Skip to main content
Thumbnail

Placement in a Modern Language Course

The Modern Languages (ML) Department uses a combination of tools to determine where you should begin your language study at Bentley, including online placement exams, guidelines based on high school study of a foreign language, and individual assessment by professors during the first week of classes. Please read the information below to help determine where to start your language study at Bentley University.

Online Placement Exams

The first step for students wishing to study languages is to take our online placement exam. Students will need to email their levels attained on these placement exams to dsaunders@bentley.edu. Please specify the language of the exam. We encourage you to take a screenshot of the result. For these exams to be accurate, students must complete the entire exam.

* Interview placements at the beginning of each semester:

During the first week of classes each semester, ML professors conduct individual, 10-minute interviews with their students to ensure proper class placement. These interviews typically take place in the target language. If a professor feels the student has been placed in the wrong level (despite having used the above listed guidelines), the student may be moved to a more appropriate class (based on class and space availability and the student’s schedule).

AP Exams

Students are placed according to the following scores

  • Score of 4 on AP Language and Culture Exam, students will receive credit for Intermediate I (201) in the language they studied. Students may start their language studies at the Intermediate II level (202).
  • Score of 5 on AP Language and Culture Exam, students will receive credit for Intermediate II (202) in the language they studied. Students may start their language studies at any level above 202.
  • Score of 4 or 5 on the Spanish AP Literature and Culture Exam will receive Bentley credit for MLSP300. Students can enroll in any course above 202 except for MLSP306

 Once Bentley course credits are granted for an AP course, students may not repeat that same course at Bentley or they will lose the AP credits.

 Please note: Once students have taken a course beyond the 202 level, they may not go back to take a lower-level course in the beginner or intermediate sequences. It is advised that students contact the appropriate professor for additional information about interest in registering for a particular advanced course.

Questions?

For additional information contact:

For Chinese Professor Yuan Li

For French, Professor Laure Astourian

For Spanish and other languages, Professor Christian Rubio