usually within three days) to come in, fill out the paperwork, and schedule the exam (oral exams will need to be arranged with faculty as directed by the department). Most challenge exams are given in the Global Languages and Cultures Department, Babbitt Academic Annex (Bldg #23) Room 108. The department’s phone number is 928-523-2361.
6. Complete the required Challenge Exam form in the Global Languages and Cultures Dept. These three part forms must be filled out in the Global Languages office, Babbitt Academic Annex (Bldg #23) Room 108. Statewide academic advisors or students, please contact Alexandria McConocha to make arrangements for proctored exams.
7. Note for Yuma students: Please contact your academic advisor before paying for a challenge exam.

After the exam:

The Challenge Exam and the form (just the form for Oral Exams) are submitted to the appropriate faculty for grading. After grading, the fully executed form is sent to Undergraduate Admissions, where the results are posted to your record.

You are welcome to contact the Global Languages and Cultures Department in person (with a photo ID) for your results if you wish to know your score before Undergraduate Admissions posts it.

If you do not see the results of an exam on LOUIE within eight weeks of taking the exam, contact the Global Languages and Cultures office first (928-523-2361) for the date it was sent to Undergraduate Admissions and then call Undergraduate Admissions at (928-523-5511) to inquire about the status – give them the date it was sent from the department.

Challenge Exam credits can take four to six weeks to post. If students need them to post sooner they must let Alexandria McConocha know at the time of email notification the payment has been received.