Welcome to the Chinese Language Placement Test

Students taking Chinese for the first time on Emory’s Atlanta campus, regardless of prior experience, are required to take the test. To receive GER credit, they must take Chinese language courses at or above the level and in the track (i.e. heritage vs. non-heritage) they are placed into. The results of the placement exam will not be reported to the registrar or recorded on a transcript.

The result of the Chinese Language Placement Test is valid for 2 years (from the original date they take the test). Students will not be able to re-take the placement test within these 2 years and should take the course they’re placed into. After 2 years, they may ask to re-take the placement test. It’s suggested that students enroll in a Chinese language course right after they receive their placement result.

Academic Honesty

The Chinese Language Placement Test is to be completed in accordance with the provisions set forth in the Emory College Honor Code, and every student who applies to and is accepted by Emory College, as a condition of acceptance, agrees to abide by the provisions of the Honor Code so long as he or she remains a student at Emory College.

Sections 4 (c) and 4 (d) of the Honor Code cite the following types of academic misconduct as violating the Honor Code and grounds for sanctions:

(c) Seeking, using, giving, or obtaining unauthorized assistance or information in any academic assignment or examination;

(d) Intentionally giving false information to professors, instructors, or university officials for the purpose of gaining academic advantage;

These charges include giving any false answers or information on the questionnaire portion of the placement test, or intentionally underperforming on the placement test. You are therefore expected to complete the Chinese Language Placement Test individually, without help from others, and to complete it to the best of your ability.

By continuing from this page to the actual placement test page on Canvas, you automatically accept and re-affirm your pledge to abide by the Honor Code of Emory University.

The Chinese program reserves the right to adjust the placement results at any point of a semester and may do so as s/he deems necessary or appropriate. Students will be responsible for any disruption in class schedule such adjustments may result in.

To access the test, use this link: https://canvas.emory.edu/enroll/34KGT8

For questions regarding the Chinese placement test, please contact Dr. Hsu-Te Cheng.

The following definitions are used by the Chinese program to determine eligibility to take Chinese for HAL and placement.

Native speaker

Students who meet the following criteria are considered native and are NOT eligible to take Chinese language courses tagged as HAL or HAL/HAP:

• Students who have completed elementary school and received any part of secondary school education at any grade in any type of school from a country or area where Mandarin Chinese is the official language or one of the official languages, AND
• Mandarin Chinese is spoken by members of the family for everyday interactions at home

Heritage speaker

Students who meet the following criteria are considered heritage and are required to take Chinese language courses in the heritage track (CHN103, 203, 303, and 403).

• Students who are raised in a home where Mandarin Chinese is commonly spoken by members of the family including grandparents for everyday interactions at home, AND
• Students who speak or merely understand Mandarin Chinese and are to some degree bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese. AND
• Students who have grown up in a country/society in which the primary language is not Mandarin Chinese

AP/IB Credit

Students who achieve 4 or 5 on the Chinese AP exam or 6 or 7 on the IB may receive 3 credits equivalent of CHN102. To fulfill the GER language requirement, students must take a course above CHN102. Placement is required to determine the first course to take at both the Atlanta and Oxford campuses.