The LLC supports the Department of Spanish and Portuguese placement tests. The Department of Spanish & Portuguese Studies in partnership with Avant Assessment offers comprehensive online and in-person Spanish and Portuguese placement tests for students seeking placement in Spanish or Portuguese undergraduate language courses, or to demonstrate proficiency for graduation requirements.
Matriculated and non-matriculated UW Seattle undergraduates and graduate students, other UW campus students (Bothell and Tacoma), prospective students, and recently admitted students can take this test. All students who have previously studied either Spanish or Portuguese but do not have college credit in the language must take the placement test in order to register for a course of that language at the UW.
Do I need a placement or proficiency test?
Placement tests are available to currently admitted and enrolled UW students who intend to study a language at the UW and need to find the level of course to register for.
Proficiency tests are available to currently admitted and enrolled UW students and measure one's ability in a language and are used to satisfy or waive language requirements. Proficiency tests are NOT used to determine what level of language course you should be taking. NO CREDITS are awarded for taking these tests.
Reporting, Policies and Questions
Please read carefully and thoroughly
What are the deadlines?
Placement tests New first year UW students should take the exam as soon as possible during the summer and at least 2 weeks before autumn quarter begins. Current UW students should take the placement test before the end of registration Period II to register for courses the next quarter. Current students must take the placement test at least 2 weeks before the quarter begins in which they wish to take a language course.
* In-person proctoring during summer quarter may be limited.
Proficiency tests For scores to be reported in the quarter when you take the test, you should complete the test before the 5th week of that quarter. If you take the test after the 5th week, the scores may not be reported until the following quarter.
* In-person proctoring during summer quarter may be limited.
What is the test like?
The Avant STAMP 4S placement test can either be remotely proctored or in-person proctored. The test has four sections and test items are based on real-world, everyday situations. On average the test takes around 2 hours and the maximum amount of time allowed is 2.5 hours.
The test has four sections:
- Reading (30 multiple choice questions)
- Writing (3 prompts)
- Listening (30 multiple choice questions)
- Speaking (3 prompts)
Students do not need to study for the placement test but may review materials from previous courses. You may also use the following guides to prepare:
(For in-person testing) What do I need to bring?
You will need to bring a valid form of ID (e.g., student ID, drivers license, or passport).
Are there associated costs?
Yes. Registration for language placement / proficiency tests currently incurs a registration fee, payable online by credit or debit card. The UW does not collect any fees for the Spanish or Portuguese language tests. The cost of the test is listed on the registration form for each language. Unfortunately, the UW is unable to provide fee waivers or needs-based financial assistance to cover this fee at the present time.
How many times can I take the test?
There is no current limit for the number of times a student can take placement or proficiency tests in Spanish. If a retake is needed, students should allow at least three months between test attempts to allow sufficient study that will see scores improve in a meaningful way.
How do I Get My Results?
If you took a placement test
Each test takes approximately 10 days to grade all sections. Students should use the 'Begin Post-Placement Test Process' link under 'Spanish' below.
As long as all sections of the test have been graded and results are available, you will be contacted via the email you provided on the intake form. The email will contain your overall results (i.e., what course/level you should be placed into) as well as information on the next steps for registration or proficiency reporting.
N.B.: Students should submit this request form only after 10 days have passed since test completion. This is to ensure that grading has been completed by Avant's graders for all test sections, which takes time. Information on placement or proficiency cannot be provided until all sections have been scored, no matter how time-sensitive a student’s registration needs are.
Students are strongly urged to plan ahead for the time needed for grading and results reporting when testing for registration or graduation purposes.
If you took a proficiency test
If your results were sufficient to satisfy the degree requirements (i.e., you 'passed'), we will notify the registrar and your transcript will be updated to reflect this. You will also be notified via email to inform you that your results satisfied the degree requirements. You should not need to take any further steps.
If your results were not sufficient to satisfy the degree requirements (i.e., you 'did not pass'), we will notify you via email. Depending on the language program's policy, you may be able to either:
- retake the test at a later date. (Note: if you need to retake the test, you must - once again - complete the intake form below and purchase another test from Avant.) or
- be placed and registered in a 100-level course, and fulfill the requirement that way.
Will I have access to my scores?
We are unable to share the detailed results with students.
Disability and Accessibility
The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. If you are a student with a documented disability and need to request disability accommodation(s) for your interview, please contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance of your scheduled interview date at: 206.543.6450/V, 206.543.6452/TTY, 206.685.7264 (FAX), or e-mail at dso@uw.edu.
Technical support or issues?
If you are taking a test with Avant, contact:
Avant Support
If you are taking a test through the UW LLC, contact:
Contact the UW LLC
Register for a test
Spanish
Learn more
about Spanish language program and answers to frequently asked questions.
Step 1 (for placement and profiency testing):
Register for the Spanish Language Placement or Proficiency Test
Step 2 (for placement testing only):
After at least 10 days have passed since placement test completion, click the 'Begin Post-Placement Test Process' button below to begin the process of being placed/registered in the appropriate course.
Begin Post-Placement Test Process
Placement Test Notes
- If you have no experience with the Spanish language, then you should register for SPAN 101 or SPAN 110 (a combination of content from SPAN 101 and SPAN 102); no placement assessment is needed. Please notice that SPAN 101 is not offered every quarter. Placement tests typically take at least 10 days to grade, so students looking to register for Spanish classes are strongly urged to plan ahead with when they take the test if possible.
- If you have any experience studying the Spanish language (including high school or self-study), are looking to continue your study of Spanish at UW, and do not consider yourself a heritage speaker, the placement test is the best assessment to take in order to determine which class you should register for.
- If you have grown up speaking Spanish or in a home where Spanish is spoken, please contact the Spanish Heritage Language Program Director, at Dr. Angélica Amezcua before registering for the placement test.
What test score places me in what class?
| UW Course Placement |
STAMP Score (minimum score in all sections: reading, writing, listening and speaking) |
| SPAN 101 |
1 |
| SPAN 102 |
1 |
| SPAN 110 |
1-2 |
| SPAN 103 |
3 |
| SPAN 201 |
4 |
| SPAN 202 |
5 |
| SPAN 203 |
6 |
| SPAN 310 and 311 |
7 or above |
- To be placed at a course level, students need to achieve the minimum score for this course level in all sections of the exam. For instance, to be placed in Spanish 103, students need to get a minimum score of 3 in each of the four sections: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
- To fulfill the language requirement, students need to get a minimum score of 4 in each of the four sections of the exam: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
- If the writing or speaking sections of the exam are evaluated as non-ratable (NR), the student will be placed in the lowest level course (Spanish 101/110). If one section of the exam is considered non-ratable, the student can choose to retake just this section, paying an additional fee. The full exam can only be retaken every 3 months.
- Placement test results are accepted for registration one year after the date you received your test results, after which they will expire.
-
Do my AP/IB scores count as placement?
Yes, the Department of Spanish & Portuguese Studies allows students to use their Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) scores as a measure of placement. Qualifying AP scores break down as follows:
Areas of Inquiry Credits
SSci = Social Sciences
NatSci = Natural Sciences
A&H = Arts and Humanities
Basic Skills Credits
C = Composition
RSN = Reasoning
FL = Foreign (World) Language
| Name |
Min AP Score for Credit |
UW Course |
Credit Award |
Meets UW Requirement |
| Spanish Language |
5 |
SPAN 201, 202, 203 |
5,5,5 |
A&H, FL |
| Spanish Language |
4 |
SPAN 201, 202 |
5,5 |
A&H, FL |
| Spanish Language |
3 |
SPAN 201 |
5 |
A&H, FL |
| Spanish Language |
5 |
SPAN 298 |
15 |
A&H, FL |
| Spanish Language |
4 |
SPAN 298 |
10 |
A&H, FL |
| Spanish Language |
3 |
SPAN 298 |
5 |
A&H, FL |
Qualifying IB scores break down as follows:
Higher Level
| Name |
Level |
Grade |
Course(s) and credits |
Meets UW Requirement |
| Spanish A |
HL |
|
No credit for 1st language |
|
| Spanish B |
HL |
6,7 |
SPAN 201, 202, 203 (15 CR.) |
A&H, FL |
| Spanish B |
HL |
5 |
SPAN 201, 202 (10 CR.) |
A&H, FL |
| Spanish B |
HL |
4 |
SPAN 201 (5 CR.) |
A&H, FL |
Standard Level
| Name |
Level |
Grade |
Course(s) and credits |
Meets UW Requirement |
| Spanish A |
SL |
|
No credit for 1st language |
|
| Spanish B |
SL |
6,7 |
SPAN 201 (5 CR.) |
A&H, FL |
| Spanish B |
SL |
4,5 |
SPAN 103 (5 CR.) |
FL |
| Spanish AB |
SL |
6,7 |
SPAN 103 (5 CR.) |
FL |
| Spanish AB |
SL |
4,5 |
SPAN 102 (5 CR.) |
|
Proficiency Test Notes
- The proficiency assessment in Spanish uses the same exam format as the placement assessment.
-
If you are looking to demonstrate an existing skillset in Spanish in order to fulfill the world language proficiency requirement for graduation purposes, the proficiency assessment is the best exam to take. Students who pass a proficiency assessment typically do not intend to take further language classes at UW. In most cases, "proficiency" is defined as passing the equivalent of a 103-level class in the language. Proficiency is different from placement, which is used to assess which class level is the best fit for a student who wants to continue learning a language at the UW.
Portuguese
Learn more
about Spanish and Portuguese language program and answers to frequently asked questions.
Register for the Portuguese Language Placement or Proficiency Test
Placement
NOTES
- We encourage students to first consult with the Portuguese Program Coordinator, Eduardo Viana da Silva, as this test may not be required for some cases. Then, if needed, register for the Portuguese placement test
- Unfortunately, there are no AP/IB programs that are currently accepted at UW for Portuguese.
Proficiency
NOTES
- The proficiency assessment in Portuguese uses the same exam format as the placement assessment.
