Language Information

Latin Placement Test Information

To access your results, or to take a test, scroll to the bottom of this page. The following information is excerpted from the department's website and provides guidance on taking placement tests, interpreting your results, and next steps. Consult the original department page for additional information.

Language Placement

LANGUAGE PLACEMENT IN GREEK

If you have had previous study in Ancient Greek, you should arrange for placement by contacting the Director of Greek Instruction, Professor Ryan Platte. This exam, given during Wildcat Welcome or at another time during the academic year, will determine your current level of Greek proficiency and place you into the appropriate class, should you wish to continue the study of Greek at Northwestern. Once you have been placed into the appropriate 101 or 201 class, the language proficiency requirement may then be satisfied by earning a grade of C- or better in Greek 201-3.

LANGUAGE PLACEMENT IN LATIN

1) Who needs to take the Latin placement test?

All first-year students, transfer students and returning students who have studied Latin before and do NOT have an AP Latin score of 4 or 5 must take the Latin placement test. If you have a score of 3 or lower on the AP Latin exam, you must take the online Latin placement test. Once you have been placed into the appropriate 101 or 201 class, the Weinberg language requirement in Latin may be satisfied by earning a grade of C- or higher in Latin 201-3.

2) Placement test is NOT necessary if…

You have no previous knowledge of Latin. To start your Latin studies at Northwestern, register for Latin 101-1 in the Fall.
You received a score of 4 on the AP Latin exam. With a score of 4 on the AP Latin exam you will need one more course (Latin 201-3, offered only in the Spring Quarter) to satisfy the language proficiency requirement. You can register for Latin 201-3 in the spring.
You received a score of 5 on the AP Latin exam. With a score of 5 on the AP Latin exam you have satisfied the language proficiency requirement, and we encourage you to continue the study of Latin at Northwestern. To enroll in 300-level Latin courses you should contact the Director of Latin Instruction, Prof. Francesca Tataranni.

3) What do students with AP or IB scores need to know?

Consult the AP/IB language credit table here.
Students with IB scores must take the placement test.
Students with an AP Latin score of 3 or lower must take the placement test.
Students with an AP Latin score of 4 or 5 do not need to take the placement test. See above “Placement test is NOT necessary if …”

4) What will the online Latin placement test look like?

The online Latin placement test consists of 4 Latin passages to translate to English. Each passage is increasingly more complex than the previous one and includes a series of grammar questions that are progressively more advanced. Proficiency is determined according to this progression. No additional materials may be used during this exam. You may not consult dictionaries, grammar books, or any other translation aids (including Google translator and ChatGPT).

5) How do I prepare for the online placement test?

Since the placement test wants to measure your Latin proficiency at the time that you take it, there is no need to prepare for it.

6) How do I take the Latin online placement test?

To take the online Latin placement test, please visit the Online Placement Tests page.

7) By when do I need to complete the online placement test?

If you are an incoming student, you must take the online placement test by July 31.

8) What are the next steps after the online placement test?

If a validation exam is required, following the completion of the online placement test you will be notified via email with instructions regarding the format and scheduling of the validation exam.

9) When and how can I access the test results?

To access your placement results, please visit the Online Placement Tests page. Results will NOT be emailed to students individually.

10) How many times can I take the Latin placement test?

Unless instructed otherwise by the Latin placement test coordinator, you must wait one year before retaking the placement test.

11) How long are the Latin placement test results valid?

The Latin placement test results are valid for 1.5 years.

12) Contact information

If you have any questions, please contact the Director of Latin Instruction and Latin Placement Test Coordinator, Professor Francesca Tataranni.