Placement Exams

Online Placement Exam (Spanish, French)

This exam must be taken by any student wishing to:

enroll for the first time at Cal Poly in a Spanish or French course (except true beginners, who must enroll in 101). Heritage speakers who grew up speaking Spanish (or French) at home with family members are encouraged to take the placement exam).
reassess their level of proficiency in Spanish or French (while students already enrolled in a Spanish or French course or students with AP credit are not required to take the placement exam, they are welcome to take it if they wish to reassess their proficiency level).

Please note:

You don't need to reserve a spot. Just join the proctor, Dr. John Thompson, using the Zoom link provided on our website (wlc.calpoly.edu).
You don’t need to study for the placement exam since the placement exam measures what you already know/remember about Spanish or French.
The placement exam is offered throughout the quarter. New dates are posted on our website (wlc.calpoly.edu) periodically.
The placement exam takes about 30-40 minutes. It is a multiple-choice test. You will receive your score the same day you take the test.
The placement exam DOES NOT give credit for a class. It only allows you to enroll in the language course that is appropriate for your level.
Have your EMPL ID# ready (you can access this in your Cal Poly Portal).
You can contact the WLC department if you have questions.
You will enter the "waiting room" in Zoom, so please allow for about 5 minutes for the proctor to check you in.
The fee for the online placement exam is $10.00 payable online at the time of the exam by credit/debit card (not your Campus Express account).
You CANNOT repeat the placement exam after having taken it until the next quarter.
You will need a permission number to enroll in the course you were placed in (instructions will be provided during the placement exam session).

For placement information in other languages, please contact the following instructors: