About the Foreign Language Placement Test

For students starting fall 2017 or later Marian University, one semester of a foreign language course beyond their current ability level is required. Marian University offers French, German, and Spanish.

If you want to continue taking courses in a previously studied foreign language, you will complete foreign language placement testing online before your New Student Orientation session. You must complete the foreign language course in which you are placed to fulfill the graduation requirement. Additional back credit may be awarded if that course is taken and passed with a C or higher.

Placement testing results are valid for two years from the test date.

Marian University uses the WebCAPE Test for French, German, and Spanish. The test is multiple-choice and covers grammar, reading, and vocabulary. It is an adaptive test, which means that the question difficulty will vary depending on how you respond. Do not get discouraged if you are unfamiliar with some of the material. Make your best guess and go on to the next question.

The Marian Latin Placement Test is multiple-choice and covers grammar, reading, and vocabulary. It is not an adaptive test.

Yes, we recommend that students review before the test in order to do their best.

It takes approximately 20-25 minutes.

You should only take the test once, and do your best. You should not use books, notes or any other materials or resources. Remember, this is a placement test and if you get help, use restricted materials, or purposely answer incorrectly, you will place yourself in a course that is unsuitable for you.

No academic credit is awarded for taking the test. However you may earn back credit depending on your placement. See the section on back credit below. 

At the end of your test session, you will see your score and your placement. Be sure to save a copy for your records.

You may take any language offered at the 101 level (Spanish, French, German, and Latin).

You may complete placement testing in more than one foreign language. The placement test for each language may be completed once. You can then choose which foreign language you wish to continue to study, start a new language, or elect to take multiple languages at Marian University.

Marian recognizes prior experience in the study of a foreign language by awarding back credit to students who place beyond the introductory level.

Students who test into 102-level and above receive back credit for prior courses if they take the course they tested into and pass it with a "C" or better.

If you have any technical issues while completing your placement test or need assistance with your Canvas account, please contact the Marian University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning at citl@marian.edu with your contact information and a description of the problem. A staff member will get in touch with you to provide assistance. Note that it is recommended to use the latest version of Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome as your browser.

Marian University offers French, German, Latin, and Spanish. Classes in other languages (Chinese, Italian, Japanese, etc.) are available through cross-registration with other universities in Indianapolis. See the Office of the Registrar for more information. American Sign Language does not fulfill the foreign language requirement.

The foreign language requirement is waived for international students whose high school courses were taught in their first language (not English). Contact the Office of the Registrar to verify eligibility.

Students with disabilities in which a foreign language could present a disability-related barrier should contact the Personalized Learning Center to engage in a conversation regarding possible accommodation support for engaging with a Foreign Language course.