Language Proficiency Exams

The Linguistics Department offers the Second Language Proficiency Exam for languages not taught on campus, as well as for those taught by The Critical Languages Program.

Students can be tested to determine second semester, fourth semester, or native-level proficiency.  Students will not receive any course credit for passing the exam, but their second language requirement will be waived if they pass the exam.

These exams are aimed at students who grew up speaking a language other than English at home or school, as well as students who learned a language other than English while living abroad or in their community.

Exams are given one on one with one of our faculty members, or one of our graduate students.

Languages we test regularly (we are able to test other languages as well – this list is not exhaustive):

For questions about American Sign Language please email Professor Holly Nelson at hnelson@arizona.edu.

Language Exam Fees

The fee for the Language Exam for currently enrolled University of Arizona or Pima Community College students is $100.

For non-University of Arizona students, such as students at other universities, the fee is $200.

There is no fee to test for Native American languages of North America as part of the Linguistics Department's commitment to indigenous language maintenance and revitalization. For Native American languages, please email mwiseley@arizona.edu, so we can determine who should administer the exam for that language.

High School Students

We also test high school students either individually or in groups. High schools may desire to have students tested for several reasons, among which are satisfying their own graduation requirements or satisfying ABOR requirements to gain admission to UArizona.

For high school students the exam fee is lowered to $75 for individuals. Group rates are as follow:

• 1 student, $75
• 5 students, $250
• 10 students, $300
• 20 students, $500

We will also send one of our representatives from our department to your high school in order to test students in groups, or we can test high school groups via Zoom. If you are a representative of a high school or a high school student interested in these exams, please contact Marian Wiseley at mwiseley@arizona.edu.

Scheduling an Exam

UArizona students can sign up for an exam on our scheduling site. Currently all testing is via Zoom, so you can test from a remote location. We may start to offer an in-person exam option again in the future.

Non-University of Arizona students can sign up for an exam by sending an email to Marian Wiseley at mwiseley@arizona.edu. Please include in your email:

• Your name
• Your student identification number
• The name of the institution for which you need to be tested
• The name of the language in which you wish to be tested
• The level of proficiency you need to demonstrate

You will be scheduled for an exam in the order in which your request was received. Please be aware that our faculty members and graduate students may not be available during peak university times (such as the beginning and ending of the semester, or during the summer or winter breaks, so don’t wait until the last minute to sign up for a language exam). 

Additionally, the testers’ time is valuable, so if you miss a scheduled appointment without contacting us in advance, you will be charged a $20 rescheduling fee.

Placement Exams Taken during Orientations

If you took a placement exam during orientation please visit the College of Humanities Advising site for more information.