Spanish Language Placement Examinations

Welcome to the Spanish Language Program. We look forward to having you in our courses!

All students new to our Spanish Language Program at Columbia are required to take one of our two departmental placement examinations before registering for a course, or before placing your name on a waiting list, or you must provide proof of exemption through one of the exams listed here. Students will then register for the level assigned by the placement test.

Spanish as a Heritage Language Placement Exam

If you have been exposed to Spanish to some (even to a very small) extent at home or in your community from an early age, or you possibly think of yourself as a heritage speaker/learner of Spanish at any level of proficiency, please click here to take the Spanish as a Heritage Language Placement Exam, using your Columbia or Barnard email address.

The exam consists of writing as well as multiple choice and fill-in the blank items about your exposure to the language, grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. There is a short listening/dictation section but there is no speaking section. The duration of the exam varies from one student to another. 

Please be advised that the purpose of this placement exam is to help to determine the best course for you, even if it is the beginning level; it is not a competency test.

Once you have completed the test, please email Dr. Francisca Aguiló Mora ([email protected]) to obtain (1) your placement level, (2) the appropriate course to register for, or (3) confirmation of a possible exemption. 

If you qualify for a possible exemption, you will be scheduled for the second part of the placement exam with Dr. Francisca Aguiló Mora ([email protected]). This qualitative assessment consists of writing and speaking components and will be evaluated by a faculty committee. Failure to take the second, in-person placement test within one year of obtaining a qualifying score on the first test will result in the invalidation of the first test score.

The two Spanish as a Heritage Language courses needed to fulfill the language requirement are as follows:

  1. Spanish UN 1108: Elementary Spanish for Heritage Speakers
  2. Spanish UN 2108: Intermediate Spanish for Heritage Speakers

 

Spanish as a Second Language Placement Exam 

All other Columbia undergraduate and graduate students, please click here to take the Spanish as a Second Language Placement Examination, using your Columbia email address. 

To take the Spanish as a Second Language Placement Examination:

  1. Click on this link to register and create an account using your Columbia University email address.
  2. Once your information has been entered, click “Create Account”.
  3. Once your account has been created, click “Sign In” to proceed.
  4. From the Dashboard, click “Take Test” to begin the exam.
  5. Once you have finished taking the placement exam, click on "See Score Report" in the lower right-hand corner to see, print, and take a screen capture of your score and the course to give to your instructor.  To later view and take a screen shot (screen capture) of your score you can always login to the website  https://app.emmersion.ai/ or reset your password if necessary. 

 

The Spanish as a Second Language Placement Examination is an adaptive and online, multiple-choice exam that you must take before registering for classes and before placing your name on a waiting list.

  • The exam consists of questions on vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension.
  • There are no oral/speaking, listening, or writing sections on this placement exam.
  • This adaptive exam presents items of increasing difficulty until an item is missed after which the exam may adjust and may drop back and present either a similar item or an easier item.
  • When you answer correctly the exam will give you an item that is as difficult or more difficult.
  • Since this is an adaptive exam, the duration of the exam varies from one student to another, with an average time of 25 minutes needed to complete the exam.

 

Spanish as a Second Language Placement Exam Scores

  • Below 280 – Spanish UN 1101 (Elementary Spanish I)
  • 280 – 379 – Spanish UN 1102 (Elementary Spanish II)
  • 380 – 449 – Spanish UN 2101 (Intermediate Spanish I)
  • 450 – 625: The following five courses that fulfill the fourth semester of Spanish AND the language requirement for this scoring range are:
    • Spanish UN 2102: Intermediate Spanish II
    • or Spanish UN 2103: Intermediate Spanish II: Health-related Topics in the Spanish-speaking World. Please contact the instructor Dr. Juan Pablo Comínguez with your questions.  
    • or Spanish UN 2104: Intermediate Spanish II: Topics on Climate Discourse. Please contact the instructor Dr. Francisca Aguiló-Mora
    • or Spanish UN 2105: Intermediate Spanish II: Telenovelas and TV Series. Please contact the instructor Dr. Guadalupe Ruiz-Fajardo.
    • or Spanish UN 2108: Intermediate Spanish for Heritage Speakers. Please contact the instructor Dr. Diana Romero with your questions.
    • or Spanish UN 2120: Comprehensive Intermediate Spanish. Please contact instructor, Dr. Craig-Flórez with any questions.
  • Above 625*  – You qualify for an exemption. Your exemption in this case will be verified by taking another in-person version of the Spanish as a Second Language Placement Exam, which will be given as follows:

    • You may take the second version of the Spanish as a Second Language Placement Exam in the Department's main office located in Casa Hispánica’s (612 W. 116th Street -between Broadway and Riverside- from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Google Map). Please contact Kosmas Pissakos ([email protected]) to schedule the exam in the department at Casa Hispánica. Failure to take the second in-person placement test within one year of obtaining the qualifying score on the first test will result in the invalidation of the first test score.

      *All students receiving a score above 625—whether seeking an exemption or not—must take the second version of the test in person to verify the appropriate level.

 

Placement Exam and Registration Policies

  • You may take a placement exam only once per academic year; you must wait one full year before retaking it.
  • The exam must represent your own work. When taking an exam, you agree to abide by Columbia University's Code of Academic Integrity and must refrain from any conduct that constitutes academic dishonesty as defined therein.
  • Once you begin the exam, you should complete it without interruption.
  • You must provide your instructor with your placement exam score by the first day of classes.
  • After receiving your placement exam score, register for the course designated by your placement.
  • Under no circumstances may you register for either a lower- or a higher-level course without the explicit permission of the Director of the Spanish Language Program: Dr. Francisca Aguiló Mora ([email protected]).

 

Please note: The Spanish as a Second Language Placement Examination and the Spanish as a Heritage Language Placement Examination are for diagnostic purposes only. These exams may be supplemented by your instructor’s evaluation during the first or second week of classes, at which time your instructor may recommend a change in registration.

If you have any questions about the placement exams, feel free to contact Dr. Francisca Aguiló Mora ([email protected]), Director of the Spanish Language Program.

We look forward to having you in our courses!