Language Placement Information

Language Placement

Initial Placement

         Students who begin Spanish at Oberlin will take HISP 101 (five hours). Beyond HISP 101 the particular entry point within the sequence of language courses depends upon a student’s background in Spanish and upon the results of a placement test, administered at the beginning of each semester for those beginning HISP 102, 202, 203, and 304. The placement test is required of every student with a prior knowledge of Spanish who wishes to enroll, except for students who have taken the AP exam (see below) or the SAT II exam in Spanish. Students who have taken the SAT II Exam in Spanish should enroll in courses according to their score:

      800-675: HISP 300-level
      675-625: HISP 304
      520-625: HISP 202 or 204

      Students who have studied abroad after taking Spanish at Oberlin College and think their Spanish has improved sufficiently to skip a level, must take the final exam of the course they wish to skip and pass with a B grade. These exams can be requested from the secretary of the Department of Hispanic Studies (Peters 301). Heritage Speakers of Spanish are encouraged to consult with a faculty member regarding placement.

Placement Exam: You may take the Placement Exams at the International Learning Center (Language Lab), Peters Hall, 3rd Floor, Monday, February 4 - Friday, February 8, 2008, from 9:00-4:00 p.m. The test may be taken from any computer with an internet connection, but we prefer that you take it in the Learning Center (Language Lab) because our computers have the proper language settings and we encourage students to take advantage of the support we can provide.

Advanced Placement

Students qualifying under this program will be assigned advanced standing on the basis of results in the qualifying examinations administered by the College Board and credit will be awarded for HISP 300. Scores of 4 and 5 on the Spanish language or literature exam automatically receive three hours of college credit as Spanish 300, qualifying students to work at the 300 level.

Students having taken the AP exams are encouraged to take HISP 306 before taking HISP 309, 310, 317, or 318. Spanish 300 counts toward the total number of academic credits required for the major.