Placement Tests
Peter Prestel
Information on the Placement Test
Please note:
For the summer 2024 semester, the C-test will not be required for English courses!
You should register for the course most appropriate for your level. If you are unsure of your English level, you can take a self-test at https://www.sprachtest.de/, or send an email to fsz.english@uni-bielefeld.de .
If you have any knowledge of the languages
- French
- Spanish
and want to do a language course at the FSZ for the first time , you need to take a placement test to establish your skill level and help you find the right course for you.
The C-Test can be done once every semester per language and remains valid for four semesters.
Registration
You can register for the placement test here. Online and in person appointments are offered. Students of Romance Studies can only take the test in person at our department.
Therefore, generally dates in two test-phases are offered:
- at the end of the lecture period after publication of the courses for the coming semester in the eKVV (mid-January/mid-June)
- during the lecture-free period immediately before the allocation of places (mid-February to early March/mid-August to early September)
The Placement Test is adapted to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
- What does the placement test look like?
This is a special cloze test based on scientific findings on language skills. There are 125 gaps in total, with which you can achieve a maximum of 100 points. Please bear in mind that with this language placement test you are not expected to be able to fill in all the gaps, as this would correspond to the level of L1 speakers. So you should not be disappointed if you have to leave many gaps open. This is only a placement test, not an exam.
- Can I skip the C-test if I have an Official Language Certificate?
If you have taken a standardized and commonly accepted language test (e.g TELF, TOEFL, TOEIC, DELF, etc…) and your certificate is no older than two years, you may qualify for exemption from our C-test. A longer stay abroad may be taken into consideration.
For English you can first check this equivalency chart to see what level you qualify for and then contact fsz.english@uni-bielefeld.de with a copy of your certificate to have it approved.
For other languages, you will need to write an email to the coordinator for the language you want to study. Please, enclose a scanned copy of your certificate in your email and the coordinator will inform you of your course qualification level.
- I am studying Romance languages and literature (teacher-traning course/scientific course) - Do I have to take the placement test although I can prove my level?
Yes, the C-test is necessary to take courses of the romance language modules. Deviating terms might apply.
For more information: https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/linguistik-literaturwissenschaft/studium-lehre/faecher/romania/
Some helpful advice on the C-test can be found here: English or German
What points are needed for different levels and courses?
C-Test Point Table for All Languages
For those who want to take a quick test to see at which level around you are, we recommend the quick language tests for English, German, French, Italian and Spanish at https://www.sprachtest.de or https://www.turkishlanguagecenter.com for Turkish.
These tests are not sufficient for us. The reasons are: Tests basically only give you approximate values. So that they don't completely lose their meaning, factors of time and spontaneity play an important role.