Foreign Language Placement Tests
Every major at Iowa requires students to complete two or four years of study of a single foreign language before graduating from Iowa.

• These majors require two years of study of the same foreign language: business, engineering, nursing, pharmacy, clinical laboratory science, radiation science, and nuclear medicine technology.
• All other majors require four years of study of the same foreign language.

If you haven't satisfied the foreign language requirement for your major through high school or college course work, you will need to take college courses (in the same language you studied in high school) to satisfy the foreign language requirement for graduation.

Who should take the foreign language placement test (FLPT)?
You should take the FLPT if you:

• haven't completed the foreign language graduation requirement for your intended major (two or four years, see details above)
• are unsure of your major
• want to continue studying the foreign language you studied in high school

The test results will help you and your advisor determine the best level for your first enrollment in a language course.

Placement factors considered (in addition to your FLPT score) include how long you have studied the language; strength of instruction; grades earned; experience abroad or with native speakers; and length of time since the language was studied.

Online French, German, and Spanish tests
The tests in French, German, and Spanish should be accessed online through your Admissions Profile on ISIS. Plan to complete online tests at least 14 days before Orientation.

The tests are multiple choice and cover vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension. These are adaptive tests, which means that question difficulty will vary depending on how you responded to previous questions. You may not use books, notes, or any other materials or resources. The test will take 20-25 minutes.

Tests in other languages
Tests in the following languages are offered on Day Two of our Two-Day Orientation Programs:

• American Sign Language
• Ancient Greek
• Chinese
• Japanese
• Latin
• Russian

Placement tests in these languages are not offered during our One-Day Orientation Programs. You will need to arrange to take a placement test in one of these languages by contacting the Evaluation and Examination Service. When you have the results of this placement test, you should consult your academic advisor to ensure you are enrolled in the appropriate foreign language course.

If you don't see your language listed here
If you are studying a different language than those listed above, you will discuss course placement with your advisor at Orientation.