Placement Exams

The department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures offers proficiency exams for Arabic, Armenian (Eastern and Western), Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish at the beginning of each quarter. No exams are offered during the summer.

Important Note

No exceptions or makeup exams are offered. If students fail to take the exam on the scheduled date, they will need to wait until the next term it is offered.

If you are not a registered UCLA student, the exam costs $50. Payment MUST BE MADE prior to taking the exam. Students must mail check to the NELC’s Program Coordinator, Melissa Saavedra, Kaplan Hall 378B, 415 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095. Cash will never be accepted via mail or in person. Please make checks out to “UC Regents.”

Students use the exam to document proficiency with a foreign language for university or program requirement.  Please check with your institution to make sure our departmental exam is accepted. 

Registration is required for all students taking the exam.

Exam Levels

  • Level 1= 1 quarter (elementary)
  • Level 2= 2 quarters (elementary)
  • Level 3= 3 quarters (elementary — completes 1 year of language)
  • Level 4= 4 quarters (intermediate)
  • Level 5= 5 quarters (intermediate)
  • Level 6= 6 quarters (intermediate — completes 2 years of language)

For general questions about exams, please contact nreast@humnet.ucla.edu. See below for more information about exam dates.

  • Armenian (Eastern)

    • Fall 2021: Saturday, October 2nd @ 2:00PM in Kaplan Hall 305
    • Winter 2022: CANCELED
    • Spring 2022: Saturday, April 2nd @ 11:00AM in Kaplan 365

    For more information please contact Tereza Hovhannisyan.

    Register

  • Armenian (Western)

    • Fall 2021: Thursday, October 7th @ 2:00PM in Kaplan Hall 305
    • Winter 2022: POSTPONED
    • Spring 2022: Thursday, April 14th @ 5:15PM in Kaplan 365

    For more information please contact Dr. Hagop Kouloujian.

    Register

  • Arabic

    The Arabic placement exam is based on the book “Al-kitaab Fii Taa’llum Alarabiyya”. It includes listening, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and composition. Registration for this exam will close on Thursday, March 24th at 5:00PM.

    • Fall 2021: Tuesday, September 21st @ 11:00AM in Rolfe Hall 2118
    • Winter 2022: Monday, January 3rd @ 11:00AM via Zoom
    • Spring 2022: Monday, March 28th @ 11:00AM via Zoom

    For more information please contact Dr. Abeer Hamza.

    Register

  • Hebrew

    The exam is written only and based on the textbook Ha-Yesod (found usually at UCLA Bookstore, textbook for Hebrew). It includes the following:

    1. A passage in Hebrew for partial translation to English
    2. Comprehension questions in Hebrew on the passage mentioned above
    3. Two sections with multiple choice answers on grammar and vocabulary
    4. Fill in the blank questions with the correct form and tense of verbs + translating and vocalizing them
    5. Fill in the blank questions with the correct preposition (+ in the correct form)
    6. Rewriting nouns with suffixes using the Hebrew possessive “of”
    7. Fill in the blank questions with the correct numbers using Hebrew words
    8. Translation to Hebrew of short sentences
    9. A short composition

    • Fall 2021: Monday, September 27th @ 2:00PM in Kaplan Hall 305
    • Winter 2022: Monday, January 3rd @ 1:00PM via Zoom
    • Spring 2022: Thursday, March 31st @ 1:00PM in Kaplan 365

    For more information please contact  Dr. Sariel Birnbaum.

    Register

  • Persian

    This is a comprehensive exam (2 hours), which includes listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar.  It is equivalent to three quarters or two semester of Persian at the elementary level. For this exam, please bring a pencil (not pen), an eraser, and your student ID card. Registration for this exam will close on Thursday, March 24th at 5:00PM. Please contact Dr. Latifeh Hagigi at (310) 794 9407 before registration closes for a pre-evaluation.

    • Fall 2021: Monday, September 20th @ 1:00PM
    • Winter 2022: POSTPONED
    • Spring 2022: Tuesday, April 5th @ 1:00PM in Kaplan Hall 365

    For more information please contact Dr. Latifeh Hagigi .

    Register

  • Turkish

    The exam consists of four sections: Speaking, listening, reading comprehension, and writing an essay in Turkish on a given topic.

    • Fall 2021: Tuesday, September 28th @ 10:00AM in Kaplan Hall 348
    • Winter 2022: CANCELED
    • Spring 2022: Tuesday, April 5th @  10:00AM in Kaplan Hall 365

    For more information please contact Dr. Beyza Lorenz.

    Register