<p>How hard is it to test out of the foreign language requirement on one of Stanford's tests? Is this recommended if my major has nothing to do with language?</p>
<p>You might as well give it a shot. It’s an online test over the summer and an oral component given during the first week of school.
If you test out you can still take the class if you want to.</p>
<p>I started spanish freshman year in high school and didn’t take spanish senior year. In spanish classes, I got a B+ average over those three years. After taking the test, I placed into 5th quarter spanish, so I tested out of the requirement plus one quarter. </p>
<p>Granted I did study a bit over the summer. Like half an hour a day. I wanted to only have to take 1 quarter of language max at college. Not that I don’t like spanish, it’s just I think there are far better uses of my time.</p>
<p>Cool, do you know how the test works/when we sign up for it?</p>
<p>If I recall, you’ll get an email with directions sometime between now and early summer. You will be given a 10 day or so slot to take the test based on alphabetical order. You take the online portion, which is multiple choice and free response. It takes a few hours. Then, when you get here, everyone takes the oral portion on the same day at the same time (you’ll get directions for this). Don’t remember how long that took.</p>
<p>You can also test out of the foreign language requirement with a 700 or above on an SAT Subject Test in the language, I understand. There may still be time to sign up for the June test date, if you want to take care of it that way. (One hour test, no oral component, with or without listening options.)</p>
<p>do you remember what the placement test covers?
is it similar to the AP test with reading comp and essay prompts or does it have like grammar, etc.?</p>
<p>i want to place into 4th or 5th quarter spanish for sure and just want to get an idea of what to review</p>
<p>thanks guys! one more quick question:</p>
<p>say I don’t pass the test/decide not to take it…</p>
<p>I’ve been taking spanish throughout all of high school, professionally speaking would it be better to continue in spanish or take a language that i’m more interested in?
or does it not matter?</p>
<p>^it’s not a matter of passing really. if you want to continue taking spanish, you should definitely take the placement test, as it will put you into the course that fits your ability. In that regard, many people who passed out of the requirement with AP/SAT took the placement test, because they wanted to continue spanish and needed to know where to start. </p>
<p>Now say you don’t care very much for spanish, but either want to take a language or need to to pass out of the requirement (say you passed out of 2 quarters of spanish). Then I’d recommend another language. If you need to fill the requirement, at that point you’d only need to take 1 quarter of a language.</p>
<p>Other considerations are some study abroad programs and themed houses have language requirements.</p>
<p>As to what’s on the test, I don’t really remember. It was like almost all the other spanish tests I’d taken in high school, because I remembered not being surprised at the format.</p>