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. 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 Time. When registering for an exam, students should make sure they don’t have any schedule conflict, including partial conflict, with the two hours’ exam time. Once students successfully and CORRECTLY complete an exam registration, they will have access to the CANVAS site at least 48 hours after the registration deadline. There will be NO exam over the winter break. The next exam will be offered in Spring 2025.
Exam 1: Thursday, Sep. 26 at 3-5pm, registration deadline is Friday, Sep. 20 at 4pm.
Exam 2: Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 2-4pm, registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 18 at 4pm.
Exam 3: (LAST EXAM of Fall 2024 Semester): Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 9-11am, registration deadline is Friday, Nov. 15 at 4pm.
Korean Exam Dates
The Korean non-credit proficiency exams will be administered online 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. There will be NO exam in the winter break. Next exam will be offered during Spring 2025.
Exam 1: 9/23 Monday at 3:00 – 5:00 pm (EST). Registration closes at 4 pm on 9/19 Thursday (EST)
Exam 2: 10/14 Monday at 4:30 – 6:00 pm (EST). Registration closes at 4 pm on 10/10 Thursday (EST)
LAST EXAM OF 2024 FALL Semester Exam 3: 11/14 Thursday at 9:00 – 10:30 am (EST). Registration closes at 4 pm on 11/8 Friday (EST)
Hindi Exam Dates
The Hindi Proficiency exam dates for Spring 2025 are:
Thursday, February 6th, 2025 from 10:30am – 11:30am
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 from 2pm – 3pm
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.