How to place into the right level French class at Connecticut College:

If you have had no prior experience in French, then you should sign up for French 101.

If you have had one or, at most, two semesters of French, you may also be eligible to take French 101, though you should contact the instructor of that class for more information.

If you have had two semesters or more of classroom instruction in French in the past, you have two choices:

A) As part of Freshman orientation activities, an online placement exam is proctored for you at the beginning of the academic year, typically in late August in the basement of Shain library. During this session, faculty members of the French department are also on hand to answer any questions about placement, classes, and the activities of the French department. After receiving your results from a member of the French and Francophone Department, you sign up for the appropriate level class during registration.

B) You may also opt to use the results of any one of the following three exams to determine the (approximate) right level of French class for you:

  1. AP Exam: if you have taken the AP exam in French, and received a 4 or 5, click here for placement information.
  2. SAT subject test: if you have taken the SAT subject test in French (College Board), click here for placement information.
  3. Online Placement Exam (Transparent Language): if you have had neither the SAT exam in French, nor an AP score of 4 or 5, click here for an online proficiency test. It will take approximately 40 minutes to complete, though you may take as long as you wish. Please retain your total number of points, out of 50, and then click here to find out where you place at Connecticut College. (The test, of course, does not count toward any grade at Connecticut College, and is merely a tool to place students in the appropriate level class.) After taking the exam, students must still sign up online, through the class registration or pre-registration process, for the appropriate level class at Connecticut College.

Still have questions?

You should also feel free to contact the department chair, James Austin who can place you according to the exam results along with your prior experiences in French.  The chair is also happy to answer any questions you may have about placement and French department classes.

All scores are approximate indicators, and there is some flexibility about which class students should sign up for.  Please consult a faculty member, for example the chair (jfaus@conncoll.edu), for more information, especially if your score is within a couple points of the borderline between classes.