<p>I have a few questions about the language placement tests. I've heard that they're taken online but also that there's an "interview" portion. How does that work? Is the interview actually typed rather than spoken, or is there a phone or on-campus interview?</p>
<p>Also, does anyone have any insight on the Japanese test (if there is one)? Is it online also, and if so, how does it work? Is there a multiple choice section, typing section, spoken interview, etc.?</p>
<p>I don't have the opportunity to take the AP Japanese test at my school and I'd really like to place out of the language requirement, so any help anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Language placement tests: only taken online, designed to suggest a course to you that would be of an appropriate difficulty, taken during O-Week or sooner. </p>
<p>Language competency test: includes interview portion, to test speaking skills, taken during school year. Passing this waives the language competency requirement.</p>
<p>How to Fill Language Competency Requirement:
pass language competency test
take language 101-103 sequence or ONE of 201+ courses
(the placement test is used to determine eligibility for 201+ courses).</p>
<ol>
<li>OR 2. </li>
</ol>
<p>I cannot remember if there is a Japanese placement test; I am certain there is a language competency test.</p>
<p>Alright, so even if I pass out of 101-102-103, I still need to take 201 in order to pass out of the comp. requirement?</p>
<p>If I have enough knowledge to pass out of 101-102-103, is it likely that I’ll be able to pass the competency test? Would four years of high school french typically give me enough knowledge to do this?</p>
<p>I like most of the things about Chicago’s Core, but I’ve never had much of an interest in or talent for language, so I’d be thrilled to get the req. taken care of as quickly and efficiently as possible.</p>
<p>There is indeed a Japanese placement examination, and it is conducted during O-Week in Cobb Hall, not online. There are multiple choice, free response, and listening comprehension parts. After the exam, there will be an interview with one of the instructors to determine your actual speaking competency.</p>
<p>Sidenote: It’s pretty difficult to test out of a year of Japanese, though. Many people who have even studied and/or lived in Japan for a year or two end up placing into 101 or 102. There are people who test into 201 or 301 (or very rarely 401), but only a handful of students (about 2-3) per year are able to do this.</p>
<p>@Foolio: I don’t think testing into the 201 sequence for French is undoable. I was given permission to take 202 last summer after 3 years of high school french.</p>
<p>Damn I’m doing my IB exams next month and i get credit only for HL english, if ever. I take econ and business HL which no one acknowledges - that just sucks.</p>
<p>They changed the language testing a year ago, so the regime that applied to current second-years and up is no longer in place. It used to be that the competency and placement tests were one and the same; now it looks like they are separate, the placement tests are online only, and just placing into a second-year course is not sufficient to tick off the competency requirement. You either have to (a) get a 3 or higher on the relevant AP test, (b) pass the Chicago competency test, (c) actually take a quarter of language above the first-year level, or (d) do language in a quarter-abroad program.</p>
<p>One other thing: the competency tests seem to vary in difficulty. One of my kids passed the French competency with ease, despite real problems speaking French and a pretty bad attitude about it. The other kid did not pass the Latin competency test, despite knowing a lot more Latin than the other one knew French, and winning multiple Latin prizes in four years of high school Latin.</p>