Placement & Proficiency
These exams are designed to help you determine the correct course for beginning your language study at KU, if you already have experience in a foreign language. These placement exams focus on your abilities and knowledge of the language, rather than the amount of prior coursework. While some of the exams are offered online, the process of determining the proper placement will include a conversation with a placement advisor about your language background. If you are newly enrolling at KU, you will meet with that advisor during on-campus orientation and enrollment.
Russian
In order to take an exam in Russian, you must create a new user account on the placement exam website. That process requires the use of a KU email address but you should NOT use the same password as that used for your KU online ID. You will only use this new user account to log into the placement exam website.
At the end of the exam you will be provided with a score and a suggested placement, a copy of which will be provided to you at Orientation. Descriptions of all courses are provided in the Course Catalog. If you feel that your placement exam results do not reflect your current level, please consult with the Russian Language Coordinator.
German
The proficiency exam is for students who want to fulfill the College foreign language requirement with German without taking any German courses at KU or to skip a level in the GERM 104-108-201-202 sequence.
These students will take the placement exam and a proficiency exam (written and oral). Details follow:
1. Students should take the language placement exam online, which is available from the KU Foreign Languages Website.
2. Should a student receive a score below 500 and wish to test out of the College foreign language requirement equivalent to one, two, or three semesters of German, s/he will contact Dr. Ljudmila Bilkić, the departmental Placement / Proficiency Coordinator, by email (bilkic@ku.edu). Dr. Bilkić will arrange a written and oral exam for the student.
3. The student will meet with the coordinator at the scheduled time to take the written and oral exam and will be notified of the results.
4. Should the student receive a score of 500 or higher and wish to test out of the College foreign language requirement equivalent to four semesters, s/he will contact the departmental Director of Undergraduate Studies.
5. If, after discussion with the undergraduate advisor, the student still wishes to test out of German, s/he will be asked to contact the departmental Placement / Proficiency Coordinator, Dr. Ljudmila Bilkić (bilkic@ku.edu), to arrange a written and oral exam (see #2 above).
Other Slavic and Eurasian Languages
Unfortunately, we currently do not offer a placement or proficiency exam for other Slavic languages online. Please get in touch with our Language Program Coordinators to take a test.