Spanish Proficiency Exam
The Spanish Proficiency Exam is a tool that is used to determine if a student can “place out” of their foreign language requirement (FOL). This exam is different from the Spanish Placement Exam.
There are two versions of the Spanish Proficiency Exam:
A. Bachelor of Music degree candidates must take the Spanish 112 proficiency exam. However, depending on the student’s particular emphasis within the music program, successful completion of Spanish 112 may or may not fulfill the foreign language requirement at St. Olaf; therefore, the student should always be advised to check with the Chair of the Music Department to confirm the requirements of the foreign language fulfillment within the Music Department, even if the student has passed the Spanish 112 proficiency exam.
B. Bachelor of Arts degree candidates must request to take the Spanish 232 Proficiency Exam. If a BA candidate does not pass the Spanish 232 Proficiency Exam, the candidate must successfully complete Spanish 232 in order to satisfy the foreign language requirement at the College.
Process
The proficiency exam is offered twice a year, on the first Saturday following the beginning of Semester I and Semester II (in September and in February, respectively). Students intending to take the exam must sign up with the AAA in the Old Main Secretarial Office (OM16, ext. 3383) by the Wednesday preceding the exam date. The faculty member responsible for administering the exam will check with the AAA to see whether any students have signed up in order to make the necessary arrangements. Students intending to take the Spanish 232 Proficiency Exam should follow the same procedure of contacting the AAA in the Old Main Secretarial Office (OM16, ext. 3383) and also register for the course in the event they do not pass the exam.
Students will be notified in writing—through a hard copy letter—of the results of their exam.
Spanish 112 Proficiency Exam
The exam has both a written and an oral component. The written component consists of listening comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and writing. The student must pass the written component of the exam (equivalent to at least a 70% score) before taking the oral component, which consists of a brief interview with the faculty member in charge of the exam.
Students taking this exam must be aware that it covers all four skills—listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
Spanish 232 Proficiency Exam
The exam consists of listening comprehension based on an excerpt from El espejo enterrado by Carlos Fuentes, a related reading comprehension activity, and a personal composition. Students must score a 70% or higher in order to pass the exam.
