Michigan State University  JAPANESE (JPN) PROGRAM PLACEMENT TEST

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 2008 Japanese Placement Test 

Welcome to Michigan State University!!

I. Procedures

    Please follow the instructions below to take the JPN placement test.

• Students MUST take the placement test in order to enroll in a JPN course other than JPN 101.
• If you are interested in taking the test, please send an e-mail to BOTH of the following instructors BY MONDAY ONE WEEK BEFORE the first day of class of the semester you want to enroll. The test is usually given at 1:00-3:30 p.m. on the Friday right before the first day of the semester (room to be announced).
  

  Ioroi Sensei <ioroi@msu.edu>, Endo Sensei <endo@msu.edu>

  In your mail, please include the following information, as much as you can.

  (1) FAMILY NAME, given name
  (2) E-mail address
  (3) Telephone number, and the best time to reach you
  (4) Name(s) of school(s) where you studied Japanese
  (5) Levels of Japanese courses you have taken; e.g. 1st year, 2nd year
  (6) How many HOURS per week each of the classes met
  (7) Names of the textbooks used (if you can't remember, describe the size, color, etc.),
  and how many lessons covered at each level (if you remember)
  

  (8) The number of kanji symbols studied. (If you don't know hiragana or katakana, you must start with JPN 101)

(9) Other information you'd like us to have, if any.

• If you have to register before the placement test can be adminstered, the staff may recommend, based on your information above, for what course you should TENTATIVELY register. You must take the placement test on the date scheduled, however, and drop and add courses according to the results of the test.

II. General Format and Content

The placement test measures one's overall proficiency in Japanese and, therefore, you cannot study for it specifically. It would help, though, for you to have reviewed what you have previously learned (and to sleep well the night before).

Books, dictionaries, notes, etc. are NOT allowed during the test. (Sorry!)

Written Test (You must be able to read and write in the Japanese script, not Romaji.)

Length: 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on the students' proficiency level

Content: Multiple-choice type questions on vocabulary, structures, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension, plus a short essay writing. (A separate kanji section may be administered to those at higher levels).

Oral Test (a brief interview with one of the staff members)

Length: 5-10 minutes; Content: iro-iro!

III. Main textbooks used at MSU

The following is included just FYI. Note that many additional materials are used, including video and web materials. For more information on these and other courses, visit: JPN & ASN Course Descriptions.