Foreign Language Placement Testing
Students who wish to study Spanish at Â鶹´«Ã½ for the first time should enroll in SPAN 1000-Basic Spanish I.
Online placement exam
Students who have had some contact with the language, either through high school coursework or through other experiences, must take the Spanish online placement test.
To take the Online Placement Exam, you need:
- Your WIN—Western Identification Number (not your Social Security Number).
Native speakers and transfer Â鶹´«Ã½s
Native speakers are not required to take the online exam. They should consult a Spanish academic advisor to determine an appropriate first class for their foreign language studies at WMU. Likewise, the exam is not required for transfer Â鶹´«Ã½s who have successfully completed Spanish courses at a community college or another four-year college. They should consult a Spanish academic advisor to ascertain the WMU equivalent for the courses taken at the other institution and then enroll in the next course in the sequence.
Monitored test-out exam
For Â鶹´«Ã½s with ample experience with the Spanish language, such as those who have lived abroad for an extended period of time or those who have participated in Spanish immersion programs, and exclusively for Â鶹´«Ã½s in those situations, there is a monitored test-out exam or proficiency exam (different from the online placement exam). The proficiency exam will not be administered to Â鶹´«Ã½s who score 650 or below in the online placement test. The proficiency exam is a way to place out of the foreign language requirements that exist for majors or minors in certain programs at WMU or for all Â鶹´«Ã½s in the College of Arts and Sciences. The monitored exam must be taken in person, only once, and before Â鶹´«Ã½s begin their first class in that language at WMU. Prior to taking the proficiency or test-out exam, Â鶹´«Ã½s must contact or meet with a Spanish academic advisor to determine whether they qualify.
Other languages
For placement in languages other than French, German and Spanish, contact the Department of World Languages and Literatures.