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Placement Exams for German, French and Spanish Courses (WebCAPE)
The placement exams are intended to help students determine what their current proficiency is in German, French or Spanish. The results of the online placement exam are for your information only and the scores will not be recorded or kept in your academic record. Once you have taken the exam you will want to check your scores with the appropriate advising links below to determine which class level is appropriate for you.

Placement Information for Other Languages
For placement in Japanese language courses please check the link below. For all other languages please contact the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at 503-725-3522.



Satisfying the Second Language Proficiency Requirement for Undergraduate Admissions

Second Language Proficiency Requirement
All applicants, including transfer students, who have graduated from high school in 1997 or any year after must demonstrate proficiency in a second language. Students may demonstrate proficiency by meeting one of the following options:

  • Pass with a C- or better, two years of the same high school-level second language
  • Pass with a C- or better, the third year of a high school-level second language
  • Pass with a C- or better two quarters or two semesters of college-level second language
  • Pass a proficiency exam (sample questions)

Students must provide official high school or college transcripts to indicate the Second Language Proficiency Requirement has been met.

For a complete list of proficiency options available for meeting the Second Language Requirement (including American Sign Language), please contact the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. For further information on this requirement you can view the official OUS Second Language Policy document at the OUS website.

BA Foreign Language Proficiency Information pdf

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Satisfying the University Foreign Language Proficiency Requirements for the B.A. Degree:
All of our two-year programs meet these requirements. PSU requires that all candidates for the Bachelors of Arts degree demonstrate proficiency at the second year level in a foreign language. The same proficiency is also required for the minor in International Studies; for the certificates in European, Latin American, and Middle East Studies; for the International Business Studies Certificate; and for certain other degree options. Most candidates for graduate degrees at PSU must also demonstrate competence at this level, but in reading knowledge only.


For graduation with a B.A. degree, students must demonstrate competence equivalent to that normally attained after two years of college study. Competency may be demonstrated in the following ways.

  1. Completion in any foreign language of 203 or its equivalent with a passing grade.
  2. Completion in any foreign language course that has the equivalent of 203 or higher as a prerequisite
  3. Demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to that attained after two years of college study. There are three ways to demonstrate proficiency:
    • CLEP score of 62 in French, CLEP score of 60 in German, CLEP score of 66 in Spanish
    • Earned credit by examination, at the 203 level or higher, for foreign languages taught by PSU faculty.
    • Pass a noncredit PSU Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures examination for which PSU has a qualified tester. (sample questions)
    • A passing grade, at 203 level or higher, on a Brigham Young Foreign Language Assessment Exam.
    • FLL Department chair approval of certification by an external evaluator for proficiency at or above 203 course level.

Note that English satisfied the B.A. language requirement for students whose official transcripts demonstrate that their secondary education was completed in a foreign language. Such students may not enroll in first-year or second-year courses in the language in which they received their secondary education.

Some academic majors require an additional year of a second language beyond the two year B.A. foreign language requirement. Please check with your academic advisor if you have questions about the specific number of foreign language credits required for graduation in your major.

International Studies and Foreign Language Majors:
These majors have three year langauge requirements that must be met by examination. All of our three year programs prepare students to complete the exam. The student will be given an oral interview by an examiner, a brief writing test, and a test of listening and reading comprehension. The expected performance level will vary by language, according to relative difficulty. Normal preparation for the examination is two to three courses (8-12 credits, depending on the language) at the third year level (numbered 300-399). Credit may be given for such an examination, if appropriate, for those who did not receive equivalent credit through course work (credit by exam fees apply).

Credit by Examination. 
Except as described above, the department does not give credit by examination.  In special cases, credit by examination may be allowed for fourth year language (but not literature) courses.  Please consult the department.



Satisfying the Language Requirement for a Master's Degree

The language requirement for M.A. and M.A.T. students must be passed before the student’s program (GO-12) or committee can be approved and before final exams can be taken.

Options for meeting the graduate foreign language requirement for M.A. and M.A.T. students.
The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures will accept the following ways of satisfying the graduate foreign language competency requirement:

  1. Equivalent course work: Students who have passed a course equivalent to PSU level 203 or higher in a foreign language within the four years prior to their admission into their PSU graduate program will be deemed to have met the language requirement. The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures will issue a certificate of completion upon evaluation of the student’s academic record. M.A. and M.A.T. students are responsible for making their academic records available to the chair of that department in the first term of admission and requesting evaluation and certification.
  2. Students who do not meet the requirement under #1. above should make an appointment with the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures during the first term after their admission to make an individualized plan for the completion of their language requirement. Options include preparing for and passing one of these evaluations:
    • Oral proficiency interview (mandatory for M.A. TESOL students if they do not take a course at level 203 or above)
    • A written test (mandatory for M.A. TESOL students if they do not take a course at level 203 or above), such as:
      • The Graduate Student Foreign Language Test (sample questions)
      • The CLEP exam
      • A special exam, administered by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures . Course work after admission: taking a course at level 203 or above
    • Overseas intensive courses or other intensive courses
    • Special reading courses, if available.

NOTE: M.A. TESOL students who do not meet the requirements in #1. above may choose course work at 203 level or must take both the oral proficiency interview and a written test.

The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures will teach and test only in languages in which it has expertise. (sample questions) However, off-campus arrangements may be possible with the cooperation of other institutions. Certification of having passed a foreign language examination from an institution other than Portland State University must be approved by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Portland State University prior to acceptance as fulfillment of the University’s master’s degree foreign language competency requirement.

MA or MAT Foreign Language Proficiency Information pdf

A student whose native language is not English may meet the foreign language requirement in English, except for students in two programs: (1) students in the M.A. in French, Spanish, or German, who must be tested in a language other than English and other than the language of their M.A. program; and (2) students in the M.A. in Foreign Literature and Language, who are required to demonstrate fluency in two foreign languages other than English at the time of admission and are not required to demonstrate additional competency except as necessary to complete their degree requirements.

For M.A. TESOL students only, a student whose native language is not English will meet the written requirement (2.b., above) by achieving a TOEFL score of 600 or higher.



A Note About Proficiency Exams and Some Sample Questions:

PSU tests proficiencies the following languages:

  • German (sample test)
  • Italian (no sample test available)
  • Latin (no sample test available)
  • Portuguese (no sample test available)
  • Russian (sample test)
  • Spanish (sample test)
  • For testing in other languages please contact the FLL Office directly

This exam is given the first Friday of each month, except in September and sometimes January (if the term has not yet begun). Here are the details:

  • The exam begins at 2 p.m.
  • You are given 2 hours to complete it.
  • You will need to bring a #2 pencil.
  • The exam costs $2.00 and payable in cash only.
  • You can take the exam as many times as you wish.
  • The exam location is generally in Neuberger Hall, please check with the FLL office for exact location.
  • Scores are generally available by the following Tuesday.
  • Please allow at least 6 weeks from date of exam results for Registration & Records to post a passing score to your academic record (DARS).
  • Passing this exam WILL ONLY satisfy the Foreign Language requirement, you WILL NOT earn course credit. If you would like to receive course credit you will want to contact the PSU Testing center and ask about the CLEP exam.


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