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Placement & Challenge Exam

Placement

If you are new to German, sign up for GERM 101. If you have returned from a German-speaking mission, take GERM 301. If you are anybody else, please contact Dr. Teresa Bell (teresa_bell@byu.edu) and explain your German background. She will guide you to the appropriate course.

Can I get credit for the courses I place out of? Yes, but only after you take GERM 301. During 301 you will be invited to take the German Challenge Exam (described below) and will receive challenge credit for any of the four courses (GERM 101, 102, 201, 311R) that the exam challenges, unless you have already taken those courses.

German Challenge Exam

Students with extensive German experience (such as a German-speaking LDS mission, attendance at German schools, or German spoken in the home) may take a challenge exam to receive graded credit for GERM 101, 102, 201, and either 202 or 311R. All challenge credit is contingent upon passing the course (GERM 301 or 302) in which you take the challenge exam.

This is a two-part exam, and each part costs $20 (charged to your BYU account). One part is taken in GERM 301, the other part in GERM 302. If you take both parts, you can get 16 graded challenge credits (eight in 301, eight more in 302).

"Graded" credit means that the credits impact your GPA. You don't have to accept any credits with a grade you dislike. However, the grading is extremely generous regardless of how you perform.

How to take the challenge exam

Getting the first 8 credits

  1. Enroll in GERM 301.
  2. In the first month of the semester (the sooner is better), do three things:
    • Go to the BYU Challenge Exam site and click "Request an Exam." When it asks you to "indicate the course(s) for which you are requesting credit," you must select "GERM 101, GERM 102."
    • Complete the LASER self-assessment here. The LASER is a prerequisite to taking the challenge exam, and is a graded assignment in GERM 301. It will give you insight into your German ability.
    • Sign up for the challenge exam (which is a computerized oral exam officially called the "OPIc") using the link in an email that will be sent to you about two weeks into the semester. Check your email! If you have any problems with this process, contact Tracy Brousseau (tracy.brousseau@byu.edu).
  3. Take the OPIc in B163 JFSB at your scheduled time. Ask the lab attendant for the "German OPIc" (this will be less confusing than asking for the "German Challenge Exam").
  4. In the month after you complete GERM 301 with a passing grade, you will get an email asking you to accept the challenge credits that you earned for taking the LASER and OPIc. The credits will NOT post automatically to your transcript, if you don't specifically accept them. If you miss this email, you can go directly to the Challenge Exam site to accept the credits. The credits will be graded according to this chart.
Getting the next 8 credits

  1. Enroll in GERM 302 after passing GERM 301.
  2. At the very beginning of the semester, go to the BYU Challenge Exam site and click "Request an Exam." When it asks you to "indicate the course(s) for which you are requesting credit," you must select "GERM 201, GERM 311R." (If you already have 311R credit from living in the German House, you may select "GERM 201, GERM 202" instead.)
  3. Before the third month of the semester (November or March) sign up for the the WPT (a written proficiency exam that we use as the 302 Challenge Exam) using this link. (When you follow that link, the page will say that walk-ins are welcome, but you may be turned away if you don't schedule.)
  4. In the third month of the semester (November or March) go to the Humanities Testing Lab (B153 JFSB, next door to the room in which you took the OPIc) and take the WPT at the time you scheduled (Step 3 above). Ask the lab attendant for the "German WPT" (not the "German Challenge Exam", which could cause confusion).
  5. In the month after you complete GERM 302 with a passing grade, you will get an email asking you to accept the challenge credits that you earned for taking the WPT. The credits will NOT post automatically to your transcript, if you don't specifically accept them. If you miss this email, you can go directly to the Challenge Exam site to accept the credits. The credits will be graded according to this chart.

Any questions about scheduling or taking the LASER, OPIc, or WPT may be directed to Tracy Brousseau (tracy.brousseau@byu.edu).