Any student who plans to take a French course at UW taught in French can take the placement test to see where their current French language skill set places them. Only current UW students may take the proficiency test.

Yes - applicable AP/IB scores can count for placement. Students are encouraged to make sure their AP/IB scores have been sent to UW so that they can be added to the record system and allow students to register for classes themselves. Equivalencies for AP tests are currently set as follows:

If you earned a 3, you place into French 202. 

If you earned a 4, you place into French 203. 

If you earned a 5, you place into French 301.

For IB test equivalencies, please click here.

It is important to note placing into a class is different from placing out of a class. If, for example, a course requires the successful completion of French 203 as a pre-requisite, in order to take that class without further assessment, a student would need to have earned a 5 on the AP test in order to qualify.

Placement tests for French are currently conducted online through a 3rd party platform called Avant. The French & Italian Studies Department strongly recommends that students read over their instructions carefully before they register and pay for a test. To take the assessment online, students will need a compatible computer with a webcam and microphone in order to take the test. For those who have read the instructions and are ready to proceed, the test registration portal can be found online here.

Please note: the AVANT proctoring system is not currently compatible with Chromebooks. Access to computer workstations is available through the UW Library system when campus is open, and students can also borrow laptops for home use through the UW Student Technology loan service.

Yes, taking the online assessment through Avant currently has a fee associated with the test. The French and Italian Studies Department has fee waivers available to students who can demonstrate unmet financial need or financial hardship. Students should contact frenital@uw.edu in order to inquire about how to obtain a fee waiver.

The online assessment is broken down into four sections: Reading (30 multiple choice questions), Writing (3 prompts), Listening (30 multiple choice questions), and Speaking (3 prompts). The Avant STAMP 4S placement test can place students from elementary to advanced French/Italian courses. Students do not need to study for the placement test but can review materials from previous courses.

Yes, Avant provides students with sample tests and guides for the test’s four sections; Reading (30 multiple choice questions), Writing (3 prompts), Listening (30 multiple choice questions), and Speaking (3 prompts).

• Language Writing Examples
• STAMP 4S Power Up Guide
• STAMP 4S Sample Tests

The FIS dept does not provide study materials or sample tests, but Avant also provides guidelines for how to take the test and how to set up remote proctoring. Students are strongly encouraged to read these instructions carefully before they sign up and pay for the test, especially for system compatibility. 4S Remote Proctoring Test Taker Guide.

For French, the assessment for placement and proficiency uses the same online exam through Avant. To take a proficiency assessment in French, students should follow the same steps outlined for the placement test. The French & Italian Studies Department strongly recommends that students read over their instructions carefully before they register and pay for a test. To take the assessment online, students will need a compatible computer with a webcam and microphone in order to take the test. For those who have read the instructions and are ready to proceed, the test registration portal can be found online here.

After you complete the test, remember to contact frenital@uw.edu with your UW student ID number to ask that your test results be reported to the Registrar as proficiency test results. Specify that you are trying to establish proficiency (i.e., the equivalent of passing/ placing out of French 103) if it is proficiency that you need validated rather placement. Placement is for students who wish to continue taking classes in French and are looking to register for a specific class. Proficiency is for students who wish to fulfil a graduation requirement for world language proficiency and do not wish to take further language classes.

Students who wish to inquire about placement or proficiency results in French and Italian Studies should contact frenital@uw.edu. The department will assist you with next steps with reporting results and registration where appropriate.

Most students should only need to take the placement assessment once. Contact frenital@uw.edu if you feel you need to retake the placement test. There are no limits to the number of times you can take the assessment in French for proficiency purposes, but students should allow at least four weeks between test attempts if they need to retake the assessment for non-technical reasons.

No, Avant cannot send your test scores. You will receive your test results within 2-3 weeks of taking the test. If you do not hear back about your scores within 3 weeks of taking the test, please contact FIS by emailing frenital@uw.edu.

Test results are valid for up to one year from original test date.

No. These exams are purely to either place students into the correct class or to fulfill graduation requirements for language proficiency. N.B.: First-year (elementary) or second-year (intermediate) language credit is not granted either by examination or by course completion in a student’s native language. “Native language” is defined as the language, or one of the languages, spoken in the student’s home during the first six years of their life and in which they received instruction through the seventh grade.

Students who misrepresent the extent of their background so as to gain entrance to a course at the elementary or intermediate level may be dropped from the rolls of that course.