DEPARTMENT OF SLAVIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

Language Placement

The Slavic Department welcomes students of all backgrounds to our language program!

If you have any accessibility needs or questions about our language curricula, please contact Prof. Martina Kerlova at m-kerlova@northwestern.edu

Students with prior knowledge of a Slavic language, either from home or previous study, must take the placement test before enrolling in a course.

Incoming new students, including transfer students, needing placement in Russian and/or Polish should take the online test by July 31, 2024.

Any students accepted into Northwestern after July 26th should complete the placement test by August 30, 2024.

Occasionally, when it is unclear from the test result if the student would benefit from a more advanced class, or, if there is doubt about authenticity of the results, an oral verification will take place during the week of September 16-20 for both rounds. Students will be contacted by email about scheduling a Zoom meeting for a follow-up oral interview if needed.

By taking the NU Language Placement Test you agree to adhere to NU academic integrity standards and present only your own work with no digital or human aids.

You can take the Russian and Polish placement test here:

http://placement-test.mmlc.northwestern.edu/taketest/.

The foreign language requirement may be fulfilled by demonstrated proficiency in the language beyond the equivalent of the third quarter of the second year NU language sequence.

Students who want to start studying either Polish or Russian studies at Northwestern and have no prior knowledge of the language should register for RUSSIAN 101-1 (offered only in fall quarter 2025). POLISH 108-1 will be offered in academic year 2025-2026. No placement test is required for first-year language study. Everybody is welcome.

If you are a native speaker or have been examined in the past, it is still most efficient to take the placement test to earn the recognition of your skills in another language.

If you have any specific questions about accessibility needs for taking the placement test, certificates, or examinations you already have taken, please contact Prof. Martina Kerlova at m-kerlova@northwestern.edu.