The department offers two types of language exams: placement and proficiency. Placement exams are for those students who plan to enroll in one of our language courses. Proficiency exams are for students who wish to waive a college or major foreign language requirement or who need a language assessment for an external program or fellowship.
Placement exams: Please contact the instructor of the course you believe may be the most appropriate for your level to learn how to schedule a placement exam.
Proficiency exams: If you are seeking to satisfy the L&S Language Requirement through your high school education or from coursework at another institution, please refer to the official L&S advising page for the most up-to-date criteria: How to satisfy the L&S language requirement. For students entering from FA26 or after, please note that the previous metric—three years of high school study—no longer fulfills the requirement. You can satisfy the L&S Language Requirement by completing at least three years of secondary school in which the primary language of instruction was a language other than English, starting from grade 6 or above, as verified by transcripts.
- For incoming students: Please e-mail asklns
to request a review of your records. - For continuing students: Please follow the instructions posted on the CEU's Website.
Individual foreign language proficiency tests are administered by the Department to registered Berkeley students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, in the service of both Berkeley degree requirements and for external fellowships and programs. Tests may also be administered to students at other UC and non-UC campuses.
To register for a proficiency exam, please visit the Proficiency Exam Request Form page.
Please note that non-UC Berkeley students will be assessed an administrative fee for proficiency exams.
