HOME / NEWS /

Fall 2020 East Asian Languages Placement Test Information

June 18, 2020

Chinese Placement Exam

Test Date:

Friday, July 17

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm Written Test (composition; grammar & reading)

3:30 pm - 5:30 pm Oral Test (you will be assigned a 5-minute test slot between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm. A Zoom link with your assigned slot will be sent to you through email)

 

Makeup Exams:

Friday, July 24

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm Written Test (composition; grammar & reading)

3:30 pm - 5:30 pm Oral Test (you will be assigned a 5-minute test slot between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm. A Zoom link with your assigned slot will be sent to you through email)

 

Friday, July 31

8:30 am - 10:30 am Written Test (composition; grammar & reading)

10:30 am - 12:30 pm Oral Test (you will be assigned a 5-minute test slot between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm. A Zoom link with your assigned slot will be sent to you through email)

 

Friday, August 14
9:30 am - 11:40 am ET Written Test (composition; grammar & reading)
11:40 am - 12:50 pm ET Oral Test (you will be assigned a 5-minute test slot between 11:40 am and 12:50 pm. A Zoom link with your assigned slot will be sent to you through email)

 

How to take the exam?

1. To register for the Chinese placement exam, you MUST fill out the Chinese Placement Exam Survey two days prior to the exam, we need to designate how many teachers will be operating the tests based off of which dates students will be testing. If you have missed the deadline, you can still register for the exam by filling out the survey. Thank you so much for your cooperation. Here is the link:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=9CL6b2hFBUGtQy461HJpV0jmYsejTR9GiMXFYitVbZ5URUJQU0dGRzRBQTkySDJFVlFEVEtHMU8xWS4u

2. The placement exam includes three parts: grammar & reading, composition and oral interview. Before the exam, you will receive an email including the following information:

·         The Zoom meeting address for grammar & reading and composition exam, which you need to attend first;

·         The Zoom meeting address for the oral interview. You will find your name on an excel file where you can find the Zoom link.

3. On the exam day you signed up for, please attend the Zoom meeting for grammar & reading and composition exam first, where you will receive the exam links on Zoom chat. When you come to join the Zoom meeting, you will receive an exam link for composition first, you will be given half an hour to finish your composition (by typing). After that, you will receive the exam link for grammar & reading test. You will have one hour and a half to finish this part. You will have an 3-5 minutes oral interview afterwards.

 

Test requirements

1. You must have

·         One of the following: Harvard ID, driver’s license, passport, or government ID

·         A quiet, well-lit room

·         A reliable internet connection

·         A computer

·         2 hours of free time for grammar & reading exam and composition, 5 minutes for oral interview

2. Your computer must have

·         Zoom (a video conferencing app)

·         A browser

·         A Chinese input for typing the composition

·         A front-facing camera

·         A microphone

 

What you should know before the exam?

1. IMPORTANT: Please make sure to register by filling out the online questionnaire before you attend the exam. 

2. Please prepare your valid ID (with a profile photo on it), such as a Harvard ID, driver’s license, passport, or government ID. You will be asked to show your ID card to the teachers both on the grammar & reading exam Zoom meeting and the oral interview Zoom meeting.

3. Please prepare your laptop and make sure it is 100% charged. During the exam, please check your device battery constantly to make sure that you will not lose any work due to sudden power-off of computer.

4. Please notice that you will finish the composition by typing instead of writing the Chinese characters. Make sure Chinese input is already installed in your laptop. If you have any questions of installing Chinese input, please contact Harvard IT as soon as possible so you can have your laptop prepared for the exam.

5. Please be on time for the exam. The online exam will only be open in our exam time (0.5 hour for composition, 1.5 hours for grammar & reading), and once it is closed, you will not be able to access the exam.

6. General Instruction for the Online Placement Test:

· No switching to any other browser windows during exam.

· No use of any other tools other than the Chinese input system on the computer.

· No peeking at other students’ computer.

· No asking for help.

· Any suspicious actions on computer will lead to immediate termination of your exam.

 

Literary/Classical Chinese Placement Exam

Test Date: Thursday, July 23

Make-up exams by appointment.

Exams to be conducted online via Canvas. Relevant links will be e-mailed to registered students prior to exam date.

Students must register for the exams in advance by e-mailing David Sena, Preceptor in Literary Chinese (dsena@fas.harvard.edu). Please provide your name and year of study, and describe your prior study of Literary or Classical Chinese. Indicate whether you intend to take the first- or the second-year exam (see below for details). Please also specify what time zone you will be located in when you take the exam.

Important Information

The "Literary/Classical Chinese" placement exams test reading proficiency in premodern Chinese for students interested in CHNSE 106 (Introduction to Literary Chinese) and CHNSE 107 (Intermediate Literary Chinese). Students interested in modern (Mandarin) Chinese do not need to take the "Literary/Classical Chinese" exam, but should register instead for the "Chinese" placement exam instead.

All students who intend to take classes in Literary/Classical Chinese are required to take a placement exam, with the following two exceptions:

  • Students who have little or no background in Literary Chinese but who have taken one year or more of modern Chinese (or those with an equivalent knowledge of Chinese characters) may take Chinese 106A without taking an exam.
  • Students who have completed Chinese 106B at Harvard may proceed on to Chinese 107A without taking an exam.

There are two different Literary/Classical Chinese placement exams: first-year and second-year:

  • Students who wish to take Chinese 107 and have had one year of Literary/Classical Chinese at another university (or the equivalent thereof) are strongly encouraged to take the first-year exam. Those who pass the first-year exam will be placed into Chinese 107.
  • Students with more than one year of training in Literary Chinese are strongly encouraged to take the second-year exam. Those who pass the second-year exam will place out of Chinese 107 and will be ready to take seminars involving a significant amount of reading in Literary Chinese.

Please note the following:

  • The Literary/Classical Chinese placement exams are offered in traditional characters only.
  • Students are permitted to use a dictionary for the second-year exam but not for the first-year exam.
  • Students taking the second-year exam must provide their own dictionary. Hardcopy or electronic (smartphone, computer, etc.) formats are both acceptable.
  • EALC graduate students may use the test results to satisfy a language requirement. Chinese 106 and Chinese 107 may be used toward the Chinese Literature Citation.

 

 

 

Japanese Placement Exam

PART 1: Grammar・Reading・ Listening・ Essay Writing

 Test Date:   Friday, July 24th 10:00AM - Saturday, July 25th      10:00 AM (Eastern Time)

*Makeup Date: Friday, July 31st 10:00AM - Saturday, August 1st   10:00 AM (Eastern Time)

* Those who missed taking the Japanese Language Placement Test on the dates above, please go to the placement test site (see below) and find new dates and instructions. 

The Japanese placement test is administered digitally. Please take note of these IMPORTANT STEPS YOU MUST TAKE BEFORE THE DAY OF THE TEST!

1. By 4 days before the Exam: Exam Registration and Questionnaire

1) To register for the Japanese Language Placement Test, you must fill out and submit the Student Questionnaire for the Japanese Placement Test by July 20th.  (Please go to the main placement test site first, below, as you will need to register prior to taking the questionnaire.)

Here is the link to the main placement test site: https://icommons-tools.tlt.harvard.edu/shopping/course_selfreg/77620

2)  The test is administered in CANVAS. If you do not have HUID, you must sign up for the XID at https://xid.harvard.edu prior to taking the test.

3) If you have done so already, please proceed below.

2. By the Exam Day:

  1. Install a Japanese language keyboard on your device before the day of the test and familiarize yourself with its use, including hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Installation instructions for both Mac and PC can be found here. If you have any questions about installing the Japanese input system, please contact Harvard IT as soon as possible so you can have your laptop prepared for the exam.
  2. Please make sure your laptop is 100% charged. During the exam, please check your device battery constantly to make sure that you do not lose any work due to a sudden power-off of your computer.
  3. Your computer must have access to CANVAS (see the link above).

3. On the day of the exam:

  1. Locate yourself in a quiet, well-lit room with a reliable internet connection.
  2. Make sure you have a microphone for Aural Comprehension.

4. When you take the exam:

  1. When you start the exam, go first to the JLPT Information & Honor Code section and fill out the necessary information. Keep in mind the Harvard honor code while taking the test. Opening tabs or windows to any site outside of the quiz and its questions may constitute a violation of the honor code. Additionally, sharing the link or any of the test’s contents with others is a violation of the honor code.
  2. If you will need any accommodations for the test (e.g. assistance for a visual/hearing impairment or extra time), please get in contact with both Rebecca Mahoney < mahoney@fas.harvard.edu and the Japanese Language Program, < jlp.placement.2020@gmail.com> as soon as possible.

 

5. Exam Format

  1. The placement exam consists of the following four sections with the time limit for each shown in (   ):

(I) Grammar (40 minutes) 

(II) Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)

    [Choose one option.]
(II-A) for those wishing to place into 2nd year Japanese.
(II-B) for those wishing to place into 3rd year Japanese.
(II-C) for those wishing to place into 4th year Japanese.
(II-D) for those wishing to place into 5th year Japanese.

 (III) Aural/Listening Comprehension (20 minutes)

 (IV) Essay Writing (30 minutes)

 

  1. You may do the four sections in any order you wish as long as you complete all four sections within 24 hours.
  2. In <2. READING COMPREHENSION>,  choose only one option from II-A, II-B, II-C, or II-D  to complete depending on the level that you wish to be placed into.
  3. Each section has a time limit, so please be careful to finish answering the questions within the time allotted.
  4. If you finish the answers in a section before the time limit is up, you may submit the answers early and move on to another section when you are done.
  5.  Please note that each section closes automatically when the time limit is up, and you cannot take any section more than once.
  6. DO NOT: (1) switch to any other browser windows during exam.

(2) use of any other tools other than the Japanese input system on your computer.

(3) seek for anyone else’s help.

6. AFTER the Exam:

You will be notified of the results of your test on the next business day after the oral interview portion of the test.

 

PART 2. ORAL INTERVIEW (10 min.)

  1. The ORAL INTERVIEW will be given via Zoom on July 24th, 25th, and 31st, depending on the class you wish to be placed into.  
  2. Please go to the link below and sign up for a 7-8 minute oral interview by July 20th when you register for the exam.

 

A. For those wishing to place into 2nd-year Japanese, please sign up using this form.

B. For those wishing to place into 3rd-year Japanese, please sign up using this form.

C. For those wishing to place into 4th- and 5th-year Japanese, please sign up using this form.

D. For those who will take the makeup exam, please signup using this form.

 

Korean Placement Exam

TEST DATES & TIMES:

  • Option 1: Wednesday, July 22, 2020
    • 9:00 am-11:30 am (EST) 
    • 12:00 pm-2:00 pm (EST) (you will be assigned 10 min Oral Exam upon registration)
  • Option 2: Wednesday, July 29, 2020
    • 1:00 pm-3:30 pm (EST)
    • 4:00 pm-6:00 pm (EST) (you will be assigned 10 min Oral Exam upon registration
  • Makeup Korean Placement Exam: THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2020
    • 1:00-3:30 pm (EST)
    • 4:00-6:00 pm (EST) (You will be assigned a 10 minute time slot for the Oral Test upon registration)

TO REGISTER:

  • To register for the exam, please fill out the registration form and questionnaire (at least two days before the chosen exam date) through the link below:
    https://forms.gle/WsdZFFMZ6jq8SMax6
  • Once we receive your completed online form, we will send you a confirmation email with instructions and a zoom link for the Written Exam (Composition/Reading/Grammar) and your assigned time slot & zoom link for the Oral Exam.

ON THE DAY OF THE EXAM:

  • Please come into the zoom session 5 minutes before to check in. You MUST be registered prior to taking the exam.
  • After checking in, you will be given detailed instructions and a canvas link to access the placement exam.

For any further questions regarding the Korean placement exam, please email hisun@fas.harvard.edu.

 

 

Vietnamese Placement Exam

 

Test Date:

Wednesday, July 15
9:00am - 11:00am and 3:00pm to 5:00pm Eastern time

To sign up and for further instructions, please e-mail Program Director Binh Ngo at binhngo @ fas.harvard.edu (without spaces)