Spanish Placement Test

Updated October 2024

Overview

The Yale Spanish Placement Test will be administered online. The Spanish Placement Test’s sole purpose is to place you correctly in the proper level so that you will get the most out of your academic experience in one of our courses. Your test will be evaluated by our department and you will be placed in the appropriate level. The test is to be taken by you without any outside help or access to resources or materials. All students, including native speakers, who have been exposed to Spanish whether formally or informally, who wish to enroll in a Spanish language course must take the placement test. 
 
DO NOT take the Spanish Placement Test if:
 
• You have never studied Spanish. You may enroll in SPAN 110 directly.
• You received a 5 on the AP Spanish Language OR Literature exam.
• You received a 6 on the high level IB exam.
 

General and Heritage Placement Tests

• Students who studied Spanish as a foreign language will take the General Placement Test.
• Spanish heritage language learners (those who grew up in a family where Spanish was spoken) will take the Heritage Test. 
 
Once you have logged in through the placement test links (on the Canvas placement course), you will see links for both tests to choose from.
 
For questions regarding the general language placement test, please contact Jorge Méndez-Seijas.
 
For questions concerning only the heritage language placement and courses, please contact Sybil Alexandrov.

Further information about placement testing and the use of placement scores at Yale can be found here.

General Information for Online Testing

Dates for Online Testing

  •  Placement Tests for Spring 2025 Semester: October 18, 9 am - October 25, 12 pm

Results

Unless otherwise noted, placement results are provided in one of the following ways: 1) shown on-screen upon completion of the test, 2) posted to Canvas prior to the start of the semester, or 3) distributed by faculty from the department. Results will be provided by 5 pm on Tuesday, October 29.

Technical Requirements for Online Testing

Mobile devices are not supported for the online placement tests. You should use a computer with a current version of MacOS or Windows and a recently updated browser.  For Mac users, the Chrome or Firefox browser is preferred.

Technical Support

Live support for the testing platform is available during regular business hours through the chat icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.  If you continue to have problems, please complete the Placement Test Support Form to request help. Technical support for online tests is available during all Yale workdays. On weekends and holidays, you may expect a response on the next workday. For a list of Official Yale Holidays, check the online calendar.

Academic Honesty

Before taking the placement test, please read Yale College’s policy on academic honesty.

Test Link

After checking that your computer meets the technical requirements, please select the test link to register for the placement test. 

Test Link