Columbia University Japanese Language ProgramPlacement Test FAQ
1. Who must take a placement test?
Students who wish to take First Year Japanese I or Elementary Japanese A do not need to take a placement exam. Students who:
- took/learned Japanese somewhere other than Columbia
- took Japanese at Columbia in the spring semester, studied in a summer program and skipped one year in the fall (e.g. students who took First Year Japanese and did a summer program and want to be placed into Third Year in the fall.)
- took Japanese at Columbia more than one semester ago (e.g. students who last studied Japanese in Spring 2012 and wish to continue in Spring 2013)
- took Japanese in the previous Spring semester, received a C+ or below, and wish to continue (e.g. students who received a C+ in Spring 2012 and wish to continue in Fall 2012)
- took Japanese in the previous Fall semester, received a C or below, and wish to continue (e.g. students who received a C in Fall 2012 and wish to continue in Spring 2013)
MUST take a placement exam if you wish to take any course other than First Year Japanese I or Elementary Japanese A.
Students who wish to test out of the language requirement for Ph.D. or other programs are also required to take a placement exam. (NB: students who pass the exam must claim and pick up their certificates WITHIN ONE MONTH of the date of their exam, or they will be required to take the exam again in the following semester)
The Fall placement exam is scheduled on Thursday before the first day of classes from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
The Fall 2013 placement test will be held on Thursday, August 29th at 10:00 a.m. (Room: TBA).
3. How do I sign up for the test?
Please visit http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ealac/japanese/plreg.html and follow the instructions. Students are not required to pay a fee if they are taking the test to be placed into a Japanese course at Columbia or to be placed out of a language requirement at Columbia.
4. I took the placement test last semester. Are the results still valid?
No. Placement test results are only valid for the semester for which the test is taken.
5. Can I take the placement test for next semester now?
No. You must wait until the scheduled date of the exam for the semester during which you wish to take Japanese.
6. I took the AP Japanese Language/Japanese Language Proficiency Exam/other exam and scored X points. Do I still need to take the placement exam ?
Yes. Other exams test on different content than the Columbia placement exam; thus, their results cannot be used as a replacement.
7.I would like to audit a Japanese class. Do I still need to take the placement exam?
Be advised that EALAC language courses may not be audited or taken for R credit. Furthermore, no language courses at Columbia may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis. Thus, students registering for Japanese courses must take them for credit and for a letter grade. As auditing is not allowed, you are not required to take the placement exam. However, should you decide to enroll, you will be required to take the placement exam if you fall under any of the categories outlined in question 1 of this FAQ.
8. What is the format of the placement test?
The test consists of two parts, 1) a written and listening comprehension exam and 2) an oral interview.
9. How many kanji should I know?
The required number of kanji varies with the desired level. See below for details:
2nd Year 1st Semester -220 kanji
2nd Year 2nd Semester-434 kanji
3rd Year 1st Semester- approximately 500 kanji
3rd Year 2nd Semester- approximately 700 kanji
4 th Year 1 st Semester - approximately 1,000 kanji
5 th Year 1 st Semester - approximately 2,000 kanji
To be placed in 2nd Year 1st Semester, you should know the following 220 kanji. |
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To be placed in 2nd Year 2nd Semester, you should know the following 214 kanji in addtition to the 220 above. |
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To be placed in 3rd Year 1st Semester, you should know the followig 193 kanji in addtition to the 434 above. |
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To be placed in 3rd Year 2nd Semester, you should know the following 168 kanji in addition to the 545 above. |
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To be placed in 4th Year 1st Semester, you should know the following 247 kanji in addtition to the 713 above. |
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To be placed in 4th Year 2nd Semester, you should know roughly 500 more kanji which are listed below in addtition to the 960 above. |
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To be placed in 5th Year, you should know roughly 2,000 kanji in total; all kanji above and the following kanji. |
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10. I studied Japanese somewhere other than Columbia. What should I do to prepare for the placement exam?
The best way to prepare is to go over a textbook and other materials you used in previous classes thoroughly.