Spanish Online Placement Exam for Fall 2025

The Spanish Placement Test’s sole purpose is to place you correctly in the proper level so that you will get the most out of your academic experience in one of our courses. Your test will be evaluated by our department and you will be placed in the appropriate level. The test is to be taken by you without any outside help or access to resources or materials. All students, including native speakers, who have been exposed to Spanish whether formally or informally, who wish to enroll in a Spanish language course must take the placement test. Click here for answers to Placement Exam FAQ.

 

DO NOT take the Spanish Placement Test if:

 

• You have never studied Spanish. You may enroll in SPAN 110 directly.

• You received a 5 on the AP Spanish Language OR Literature exam. (More information below)

• You received a 6 on the high level IB exam. (More information below)

 

 

 

• Students who studied Spanish as a foreign language will take the General Placement Test.

• Spanish heritage language learners (those who grew up in a family where Spanish was spoken) will take the Heritage Test.

 

Once you have logged in through the placement test link (on the main CLS placement page), you will see links for both tests to choose from.

 

If I received a 5 or higher on an AP test in Spanish, or a score of 6 or 7 on the IB Advanced-level exam in Spanish, am I required to take the placement exam?

If you received a 5 or higher on an AP test in Spanish, or if you received a score of 6 or 7 on the IB Advanced-level exam in Spanish, you are not required to take the placement exam. You can go ahead and register in courses at the L5 level.

In this case, you only have to take one L5 course in Spanish (Language or literature) to fulfill your language requirement.  You do have to send your scores to the registrar to verify and confirm your placement. Keep in mind that not all L5 courses are equivalent in difficulty. Some are designed for students with greater proficiency and may have additional prerequisites. Our placement exams are administered to evaluate students’ ability and thus determine the most suitable course level for them. 

On the other hand, since many students may or may not have the same proficiency level as when they took the AP or IB tests, we strongly recommend that everyone take the exam to confirm their actual language level.  Students should take the test to evaluate whether they are ready for the advanced level and thus determine if an L5 course would work for them. Please note that if the results place a student at a lower language level (L1-L4) after taking the test, the student would have to register for a course at that placement level.