French, Spanish and German Placement Tests -- The University of Iowa

Welcome to the University of Iowa Foreign Language Placement tests in French, Spanish, and German. The UI offers WebCAPE tests that were developed by the Humanities Research Center at Brigham Young University. These tests are designed to help you decide in which course to continue your language study.

Quick Links :

Who Should Test
Test Descriptions
Test Guidelines
Scoring
Placement
Browser and Connection Recommendations
Contact Information
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WHO SHOULD TEST

It is very important that you take a foreign language placement test if you plan to continue in the language you studied in high school.

Business, Engineering, Nursing, Pharmacy, Radiation Sciences, and Nuclear Medicine majors: You should test if you have not completed the required two years of a single foreign language while in high school and you plan to continue in that language.
All other majors: You should test if you have not completed the required four years of a single foreign language while in high school and you plan to continue in that language.

Note: Some majors (e.g., International Studies; Literature, Science, and the Arts; foreign language and literature) require foreign language beyond 4 years in high school. Students considering these majors should take the placement test and consult with their advisor at Orientation regarding their language requirement.

If you are unsure of your choice of major or have declared an Open major and have not completed four years of a single foreign language in high school, you should take the placement test if you plan to continue in that language.
No matter what your major, if you have completed four or more years of a single language in high school and want to continue to study that language, you should take the placement test. The UI offers opportunity to earn incentive credit through the Foreign Language Incentive Program (FLIP) for taking language courses after completing the language requirement. For more information go to: FLIP

TEST DESCRIPTIONS

The tests are multiple-choice and cover grammar, reading, and vocabulary. These are adaptive tests meaning that the question difficulty will vary depending on how you respond. Do not get discouraged if you are unfamiliar with some of the material. Make your best guess and go on to the next question.

TEST GUIDELINES

The test will take 20 – 25 minutes.

You should only take the test once. If you take a test more than once, only your first score will be used to help determine placement.

You may NOT use books, notes or any other materials or resources.

Remember, these are placement tests. You should do the best you can following the test guidelines. If you get help or use restricted materials, you will likely place yourself in a course which is too difficult for you.

SCORING

At the end of your test session, you will see your score. Be sure you either write down your score or save the score page to a file to print. If you do not see a score, go back and sign into WebCAPE again and click on resume to complete your test. If you have problems, contact the language placement coordinator at:
UI-testing@uiowa.edu

PLACEMENT

The links below provide course placement recommendations for specific WebCAPE score ranges. These are recommendations; you should discuss your results with your academic adviser to determine the best course in which to continue your language study. You may want to print a copy of the placement page so that you have it as a reference.

French

Spanish

German

Students wishing to complete the foreign language component of the General Education Program through WebCape testing may schedule an oral proficiency interview if they earn a score of 400 or higher on the French test, 500 or higher on the German test, 500 or higher on the Spanish test. Contact the appropriate language department to schedule an oral interview.

If you have questions related to course placement or advising, contact the Academic Advising Center at: advising@uiowa.edu

BROWSER AND CONNECTION RECOMMENDATIONS

Browser:	Internet Explorer 6.0 or above, Netscape 7.0 or above. The AOL browser is not recommended for this test.
Connection:	At least 56Kbit/s Internet Connection.
Monitor Resolution:	1024 x 768 for best view.

You should have only your browser application running during the test. Close all other applications.

Do not block pop-up windows.

Try to avoid peak connect times for your Internet provider, or times when you have experienced dropped connections.

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have difficulty accessing the test, contact the foreign language placement coordinator at:
UI-testing@uiowa.edu.

STARTING YOUR TEST SESSION

When you click on Begin A Test Session, you will be taken to the account login page, do the following:

1.	Enter the account password: hawkeyes1
2.	Click on “Login”
3.	Read the general test directions, select a language from the drop-down menu, and click on “Begin”
4.	Enter your first and last name
5.	Enter your University ID in the “ID Number” field. This is required and must be correct. If you are a new student (freshman or transfer) and don't know your University ID, you can find it by going to your Admission Profile. Go to http://isis.uiowa.edu and login using your Hawk ID and password. Click on " Admission Profile" in the box on the right. Your University ID is at the bottom of the column labeled, "Personal Information".
6.	Click on “Continue”
7.	You will see one practice item. The real test begins immediately after you submit your response to the practice item. Do NOT use the “BACK” button on your browser to navigate through the test. If you use your browser’s BACK button, your test will terminate without being scored and you will have to start over.
8.	At the end of the test you will see a page showing your name, email address, start and end times, a score, and placement recommendation. Write down your score or save the score page as a file and print a copy.
9.	Click on “Finish” to exit the program or simply close your browser.
10..	To see specific placement information and course descriptions, go back to the placement section on the UI language placement test page.
11.	If your test is interrupted, you can continue where you left off by accessing the login page the same way you did to begin your test session. Repeat steps 1 – 5 above and enter your name and ID number exactly as you did when you started the test. Click on “Resume” and your test should continue from where you experienced the interruption.