Placement Tests (Modern Languages)
For participation in ZESS language courses, it is necessary to take a placement test Einstufungstest. The placement test does not have to be taken if you already completed a course in the corresponding language at ZESS. You also do not have to take the placement test when you do not have any knowledge of the language you want to take a class in. In this case please register for an introductory course (level A1).
Language Familiarity / Course Completion
- Students without prior knowledge: register for the introductory course (FlexNow)
- Students who have passed a language course at ZESS: register for the next level (FlexNow)
- Students who have any previous knowledge of the language but have not taken a course at ZESS: take a placement test
- Registration for Russian!
If Russian is your mother tongue but you are unable to read and write in Russian, please do NOT register for the beginner's course. Instead, please contact the coordinator for Russian: Dr. Marianne Broermann
Dates for the Placement Tests
Placement tests may be taken twice per year, provided they fall within the following time periods:
- Mo., 6th January 2025 - Th., 17th April 2025 To ensure that the results are available in time for the course lottery, we recommend taking the placement test no later than Wednesday, 19th February 2025 (intensive courses) or Wednesday, 2nd April 2025 (courses during summer semester 2025)
- It is NOT possible to take a placement test outside of the above mentioned time period
Additional information:
- Only one test (per language) can be taken per period.
- The tests are revised in the time between the two test periods.
- The tests remain valid.
- The placement test results are a prerequisite for your language course registration.
Please note that after the course lottery has been completed, ZESS will only allocate remaining places. If you take the placement test after the course lottery has started, you are unlikely to receive a course place.
Times for the Placement Tests
Please refer to the German version for detailed information. Registration needed.
Procedure
Students who have taken a language course at ZESS in the current or previous semester are excluded from the placement test in the language they have already taken. Students who have demonstrably improved their language skills, e.g. through a study abroad or a language course at another university, are exempt. In this case, or if these regulations as a whole present an unreasonable hardship for you, please contact the respective language coordinator at the ZESS.
- Students may only take the placement test in the same language a maximum of once per testing period. Tests taken more frequently will not be taken into account.
- If the test is taken during different test periods, the most recent result will count.
- You cannot receive course credit for placement tests
- We do not issue certificates or acknowledgement slips for placement test results.
Depiction of the Result in: FlexNow
- The course level you achieved in the placement test is displayed in FlexNow.
- Register for the language course that is one level higher than your current skill level.
Example: if your placement test results are displayed on FlexNow as
"Intermediate I", you should register for the course Intermediate II.