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. During the 2020-21 Academic Year, we expect to offer all placement exams online through Zoom.

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.

At this time, UCLA is not able to offer language placement exams to non-UCLA students. Please check back for updates to this policy later in the academic year.

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 2020: Contact proctor to schedule exam at his discretion.
    • Winter 2021: Contact proctor to schedule exam at his discretion.
    • Spring 2021: Contact proctor to schedule exam at his discretion.

    For more information regarding the Eastern Armenian Exam, please contact Hrach Martirosyan at hrch.martirosyan@gmail.com.

    Register

  • Armenian (Western)

    • Fall 2020: Friday, October 23 (PST).
    • Winter 2021: Friday, January 15 (PST).
    • Spring 2021: Thursday, April 8 (PST). Registration for this exam has now closed.

    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.

    This exam will be via Zoom, and a link will be sent shortly before the exam to the email you provide.

    • Fall 2020:
        • Placement exam on Tuesday, Sept 29 @ 10:00AM
        • Exception exam on Wednesday, Sept 30 @ 10:00AM
    • Winter 2021:
      • 1 on 1 oral interview exam on Monday, Jan 4 @ 10:00AM-12:00PM, followed by a listening, reading, writing exam @ 12:00PM-2:00PM
    • Spring 2021: Monday, March 29 @ 10:00 AM

    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 2020: Monday, October 5 @ 11:00AM (PST)
    • Winter 2021: Wednesday, January 6 @ 11:15AM (PST)
    • Spring 2021: Wednesday, March 31 @ 11:15AM (PST)

    For more information please contact Dr. Nancy Ezer.

    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, you will need a pencil (not pen), an eraser, and lined paper.

    • Fall 2020: Tuesday, Sept 22 @ 1:00PM
    • Winter 2021: Not offered.
    • Spring 2021: Tuesday, March 30 @ 1:00PM – NOTE: the registration date for the Spring exam has now passed. Please check back in the fall.

    For more information please contact Dr. Latifeh Hagigi at (310) 794 9407 or hagigi@humnet.ucla.edu.

    Register

  • Turkish

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

    The Turkish placement exam will be held over Zoom. Step 1: Students will meet with Dr. Beyza Lorenz on Zoom for a live speaking and listening exam. Step 2: Students will be directed to UCLA’s CCLE website to complete a reading and writing section online. You will have 2 hours to complete the writing and reading section. Note that you’ll be asked to download the Respondus software on your computer to complete the reading and writing sections. Please make sure that you have a fully charged computer, a stable internet connection, and a distraction-free environment. Taking the exam on a mobile device is not recommended.

    • Fall 2020: Wednesday, Oct. 7 @ 2:00PM
    • Winter 2021: Wednesday, Jan. 6 @ 2:00PM (Zoom) – Oral Exam; Wednesday, Jan. 6 @ 4:00PM (CCLE) – Written Exam
    • Spring 2021: The Turkish placement exam is cancelled in Spring 2021. Please contact Dr. Lorenz at blorenz@humnet.ucla.edu if you are interested in registering for Turkish classes.

    For more information please contact Dr. Beyza Lorenz.

    Register