Foreign Language Proficiency:
Assessments and Certifications
Beginning Spring 2019, the Office of Language Assessment now offers new Practical and Advanced Proficiency Assessments and Certifications.
What IS “language proficiency”?
Language proficiency tells you and others:
- what you can do with language in the real world.
- how your language ability meets real-life objectives, not a textbook or syllabus.
- how your language ability can serve you in your professional or academic career.
Foreign Language Proficiency: Assessments and Certifications
You can earn these certificates in multiple foreign languages taught in the College by passing the Practical or Advanced Language Proficiency Assessment.
The Practical Language Proficiency Certification recognizes your ability to function in most personal settings and some academic or professional settings. This certificate means you can:
- get around easily in countries where the language is spoken
- converse informally with others about yourself and your studies or work
- meet your immediate needs in an academic setting or in the workplace
- comprehend a variety of texts, including many professional documents, academic texts, and news publications
- understand conversations, and some lectures and reports, in online and other media
The Advanced Language Proficiency Certification recognizes your ability to function in a wide variety of settings, including all personal settings and many academic or professional settings. This certificate means you can:
- function without any difficulty in countries where the language is spoken
- converse accurately and culturally appropriately in personal, professional, and academic settings
- deal with complicated situations or conflicts
- comprehend a large variety of authentic texts, regardless of the topic
- understand nearly all spoken language you encounter