Non-credit foreign language proficiency certification (Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese) may be used to satisfy Penn State’s foreign language requirements.
The request form for proficiency testing is to be submitted to the Asian Studies Department with the $60 fee paid through the Language Proficiency site before the examination is administered. Exam dates are posted on the Asian Studies website.
General exam questions can be sent to Becky Cross or Mary Price.
For Chinese Language exam questions, contact Yupeng Kou.
For Japanese language exam questions, contact Haruko Iwami.
For Korean language exam questions, contact Lan Kim.
For Hindi exam questions, contact Ritu Jayakar.
For questions about this policy, contact the School of Global Languages, Literatures, and Cultures.
Proficiency Exam Dates
Chinese Exam Dates
The Chinese non-credit proficiency exams will be administered on CANVAS, and students do NOT need to be on campus to take it. Students should FIRST read the Exam Application Instructions (located at the bottom of this page) very carefully before registering for an exam, and they MUST strictly follow the instructions to complete the registration and correctly submit the registration request. Please pay close attention to the exam dates/times and the registration deadline for each exam. All dates and times are US Eastern Times. When registering for an exam, students should make sure that they have NO schedule conflict at all (not even partial conflict) with the two hours’ exam time. Once students successfully and CORRECTLY complete an exam registration, they will start to gain access to the CANVAS site of the exam at least 48 hours after each registration deadline. There will be NO exam over the winter break. The next exam will be offered in Spring 2026 semester.
Exam 1: Tuesday, Sep. 16 at 9-11am, registration deadline is Friday, Sep. 12 at 4pm.
Exam 2: Thursday, Oct. 16 at 3-5pm, registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 10 at 4pm.
Exam 3: (LAST EXAM of Fall 2025 Semester): Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 1-3pm, registration deadline is Friday, Nov. 14 at 4pm.
Korean Exam Dates
The Korean non-credit proficiency exams will be administered online via Zoom on the following dates. Students should FIRST read the Exam Application Instructions (located at the bottom of this page) very carefully before registering for an exam and MUST strictly follow the instructions to complete the registration. Please pay close attention to the exam dates/times and the registration deadline for each of the exams.
NO exam will be offered outside of the designated dates and times.
There will be NO exams during Winter and Summer. NEXT EXAM WILL BE OFFERED IN Spring 2026.
- Exam 1: 2025, 9/18 Thursday at 9:30 – 11:00 am (EST). Registration closes at 4 pm on 9/12 Friday (EST)
- Exam 2: 2025, 10/13 Monday at 4:00– 5:30 pm (EST). Registration closes at 4 pm on 10/7 Tuesday (EST)
- LAST EXAM OF 2025 Fall Semester Exam 3: 2025, 11/12 Wednesday at 4:00 – 5:30 pm (EST). Registration closes at 4 pm on 11/6 Thursday (EST)
Hindi Exam Dates
The Hindi Proficiency exam dates for Fall 2025 are:
- Thursday, Oct 2, 3pm. Registration closes: Tuesday, 09/30/25, 4:00 pm (ET).
- Wednesday, Nov 19, 1:30pm. Registration closes: Monday, 11/17/25, 4:00 pm (ET).
The examination would have written and oral components. It will evaluate reading and writing proficiency in Devanagari along with Hindi comprehension and ability to articulate accurately in a culturally appropriate manner.
Please get in touch with Mary Price (meo12@psu.edu) to complete the registration process.
NOTE: a $60 fee must be paid before signing up for the exam at Language Proficiency.