Language Proficiency Testing

If you're an undergraduate student at UT Austin seeking a waiver for your foreign language requirement in a language not regularly offered at UT Austin, we proctor language proficiency tests and can assist with your waiver request upon achieving the necessary score. For any questions, please refer to our FAQ's below.

The Texas Language Center also proctors language tests for non UT-Austin students and members of the general community in more than 100 languages.

Click on the options below to purchase a Language Proficiency Exam or access the link directly here. 

Two-Part Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) Exam

 

This option involves two sections: one oral test assessing your speaking and listening proficiency and a written test assessing your reading and writing proficiency. We offer two-part testing in the following languages: Gujarati, Igbo/Ibo, Slovak.

If you want to test in one of the following languages, please contact the TLC before ordering a test: Akan-Twi, Algerian, Azerbaijani, Baluchi, Burmese, Chavacano, Dari, Ga, Gujarati, Hausa, Javanese, Kazakh, Kikongo, Krio, Kurdish-Sorani, Kurdish-Kurmanji, Lao, Lingala, Nepali, Pashto, Punjabi, Sindhi, Sinhalese, Tajik, Tausag, Tigrinya, Turkmen, Uighur. These languages will likely offer an oral test of your speaking and listening proficiency. 

 

UT-Austin Students FAQ

What languages are regularly taught at UT-Austin?

For a full list of languages, please click here.

How far in advance should I schedule my test?

You should schedule your exam at least one month in advance to ensure you receive credit for graduation. Most online tests take 10-15 business days for results, while Oral Proficiency Interviews may take up to one month. While we strive to schedule tests and provide results as quickly as possible, we cannot guarantee results in under a month. If you need to fulfill a foreign language requirement for graduation, sign up for your test as early as possible - do not wait until the last minute as there are no options to “rush” this process.

If I don't score high enough on the test, can I take it again?

You can retake a language proficiency exam after six months.

Will I get course credit if my test results are high enough?

No, the TLC does not award course credit. The TLC proctors tests for languages not offered at UT-Austin. Since there are no associated course numbers for those languages, there is no way to award credit. If you score well enough on the exam (that is, your proficiency level meets or exceeds that required by your college or school), the TLC will request a waiver of your foreign language requirement from your college or school. 

What score do I need to get a language requirement waiver?

If your degree program requires two semesters of a language, your proficiency level needs to be at or above the ACTFL Novice High level. For four semesters, your proficiency must be at or above the ACTFL Intermediate Mid level. The TLC considers a passing score on both levels in the BYU test as at or above ACTFL Intermediate Mid level or the four-semester level at UT-Austin. See the  current ACTFL proficiency guidelines.

Which languages do you test?

The TLC only proctors tests for languages that aren't taught at UT-Austin, as long as a test is available from our vendors. If the language is offered at UT-Austin, please contact the corresponding language department regarding testing. Some of the languages the TLC tests include: Amharic, Armenian, Bengali, Cabo Verdean, Chin (Hakha), Chuukese, Filipino, Haitian Creole, Hawaiian, Hmong, Ilocano, Kannada, Marathi, Marshallese, Samoan, Somali Maay Maay, Somali Maxaa, Swahili, Telugu, Vietnamese, Yoruba, Yup'ik, Zomi.

If your language is not taught at UT-Austin and you don't see it listed here, please email us at tlc@austin.utexas.edu, as we may still be able to provide testing.

What language keyboards will the test use?

The TLC uses Apple ISO keyboards with Google Chrome language extensions. We strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with the Chrome extension keyboard for your language prior to testing. You can explore Apple's keyboard layouts here. For those testing in Vietnamese, we recommend reviewing the keyboard in advance.

Are practice questions/exams available anywhere?

The TLC does not have practice exams or test preparation materials. The best way to prepare is to practice your reading, writing, listening, and speaking of the language.

What will the test look like?

The language proficiency test is semi-adaptive, meaning it adjusts to your skill level as you progress. You'll start by answering seven questions about your reading and listening abilities. Your reading score will help determine the difficulty of the writing prompts you receive, while your listening score will set the level of the speaking prompts. This ensures that the test is appropriately tailored to your individual skill level.

The four sections include: 1) Self-Evaluation Reading (7 questions), 2) Writing (3 prompts, max 3,000 characters each), 3) Self-Evaluation Listening (7 questions), 4) Speaking (3 prompts, maximum 4 minutes recording time each)

Note: You may not use dictionaries, textbooks, phones, paper, pens, smartphones, or computer applications, translation websites, browser windows, or any other support materials.

Where and when will I take the exam?

You will take your exam at the TLC office, which is located in BUR 230 in the west wing of the second floor of Burdine Hall.  We will work with you to arrange a day and time during our office hours to take the exam.

How long do I get to complete the exam?

The time depends on the type of test available for your language. Most proficiency exams take 2-2 ½ hours to complete. LTI oral proficiency interviews are 30 minutes.

I have more questions. Who do I contact?

If you have read the Language Requirement page and reviewed these FAQs, but you still have questions, please feel free to contact us at tlc@austin.utexas.edu or by phone at (512) 471-6574.

General Public FAQ

Will I get course credit if my test results are high enough?

You will not get credit from UT-Austin regardless of your test results. You will get a certificate with your official results that you can submit to your own institution (and receive whatever credit they offer). The TLC recommends you contact your advisor before you register for testing to make sure your institution will award you credit or offer a foreign language waiver based on your performance on the proficiency exam(s) we administer. 

Which languages do you test?

The TLC can proctor tests for non-UT-Austin students in any language available from our test vendors. In addition, if you want ACTFL-certified ratings in a language, we can proctor oral proficiency interviews (OPIs) and written proficiency tests (WPTs) for a number of languages. The cost for both tests is $230. If you want certification in one of the following languages, you have an option to take one of the computer-based OPIs and it combined with the WPT costs $160:

• English
• French
• Spanish
• German
• Korean
• Arabic
• Russian
• Mandarin
• Pashto
• Persian-Farsi