College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies
Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies

Placement Tests

Arabic Placement Test

At the beginning of each semester we conduct a placement test for incoming students (freshmen and transfer) as well as for all students coming back from any non-GU program (including GU-approved programs abroad). This is to ensure proper placement in Arabic courses. This test will measure students’ abilities in Listening, Reading, Grammar and Vocabulary. The placement exam is not intended as achievement or proficiency test- rather, its sole purpose is to decide where you most appropriately fit within the sequence of courses offered in the Arabic Department’s curriculum. Students with no prior Arabic experience do not need to take the Arabic placement exam and must register for ARAB 1011, Intensive Beginner Arabic

If you have taken the placement test in the past and did not take an Arabic course the same semester as the exam, you must contact the department before the pre-registration period opens in order to retake the placement exam. The new score will be sent to the Registrar’s Office as your registration authorization.

PLEASE NOTE: For students to transfer credits, students must take an on-campus placement exam and then be scheduled for a short OPI.

Schedule

Students are to complete only one of the below options:

  1. The Off-Campus Placement exam
    Open from December 15 – 30 for the Spring Semester and the first day of June to the first day the on-campus exam opens for the Fall Semester.
    Instructions for the off-campus placement exam can be found here.
  2. The On-Campus Placement Exam (Proctored Remotely via Proctorio)
    Must be taken in-person on January 12 from 9:00am to 11:00am for the Spring Semester and the day before Fall Semester classes begin for the Fall Semester.
    Instructions for the in-person, on-campus Arabic Placement Exam can be found here.
  • Schedule for Taking the Exam if Your Computer Does Not Support Proctorio
    • If your computer doesn’t support Proctorio, take the un-proctored off-campus online Arabic Placement Exam no later than 5pm, on the day before Fall Semester classes begin. Instructions for the un-proctored Arabic Placement Exam can be found here.

Results

A placement exam score is only valid for the semester in which the exam is taken. If there is a gap between the time of the placement exam and your most recent Arabic course, you will need to retake the placement exam.

All students should receive the exam results in Canvas at the end of the placement exam upon pressing submit. Following the Off-Campus exam, the department will contact individual students regarding their course registration.

PLEASE NOTE: For students to transfer credits, students must take an on-campus placement exam and then be scheduled for a short OPI.

Students who believe they will place out of the College’s foreign language requirement in Arabic, and who do not intend to continue their study of Arabic at Georgetown, should follow the following guidelines:  

Schedule

Students are to complete only one of the below options:

  1. The Off-Campus Placement exam
    Open from December 15 – 30 for the Spring Semester and the first day of June to the first day the on-campus exam opens for the Fall Semester. Instructions for the off-campus placement exam can be found here.
  2. The On-Campus Placement Exam (Proctored Remotely via Proctorio)
    Must be taken in-person on January 12 from 9:00am to 11:00am for the Spring Semester and the day before Fall Semester classes begin for the Fall Semester.
    Instructions for the in-person, on-campus Arabic Placement Exam can be found here.
  • Schedule for Taking the Exam if Your Computer Does Not Support Proctorio
    • If your computer doesn’t support Proctorio, take the unproctored online Arabic Placement Exam no later than 5pm on the day before Fall Semester classes begin. Instructions for the unproctored Arabic Placement Exam can be found here. Students taking the unproctored Arabic Placement Exam and are trying to test out of the College’s Foreign Language requirement MUST also complete a 15 min follow-up Zoom Interview. Zoom interviews will be held on Wednesday, August 23 from 10am to 12pm. Please sign up for the Zoom Interview here.

Results

A placement exam score is only valid for the semester in which the exam is taken. If there is a gap between the time of the placement exam and your most recent Arabic course, you will need to retake the placement exam.

All students should receive the exam results in Canvas at the end of the placement exam upon pressing submit. Following the Off-Campus exam, the department will contact individual students regarding their course registration. For the On-Campus and Proctored exam (the off-campus exam PLUS the Zoom interview), results will be sent directly to the student’s dean, so students should contact their respective academic advisor for their test results.

PLEASE NOTE: For students to transfer credits, students must take an on-campus placement exam and then be scheduled for a short OPI.

Schedule

Students who have already fulfilled eligibility to take the proficiency exam by completing the course requirements but had a gap between the most recent Arabic course taken or the time of the last placement test must retake a placement test. A placement exam score is only valid for the semester in which the exam is taken.

For students looking to retake the placement exam, you must contact the department and take the off-campus placement exam during the proficiency exam period, not at the start of the semester.

For instructions on how to take the Off-Campus Placement Exam, please see here.

Results

All students should receive the exam results in Canvas at the end of the placement exam upon pressing submit. Following the Off-Campus exam, the department will contact individual students regarding their proficiency exam eligibility.

PLEASE NOTE: For students to transfer credits, students must take an on-campus placement exam and then be scheduled for a short OPI.

For students returning from study abroad, you should take the off-campus online placement exam by the deadline indicated below. If you encounter problems, then please plan to attend the scheduled on-campus exam.

Schedule

Students are to complete only one of the below options:

  1. The Off-Campus Placement exam
    Open from December 15 – 30 for the Spring Semester and the first day of June to the first day the on-campus exam opens for the Fall Semester. Instructions for the off-campus placement exam can be found here.
  2. The On-Campus Placement Exam (Proctored Remotely via Proctorio)
    Must be taken in-person on January 12 from 9:00am to 11:00am for the Spring Semester and the day before Fall Semester classes begin for the Fall Semester.
    Instructions for the in-person, on-campus Arabic Placement Exam can be found here.
  • Schedule for Taking the Exam if Your Computer Does Not Support Proctorio
    • If your computer doesn’t support Proctorio, take the unproctored online Arabic Placement Exam no later than 5pm on the day before Fall Semester classes begin. Instructions for the unproctored Arabic Placement Exam can be found here.

Results

A placement exam score is only valid for the semester in which the exam is taken. If there is a gap between the time of the placement exam and your most recent Arabic course, you will need to retake the placement exam.

All students should receive the exam results in Canvas at the end of the placement exam upon pressing submit. Following the Off-Campus exam, the department will contact individual students regarding their course registration.

If you are a Consortium Student, please contact the Department at arabic@georgetown.edu to schedule an appointment to take the placement exam.

No placement exams will be given after the scheduled placement exams taken above. If the placement exam is not taken by the last scheduled placement exam, students must wait until the start of the following semester.