Placement Exams

Registration is currently closed and will reopen in June.

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, Aria Anayat, Kaplan Hall 361, 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 2023: Saturday, October 7th @11:00AM Kaplan Hall 365
    • Winter 2024: Saturday, January 13th @ 11:00AM Kaplan Hall 365
    • Spring 2024: Saturday, April 6th @ 11:00AM Kaplan Hall 365

    For more information please contact Tereza Hovhannisyan.

    Register

  • Armenian (Western)

    • Fall 2023: Thursday, October 12th @1:45PM Kaplan Hall 365
    • Winter 2024: Thursday, January 18th @1:45PM Kaplan Hall 365
    • Spring 2024: Thursday, April 11th @1:45PM Kaplan Hall 365

    For more information please contact Dr. Hagop Kouloujian.

    Register

  • Arabic

    About this exam:
    The Arabic placement exam is an online exam that is being administered over Zoom. It is based on the book “Al-kitaab Fii Taa’llum Alarabiyya”. It includes listening, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and composition questions. The exam is offered for students who want to know their language level for the purpose of placing in language classes or placing out of the College language requirement.

    When can I take this exam?

    The exam is offered three times during the academic year: in the fall, winter, and spring quarters. Students need to make sure to take it in one of these quarters. There’re no makeup exams offered.

    The dates of the exam are announced on the NELC website well in advance. Make sure to register for the exam before registration closes.

    • Fall 2023: Monday, October 2nd @ 10:00AM via Zoom
    • Winter 2024: Monday, January 8th @ 10:00AM via Zoom
    • Spring 2024: Monday, April 1 @ 10:00AM via Zoom

    Registration closes: Thursday, March 30 at 12pm.

    How can I take the exam?

    After registering in the NELC website, enroll in the “Arabic Placement Exam” course website using the link that will be provided each quarter. For this 2023 spring quarter, enroll here https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/166239 (make sure to click on “enroll me in this course” on the top right corner of the front page). Once you are enrolled, you will find more information about the exam and how you can take it.

    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 2023: Tuesday, October 3rd @ 11:10AM Kaplan Hall 365
    • Winter 2024: Tuesday, January 9th @ 11:10AM Kaplan Hall 365
    • Spring 2024: Thursday, April 4th @ 11:10AM Kaplan Hall 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 Winter 2022 exam will close on Wednesday, January 11th at 3:00PM. 

    • Fall 2023: Thursday, October 5th @ 1:00PM Kaplan Hall 365
    • Winter 2024: Thursday, January 11th @ 1:00PM Kaplan Hall 365
    • Spring 2024: Thursday, April 4th @ 1:00PM Kaplan Hall 365

    For more information please contact Dr. Sahba Shayani.

    Register

  • Turkish

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

    • Fall 2023: Thursday, October 5th @ 10:00AM Kaplan Hall 365
    • Winter 2024: Thursday, January 11th @ 10:00AM Kaplan Hall 365
    • Spring 2024: Thursday, April 4th @ 10:00AM Kaplan Hall 365

    For more information please contact Zeynep Durmus

    Register