Fall 2021 East Asian Languages Placement Exams

Test Date:

Thursday, August 12^th 10:00AM-Friday, August 13^th 10:00AM (Eastern Time)

Makeup Date:

Thursday, August 19^th 10:00AM-Friday, August 20^th 10:00AM (Eastern Time)

• Those who miss taking the Japanese Placement Exam on the dates above, please go to the placement test site (see below) to find new dates and instructions.
• The Japanese Placement Exam is administered digitally. Please see 5. Exam Format for details.
• Please take note of the following important steps you must take before the date of the exam.  

1. By four days before the exam:

• Registration:

You must register for the exam by filling out the 2021 Fall Student Questionnaire for the Japanese Placement Test by August 9^th.

• Link to the registration and placement test:

https://icommons-tools.tlt.harvard.edu/shopping/course_selfreg/88441

• The test is administered in CANVAS. In order to access Canvas, you will need a HarvardKey account.  Please go to this URL to start that process: https://key2.harvard.edu/register?appid=canvas
  
  In order to create your HarvardKey you will need to provide your First & Last Name as well as an email address.  You will also have to set a strong password that meets Harvard’s security standards.
  
  If you need help creating your HarvardKey, you can always call the HUIT Service Desk at 617- 495 - 7777 (or email ithelp@harvard.edu).

• Sign up for an oral interview:

An individual oral interview will be given to you via Zoom during the placement exam period. When you register for the exam, please sign up for a 10-minute oral interview on the placement test site, on or before August 9^th.

2. By the exam day:

• Activate Japanese language fonts on your device before the day of the test and familiarize yourself with their 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 software, please contact Harvard IT as soon as possible so you can have your laptop ready in advance of the exam.
• Please make sure your laptop is 100% charged. During the exam, please check your device battery regularly to make sure that you do not lose any work due to your computer suddenly losing power.
• Your computer must have access to CANVAS (see the link above).

3. On the day of the exam:

• Locate yourself in a quiet, well-lit room with a reliable internet connection.
• Make sure you have a headset for the listening comprehension section of the exam.

4. When you take the exam:

• Honor Code:

When you start the exam, go first to the Japanese Language Placement Test 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

• Listening Comprehension:

The listening comprehension section of the exam will be administered one time at the beginning of each exam period, i.e., August 12^th at 10:10AM EST and for make-up exam, August 19^th at 10:10AM EST.

• Oral Interview:

When it is time for your oral interview, please go to the zoom link to meet with an instructor for the level you wish to place into. You will also be contacted to confirm the link and time of your interview a day before the exam. 

• Accommodations:

If you will need any special accommodations for the test (e.g., assistance for a visual/hearing impairment or extra time), please contact Rebecca Mahoney < mahoney@fas.harvard.edu>

5. Exam Format:

The exam consists of the following five sections with the time limit for each shown in ( ):

1. Listening Comprehension (20 minutes) [administered one time to all students taking the exam at the beginning of each exam period via Zoom]
2. Grammar (40 minutes)
3. Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)   [Choose one option.]
   (III-A) for those wishing to place into 2nd year Japanese.
   (III-B) for those wishing to place into 3rd year Japanese.
   (III-C) for those wishing to place into 4th year Japanese.
   (III-D)for those wishing to place into 5^th year Japanese.
4. Essay Writing (30 minutes)
5. Oral Interview (10 minutes) [administered individually via Zoom]

• You may complete sections II-IV in any order you wish as long as you complete all the sections within a 24-hour period.
• In III. Reading Comprehension, choose only one option to complete from III-A, III-B, III-C, or III-D depending on the level that you wish to place into.
• Each of the sections II-IV has a time limit, so please be careful to pace yourself so as to answer the questions in each section within the time allotted.
• 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.
• Please note that each section closes automatically when the time limit is up, and you cannot take any section more than once.
• DO NOT:
  (1) switch to any other browser window during the exam.
  (2) make use of any tools other than the Japanese input system on your computer.
  (3) seek the help of any other person during the exam.

6. After the exam:

You will be notified of the results of your test on the next business day after the end of the exam period