Spanish Placement Test

Jump to:

• Who Should Test
• When to Test
• Test Format
• Preparation
• Testing Accommodations
• Test Costs
• Registration Procedures
• Results and Next Steps
• Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement

Who Should Test

The WebCAPE Spanish Language Placement Test is used for UCF students who have any prior experience with the Spanish language (e.g., native or heritage speakers, or students who have previously had Spanish language instruction) to determine the best starting placement for a Spanish language course.

Before you pay for the placement test, complete the Pre-test Survey. Your survey results will indicate if you need to take the placement test.

UCF Students who have no experience with Spanish and plan to start at the basic level, SPN1120 Elementary Spanish Language and Civilization I, do not need to take the placement test. If you are unsure whether you need to take the placement test, speak with your academic success coach before paying for the test.

When to Test

The WebCAPE Spanish Language Placement Test should be taken at least 2 weeks before you plan to register for a Spanish language course at UCF. If you plan to take Spanish during your first semester at UCF, you should test at least 2 weeks before your orientation date.

Test Format

The WebCAPE Spanish Language Placement Test is taken online, from home. You will begin the test by taking a brief survey, which gathers information about your previous experience with the language. The test is untimed and takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. The test is multiple-choice and covers grammar, reading, and vocabulary. It is an adaptive test, which means that the question difficulty will vary depending on how you responded to the previous question.

Preparation

There is no preparation recommended for a placement test. You should only take the test once and do your best. You should NOT use books, notes or any other materials or resources.

Remember, do the best you can following the test guidelines. If you get help, use restricted materials, or purposely answer incorrectly, you will place yourself in a course that is unsuitable for you. 

Testing Accommodations

The office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) works in collaboration with the University Testing Center (UTC) to ensure that reasonable accommodations are made for test takers with documented disabilities. Test takers with disabilities seeking alternative testing arrangements (e.g. extended time, etc.) must request approval from SAS (407-823-2371 or sas@ucf.edu). Note: The placement test is untimed. Students requesting extended time do not need to do so for this test.

Test takers should allow at least two (2) weeks for SAS and UTC to process the accommodation requests once the formal request has been submitted to SAS.

You can find more details and the request form at: https://sas.sdes.ucf.edu/students/ucf-placement-tests-and-university-testing-center-accommodations/
Once UTC receives notification from the SAS office of a test-taker’s testing accommodations, a UTC staff member will create a registration account for the student and email them instructions to register. Test takers should NOT REGISTER for a test until they receive these instructions from UTC.

Test Costs

• The cost for taking the Spanish Placement Test is $15.00.
• All costs paid to the University Testing Center are non-refundable and non-transferable, even if you do not test. It is your responsibility to ensure you need to test before making the payment.

 

Registration Procedures

 

Results and Next Steps:

At the end of your test, you will receive an email with your placement score, which will update to your UCF records within approximately 1 day. If you have not already taken the Pre-test Survey, do so now. Then you may register for an appropriate language course based on the score table below. For full course descriptions, visit the UCF Undergraduate Catalog.

If you have questions about which course to select or wish to discuss your placement score, please contact Monica Montalvo at maria.montalvo@ucf.edu.

*Note: Courses for heritage or native speakers are designed for students who have been exposed to Spanish from home or community. Whether you should take these courses will be indicated in your Pre-test Survey response.

If your score is…	you may enroll in…
Below 270	SPN1120 Elementary Spanish Language and Civilization I, or SPN1150C Intensive Beginning Spanish  Note: SPN1150C is an 8-credit-hour intensive course designed to cover the content of both SPN1120 and SPN1121.
270 – 345	SPN1121 Elementary Spanish Language and Civilization II
346 – 427	SPN2200 Intermediate Spanish I, or SPN2340 Spanish for Heritage Speakers I*
428 – 699	SPN2201 Intermediate Spanish II, or SPN2341 Spanish for Heritage Speakers II*
700 or higher	Your survey results will provide guidance on which of the courses below may be the best option for you: Advanced Spanish speaker (skill reinforcement courses) SPN3300 Advanced Spanish Grammar and Composition – Recommended for advanced Spanish speakers needing to reinforce their grammar knowledge and writing skills. Offered Fall / Spring  SPN3420 Advanced Spanish Writing and Composition – Recommended for advanced Spanish speakers needing to reinforce their writing skills. Offered Fall / Spring / Summer SPN3760 Advanced Spanish Oral Communication – Recommended for advanced Spanish speakers needing to reinforce their oral skills. Offered Fall / Spring Native or near-native Spanish speaker (skill consolidation courses)  SPN3344 Advanced Spanish Native Fluency I*  – Recommended for native or near-native speakers to consolidate their grammar knowledge and writing skills. Only offered in Fall  SPN4410 Advanced Spanish Conversation* – Recommended for native or near-native speakers to consolidate their oral skills. Offered Fall / Spring

 

Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement

WebCAPE is a placement test. Students wishing to satisfy the foreign language proficiency requirement for admission or for graduation may do so by:
(a) Successfully completing a terminal course in a beginning Spanish sequence or a higher level, or
(b) Obtaining the appropriate score on the AICE, AP, IB, CLEP or FLATS exam. For additional information, please visit the UCF Undergraduate Catalog section on Accelerated Educational Opportunities.