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Placement Exams and Information

Placement Exams and Information

The following links provide placement information for the those subject areas that require some action before the start of the term. Additional information is provided below, on the related departmental websites and, for languages, on the Center for Language Study website.

All exams open at 9:00 a.m. ET on July 1, and close at 5:00 p.m. ET on July 30.

Make-Up Placement Exams

After July 30, please refer to the CLS website and departmental websites for updated information regarding make-up placement exams for the following nine languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. After July 30, please refer to the Math Department website for updated information regarding the math make-up placement exam.

Placement exams ensure that your Yale courses are at the appropriate level.

How many and which placement exams should you take? The simple answer is that you should only take placement exams in subjects that you’ve studied before and that you’re likely to take in your first year at Yale (most placement exams have a one-year “expiration date” and the results won’t be valid after your first year).

There’s no need to register for a placement exam. You may take them at any time, up until the close date of July 30 at 5:00 p.m.

As far as language placement exams are concerned, no placement exam is required if you plan to begin a new language at Yale: in that case, you simply register for the course in August and show up on the first day of classes. Any student with previous study of a non-English language is advised to take the placement exam in that language, especially if planning to continue study of that language at Yale.

If, after you receive your placement exam results mid-August — that is, if you first determine that you need or want to take a placement exam — and you’re unhappy with the result, whether too high or too low, you may discuss your result with the contact person listed in each entry below.

Subjects of Study

Arabic

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) Online: July 1-July 30; oral interview in August
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of Arabic who intend to study Arabic at Yale.
Where instructions are located https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted Results are emailed directly to students within 24 hours of the exam
Contact information for technology issues https://cls.yale.edu/placement-test-support-form
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Jonas Elbousty, Senior Lector I in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and Director of Undergraduate Studies
Other  

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Biology

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) July 1 - July 30
Who should take the exam Students may place out the BIOL sequence based on consideration of high school preparation with permission of the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) and/or by taking the Yale-administered placement exams. There is a placement exam for each of the modules (BIOL 101, BIOL 102, BIOL 103, and BIOL 104), as four separate short exams that will be offered to anyone who wishes to take them. The format and style for each module will be slightly different, as they are written by different faculty members; however, students may expect a mix of multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
Where instructions are located

More information may be found on the BIOL placement exam site in Canvas, “Course Placement 2021 (BIOL, CHEM, ECON, MATH, PHYS)”
How the dept determines placement and where to find information See the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology website
Where and when results are posted Check the Canvas site entitled “Course Placement 2021 (BIOL, CHEM, ECON, MATH, PHYS).” Results will be posted in August, and an announcement will be posted on the Canvas site once results can be accessed. 
Contact information for technology issues Use Canvas Support, at canvas@yale.edu
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Amaleah Hartman or Thomas Loreng, Lecturers and BIOL 101-104 Coordinators
Other  

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Chemistry

Placement exam Yes (typically for entrance to advanced courses; see details below)
Placement procedure offered without exam Yes (only for entrance to general chemistry courses; see details below)
Exam format 55-minute online examination; timed, and closed-book format
Exam date(s) July 1 - July 30. In order to be added to the exam roster and to obtain further instructions, consult the Chemistry Department’s Chemistry Placement webpage.
Who should take the exam First-year students wishing to take organic or physical chemistry (CHEM 174, 220, or 332), or those wishing to enroll in a higher-level course than recommended by initial general chemistry placement. Additional information regarding course options, as well as exam requirements and review suggestions, may be found on the Chemistry Department’s Chemistry Placement webpage.
Where instructions are located https://chem.yale.edu/academics/undergraduate-program/chemistry-major-yale
How the dept determines placement and where to find information There is no online placement examination for general chemistry. Instead, the Chemistry Department uses a placement procedure to review the preparation of all first-year students. Based on standard test scores, admission records, and other information supplied by the High School Math and Science Survey, the department recommends the appropriate general chemistry course for every member of the first-year class: either CHEM 161 (General Chemistry) or 163 (Advanced General Chemistry). Individuals with a sufficiently strong chemistry background (typically receiving a top score of 5 on the AP chemistry exam or equivalent) may place out of general chemistry and initiate their studies with courses in organic or physical chemistry after demonstrating proficiency on the department’s placement examination. Incoming students are able to view their placement (by early August) at the Canvas site entitled “Course Placement 2021 (CHEM, ECON, MATH, PHYS).”
Where and when results are posted Students who take the online placement exam to gain access to advanced-course options (either organic or physical chemistry, or to transfer from CHEM 161 to CHEM 163) will be informed of their results in early August. Check the Canvas site entitled “Course Placement 2021 (BIOL, CHEM, ECON, MATH, PHYS).”
Contact information for technology issues Use Canvas Support, at canvas@yale.edu.
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Nilay Hazari, Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), at chemistry.dus@yale.edu
Other  

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Chinese

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) Online: July 1-July 30; oral interview in August
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of Chinese who intend to study Chinese at Yale
Where instructions are located https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted Results returned via canvas.yale.edu, "Chinese Placement Test Site 21-22"
Contact information for technology issues canvas@yale.edu
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Rongzhen Li, Senior Lector I and Chinese Language Program Coordinator
Other  

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Czech

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) By arrangement in August
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of Czech who intend to study Czech at Yale
Where instructions are located https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted Results returned via email, by the examiner
Contact information for technology issues  
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Irina Dolgova, Senior Lector II in Slavic Languages and Literatures
Other  

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Economics

Placement exam No
Placement procedure offered without exam Yes
Exam format  
Exam date(s)  
Who should take the exam There is no economics placement exam
Where instructions are located https://economics.yale.edu/undergraduate/freshman-placement
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted

There is no economics placement exam. Instead, each entering first-year student receives an economics placement based on admissions data and information you provided in the Math & Science Survey. Using that information and past experience, the Economics Department determines which economics courses you should consider taking first. You can find your placement on the Canvas BIOL, CHEM, ECON, MATH, PHYS placement site. The majority of first-year students considering an economics course take introductory microeconomics (usually in the fall). That may be followed by introductory macroeconomics or introduction to data analysis and econometrics. Even students who already have a strong high school background in economics find that the Yale introductory micro course is usually the best place to start.  Nevertheless, there are some exceptions. See the Economics Department placement webpage for considerations about under-placement and over-placement.
Click on the Canvas site called “Course Placement 2021 (BIOL, CHEM, ECON, MATH, PHYS).”
Contact information for technology issues  
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Evangelia Chalioti, Senior Lecturer and Associate Chair
Other  

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English

Placement exam No
Placement procedure offered without exam Yes
Exam format  
Exam date(s)  
Who should take the exam There is no English placement exam
Where instructions are located http://catalog.yale.edu/first-year-student-handbook/academic-information/special-programs-placement-preregistration/english/
How the dept determines placement and where to find information Courses numbered from 114 to 130 are considered introductory and are open to all students in Yale College. Advanced courses are open to upper-level students; the faculty recommends that students both within and outside the major prepare for advanced courses with two introductory courses. In addition, the introductory creative writing course, ENGL 123, is open to any student who has not taken an intermediate or advanced course in the writing of fiction, poetry, or drama.  Please see the "Introductory Courses" section of the English Department's webpage (https://english.yale.edu/undergraduate/introductory-courses) for further information.  There will be an August zoom session to answer questions (date TBD).
Where and when results are posted  
Contact information for technology issues  
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Stefanie Markovits, Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, or Tasha Eccles, Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies
Other  

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French

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) July 1-July 30
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of French who intend to study French at Yale
Where instructions are located https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing (for testing) and french.yale.edu (for preregistration)
How the dept determines placement and where to find information Preregistration required via Preference Selection for FREN 110, 121, 130, 140 , and 150
Where and when results are posted Results posted via canvas.yale.edu, “French Placement Test Site 21-22.” by August 13
Contact information for technology issues Use the Placement Test Support Form, https://cls.yale.edu/placement-test-support-form
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Candace Skorupa, Senior Lector I and French Language Program Director
Other  

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German

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) July 1-July 30
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of German who intend to study German at Yale
Where instructions are located https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted Results shown immediately upon completion of exam
Contact information for technology issues Use the Placement Test Support Form, https://cls.yale.edu/placement-test-support-form
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Theresa Schenker, Senior Lector II and German Language Program Director
Other  

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Hebrew

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) Online: July 1-July 30; remote oral interview in August. An electronic sign-up form for the interviews will be emailed to all students who have taken the online exam.
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of Modern Hebrew who consider studying Modern Hebrew at Yale
Where instructions are located For placement assessment: cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing/modern-hebrew-placement-test
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted Results returned via email by the second week of August
Contact information for technology issues Use the Placement Test Support Form, https://cls.yale.edu/placement-test-support-form
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Shiri Goren, Senior Lector II and Modern Hebrew Language Program Director
Other An electronic sign-up form for the interviews will be emailed to all students who have taken the online exam

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Italian

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) Online: July 1-July 30; oral interview in August
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of Italian who intend to study Italian at Yale
Where instructions are located https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing
How the dept determines placement and where to find information Preregistration required via Preference Selection for ITAL 110 & 130
Where and when results are posted Results shown immediately upon completion of exam
Contact information for technology issues Use the Placement Test Support Form, https://cls.yale.edu/placement-test-support-form
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Anna Iacovella, Senior Lector I and Italian Language Program Director
Other  

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Japanese

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) Online: July 1-July 30; oral interview in August
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of Japanese who intend to study Japanese at Yale
Where instructions are located https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing
How the dept determines placement and where to find information https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing
Where and when results are posted Results returned via email by early August
Contact information for technology issues Use the Placement Test Support Form, https://cls.yale.edu/placement-test-support-form
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Mika Yamaguchi, Senior Lector I and Japanese Program Coordinator
Other  

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Korean

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online and writing
Exam date(s) Online: July 1-July 30; oral interview in August
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of Korean, including through summer programs and student abroad, who intend to study Korean at Yale
Where instructions are located https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted Results returned via email
Contact information for technology issues Use the Placement Test Support Form, https://cls.yale.edu/placement-test-support-form
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Seungja Choi, Senior Lector II and Korean Program Coordinator
Other  

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Math

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) July 1-July 30
Who should take the exam All students who wish to take calculus during either Fall or Spring of the upcoming academic year
Where instructions are located https://math.yale.edu/first-year-student-resources
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted The math placement test is available on a Canvas site called “Course Placement 2021 (BIOL, CHEM, ECON, MATH, PHYS).” Results can be accessed immediately upon submission of the exam, by clicking on the "placement calculator" tab on the same site. 
Contact information for technology issues Use Canvas Support, at canvas@yale.edu
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Miki Havlickova, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics, and Brett C. Smith, Lecturer
Other You can find information about introductory courses, as well as the mathematics major, at https://math.yale.edu/first-year-student-resources

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Music

Placement exam No
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Please contact Prof. Anna Zayaruznaya for information
Exam date(s) Please contact Prof. Anna Zayaruznaya for information
Who should take the exam N/A
Where instructions are located Self-placement:
Students should consult the self-placement guide located at yalemusic.yale.edu/undergraduate/placement-exams before enrolling in a music theory course
How the dept determines placement and where to find information Students place themselves based on their understanding of their own background 
Where and when results are posted N/A
Contact information for technology issues  
Contact information for placement or departmental issues For questions about individual classes, contact the instructor after first consulting the self-placement guide. For general questions, contact Anna Zayaruznaya, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies
Other  

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Persian

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format In-person (interview + written component)
Exam date(s) By arrangement in August
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of Persian who intend to study Persian at Yale
Where instructions are located By arrangement with the Persian Language Program Director
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted Results returned via email, by the examiner
Contact information for technology issues  
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Farkhondeh Shayesteh, Senior Lector I and Persian Language Program Director
Other  

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Physics

Placement exam No
Placement procedure offered without exam Yes
Exam format  
Exam date(s)  
Who should take the exam There is no physics placement exam
Where instructions are located http://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/subjects-of-instruction/physics/
How the dept determines placement and where to find information There is no placement test in physics. However, a recommendation for an appropriate introductory physics course sequence (based on each incoming student’s Math & Science Survey responses, i.e., their math and physics test scores) is prepared for every first-year student before the fall term begins. These are recommendations; while the best approach is to consider the recommendation, students should consult a guide to selecting physics courses and visit the prospective introductory physics courses during course selection period before setting their schedules
Where and when results are posted Click on the Canvas site called “Course Placement 2021 (BIOL, CHEM, ECON, MATH, PHYS).” In addition, a recommendation for an appropriate introductory physics course sequence is sent by email to every new student in late August
Contact information for technology issues  
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Nikhil Padmanabhan, Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies
Other A Guide to Selecting the Best Introductory Physics Courses for You, https://physics.yale.edu/academics/undergraduate-studies/guide-introductory-physics-course

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Polish

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) By arrangement with Professor Krystyna Illakowicz
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of Polish who intend to study Polish at Yale
Where instructions are located https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted Results returned via email, by the examiner
Contact information for technology issues  
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Krystyna Illakowicz, Senior Lector I in Slavic Languages & Literatures
Other  

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Portuguese

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) By arrangement with Professor Ame Cividanes
Who should take the exam All students with previous study of Portuguese who intend to study Portuguese at Yale
Where instructions are located  
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted Please contact Professor Ame Cividanes, Spanish Language Program Director, for results
Contact information for technology issues  
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Ame Cividanes, Senior Lector II and Spanish Language Program Director
Other  

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Russian

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) By arrangement with Professor Irina Dolgova at irina.dolgova@yale.edu
Who should take the exam https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing
Where instructions are located  
How the dept determines placement and where to find information  
Where and when results are posted Results returned via email, by the examiner
Contact information for technology issues  
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Irina Dolgova, Senior Lector II in Slavic Languages and Literatures
Other Students with questions about the placement exam are invited to contact Irina Dolgova at irina.dolgova@yale.edu

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Spanish

Placement exam Yes
Placement procedure offered without exam No
Exam format Online
Exam date(s) July 1-July 30
Who should take the exam https://cls.yale.edu/students/placement-testing
Where instructions are located Placement exam information is listed at https://span-port.yale.edu
How the dept determines placement and where to find information Placement exam information is listed at https://span-port.yale.edu
Where and when results are posted Results returned via canvas.yale.edu, “Spanish Placement Test Site 21-22.” Ratings available in August
Contact information for technology issues Use the Placement Test Support Form, https://cls.yale.edu/placement-test-support-form
Contact information for placement or departmental issues Ame Cividane, Senior Lector II and Spanish Language Program Director
Other  

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