Language Information

German Placement Test Information

To access your results, or to take a test, scroll to the bottom of this page. The following information is excerpted from the department's website and provides guidance on taking placement tests, interpreting your results, and next steps. Consult the original department page for additional information.

Taking the Departmental Placement Test

The German Placement exam is an online exam that you can take at any time. It has various sections with easier and more difficult tasks, including reading, writing,and listening. You should attempt to do all of the sections. You can take as much time for the exam as you like. However, the exam must be taken without any outside help or books to accurately place you in the appropriate German course.

Deadline for incoming students to take online placement test: July 31, 2025
Deadline for late acceptance and transfer students to take online placement test: August 15, 2025

Once you have taken the test, you will be notified within 2-3 weeks of your results via Email.

The German Placement Exam will place you in the appropriate German class from which you can begin work towards fulfilling the German Language Requirement.

Based on the results of the Northwestern German Placement Exam, the German department will place you into one of the following classes:

101-1 (First Year German, first quarter, taught in the Fall)
101-2 (First Year German, second quarter, taught in the Winter)
102-1 (Second Year German, first quarter, taught in the Fall)
102-2 (Second Year German, second quarter, taught in the Winter)
102-3 (Second Year German, third quarter, taught in the Spring); or
one of the following two classes:
- 205 Focus Writing
- 221-3 Introduction to German Literature: 1945-today

Students with inconclusive results (for example a low placement exam score despite several years of language instruction or a sufficiently high score to pass the Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement) will be asked to take a short follow-up oral exam (German Proficiency Validation Exam) to ensure proper placement.

Students are not allowed to enroll in a lower class than what they were placed in because they will essentially repeat work they have done at the high school level and they will NOT be given credit for the class. Student can, however, enroll in a class higher than what the result of the exam suggests if they feel that their language skills are strong and that they did poorly on the test.

Permission Numbers: You may need a permission number to register for first- and second-year German. Please contact Professor Meuser for first-year German or Professor Kerlova for second-year German to request a permission number.

For any questions about placement, please consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.