CAS requires all students to demonstrate or develop proficiency at or above the intermediate level in a language other than English.
Proficiency in a second language provides insight into other cultures, enables direct contact with literature and other written and oral texts, and combined with other fields of study, serves a multitude of practical and professional purposes. It sharpens skills in one’s first language, and it develops critical thinking and understanding needed for life in multicultural and multilingual societies in the US and elsewhere.
Placement examinations are required of any student whose most recent language course was not completed at Boston University. Placement exams DO NOT by themselves fulfill the language requirement.
Upon fulfilling the Second Language Requirement, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate proficiency in all relevant modalities (speaking, writing, reading, listening) at a level that allows for communication and comprehension;
- gain insight into the nature and structure of language; and
- use the language to acquire knowledge of other cultures, past and present.
Placement Tests in Arabic
The Arabic placement test is available on Blackboard Learn. Students may register for the test by contacting Professor Salima Slimane at sslimane@bu.edu and providing their BU login name. Please allow 24 hours for registration.
Once registered, visit http://learn.bu.edu. Login with your BU login name and kerberos password. Click Courses, Choose 00cwr_ArabicPlacementTest: Arabic Placement Test. Please be advised that you cannot place out of the language requirement by taking the placement test online. See additional information about the CAS Language requirement here.
When you are done, please email Professor Slimane to let her know that you have completed the test.
Placement Tests in Chinese
The Chinese placement exam is available online via Blackboard Learn. Except for zero beginners, all students who would like to take a Chinese language course for the first time at BU must complete this exam to find out the appropriate level. Please contact Prof. Amber Navarre (navarrea@bu.edu) and provide your BU login name to register. Once registered, visit http://learn.bu.edu, click Courses, and choose Chinese Placement Test.
You are encouraged to take the placement exam before course registration dates. Please start and finish the exam in one sitting. Placement results will be available upon completion.
This is an Honor code online exam. Please do not use dictionaries, consult friends, or seek other assistance while completing the test. This may result in incorrect placement, and you will need to change classes in the first week of the semester.
NOTE: If your family speaks Mandarin or a dialect but your reading ability is nonexistent or limited, you should still complete the placement exam. It is a holistic assessment of your skills in Mandarin and will help you find out the most suitable level.
Placement Tests in German
German placement is accomplished by means of an online examination. You will need your university ID number when taking this test. Please click on
this link to set up an account and to access the German placement test. Full instructions are provided within the test webpage. You can take this test any time before the start of classes, from any location.
Please do not use dictionaries or other assistance when taking the test. This may result in incorrect placement and you will have to change classes in the first week of the semester.
If your German score was…
you should enroll in this course:
Below 262
LG 111 First-semester German
263-375
LG 112 Second-semester German
376-432
LG 211 Third-semester German
433-529
LG 212 Fourth-semester German
530 or above
your choice of LG 305, LG 307, or LG 309 (the topics differ, but all three are at the same “level”). A brief meeting with a German faculty member is also strongly suggested — see below; occasionally a different course may be recommended.
Consult with the German Language Coordinator, Christiane Kaden (ckaden@bu.edu), 745 Commonwealth Ave., if
- your score is at the extreme of any indicated range
- you feel you are placed too high or too low
- your score is above 530
- you speak German with a family member or have spent some years in a German-speaking environment.
In all of these cases you may be asked to provide a very short essay (6-8 sentences) on either of the following topics: “Meine Lieblingsjahreszeit” or “Eine interessante Reise.”
Please note that neither test scores nor faculty advice is final and that you will have the opportunity to shift to a higher or lower level during the drop/add period should this become necessary.
Heritage speakers (i.e., students with at least one family member who uses German in the home) or students who have spent years in a German-speaking country must make an appointment with Prof. Werk irrespective of their placement-test scores.
Placement Tests in Hebrew
The placement exam is available on Blackboard Learn. Students may register for the exam by contacting Professor Mira Angrist at mangrist@bu.edu and providing their BU login name. Please allow 24 hours for registration.
Once registered, visit http://learn.bu.edu and click Courses. Choose 0000cwr_HebrewPlacementTest: Hebrew Placement Test. The test is located in the content area and consists of 5 parts and a general information survey. Please be advised that you cannot place out of the language requirement by taking the placement test online. See additional information about the CAS Language Requirement here
Placement Tests in Japanese
The Japanese placement exam is available online via Blackboard Learn. For access
You need to contact Japanese Program Coordinator Yumiko Tashiro at ytashiro@bu.edu and provide your BU e-mail address.
If your family speaks Japanese but your reading ability in Japanese is nonexistent or very limited, you should still take the placement test. Similarly, if you have lived in Japan and spoken Japanese there, you should take the placement test, even if your reading ability is limited.
If you have studied Japanese in high school or in some similar school setting, you must take the placement test.
The Japanese placement exam is an online test you can take any time before the start of classes, from any location. You should plan to start and finish the test in one sitting.
Please do not use dictionaries, consult friends, webpages or seek other assistance when taking the test. This may result in incorrect placement, and you will have to change classes in the first week of the semester.
The test will be graded automatically. Go to “After the Test” and see what level is suitable for you or use the table below.
Level 1 Test
0-19 points-LJ111
20-34 points-LJ112
35-44 points-LJ211
45-50 points-LJ212
Level 2 Test
20-30 points-LJ303
31-40 points-LJ304
41 points or above- 400 level class
If you score above 20, please complete “Writing Sample “ and follow the instructions.
Email casadv@bu.edu if:
- your score is at the extremes of an indicated range
- you feel you are placed too high or too low
- your score is above 75
Please note that neither the test scores nor faculty advice are final, and that you will have the opportunity to shift to a higher or lower level during the drop/add period should this become necessary. You might also be asked to shift to another course if your proficiency level in Japanese turns out not to be a good fit for the course in which you are enrolled.
If you have any questions about your placement after you get your test results, please email Prof. Yumiko Tashiro at ytashiro@bu.edu for consultation or to schedule a placement interview.
Placement Tests in Korean
Students who would like to take the Korean placement exam should contact Prof. Jungsoo Kim at kimjs@bu.edu to make an appointment.
IMPORTANT: Students whose family speaks Korean at home but their reading and writing abilities are nonexistent or very limited should enroll in LK116 Heritage Korean 1. If you are not sure which course to take, please contact Prof. Jungsoo Kim to schedule an appointment for a placement test.
For questions, e-mail Prof. Heeju Lee, Coordinator of the Korean Language Program at heejulee@bu.edu.
Placement Test in Russian
The Russian placement exam is available online via Blackboard Learn. For access, you need to contact Coordinator of the Russian language program, who can enroll you in the Blackboard online test and provide your BU e-mail address.
If your family speaks Russian but your reading ability in Russian is nonexistent or very limited, you should still take the placement test. Similarly, if you have lived in Russia and spoken Russian there, you should take the placement test, even if your reading ability is limited.
If you have studied Russian in high school or in some similar school setting, you must take the placement test.
The Russian placement exam is an online test you can take any time before the start of classes, from any location. You should plan to start and finish the test in one sitting. For a placement test, you do not need to be prepared. Placement test is a holistic assessment of your skills in Russian, which provides diagnostic information critical for placement and for course-specific knowledge.
This is an Honor code online exam. Please do not use dictionaries, consult friends, webpages or seek other assistance when taking the test. This may result in incorrect placement, and you will have to change classes in the first week of the semester.
Please note: You have 60 minutes to complete this test. Once started, this test must be completed in one sitting. After you complete the placement exam, please email the Russian language Coordinator. They will be in touch with you to let you know when you can meet with her about the class that best suits your level.
Please note that neither the test scores nor faculty advice are final, and that you will have the opportunity to shift to a higher or lower level during the drop/add period should this become necessary. You might also be asked to shift to another course if your proficiency level in Russian turns out not to be a good fit for the course in which you are enrolled.
Placement Tests in other languages
Please consult with the CAS Foreign Language Advisor at (617) 353-2400 or casadv@bu.edu for any other language placement questions. (For Spanish, French, Italian, or Portuguese, go here.)
Q: I feel insecure about my background in a language. My placement test tells me that I’m at a certain level, but I’d feel more comfortable taking a lower level instead. Can I?
A: This is almost always a really bad idea. Read why.
Transfer Credit
Students who have taken language courses at other colleges than Boston University should see the foreign language advisor, Mira Angrist, in the CAS Student Advising Office, 617-353-2400, or mangrist@bu.edu, before selecting a BU course. This is in addition to the need to take the a placement test (credit and placement are two different things). If you enroll in a course that’s equivalent to one you’ve already taken elsewhere, you’ll forfeit credit, so be sure to ask the language advisor first!
AP Equivalencies
Please speak with a faculty member in your language of interest if you have questions.
Chinese
If you scored a 4 on the Chinese AP, you have credit for CAS LC 212 and one unit of GCI for the Hub. If you scored a 5 on the Chinese AP, you have credit for CAS LC 311 and one unit for GCI for the Hub. If you plan to take more advanced courses in Chinese, you’ll need to take a placement exam. If you received a 4 on the Chinese AP but your placement score indicates that you should be in LC 212 or below or you received a 5 and the placement score indicates that you should be in LC 311 or below, talk with a faculty member in Chinese to discuss your options.
German
If you scored a 4 on the German AP, you have credit for CAS LG 212 and one unit of GCI for the Hub. If you scored a 5, you have credit equivalent to one course numbered LG 305-309 and one unit of GCI for the Hub. But if you plan to go on and take more German at BU (and why wouldn’t you, seeing how good you are at it?), you should still take the placement test. If the placement test tells you something different from your AP score, please contact a German faculty member right away to discuss the best course of action.
Japanese
If you scored a 4 on the Japanese AP, you have credit for CAS LJ 212. If you scored a 5 on the Japanese AP, you have credit for CAS LJ 303 and GCI for the Hub. But if you plan to go on with your study of Japanese, as we hope you will, you must take the placement test as well. If the placement test places you in LJ 212 or below despite your AP score of 4 or LJ 303 or below despite your AP score of 5, it’s essential that you contact a Japanese faculty member for advice.
SAT II Results
A score of 560 or higher on the SAT Foreign Language Subject Test in Chinese, French, German, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, or Spanish. Students are encouraged to take these exams before applying for admission. Information is available in CAS Academic Advising at 100 Bay State Road, 4th Floor. NOTE: In January 2021, the College Board announced it would no longer offer SAT Subject Tests in the US, and, after the June 2021 test date, would no longer offer them internationally. Students who have prior SAT Subject Test scores in languages may still submit them for fulfillment of the requirement.