Schedule Proficiency Assessment

The APU General Education (GE) curriculum includes a foreign language proficiency requirement. You may fulfill this requirement through submitting appropriate language AP and/or IB scores, enrolling in and passing the second course in an APU language sequence (e.g., LANG 102), or taking a proficiency assessment (CLEP, FLATS, or OPIc). Each proficiency assessment reflects a different format and assesses different aspects of foreign language skill. By offering three unique assessments, APU hopes to allow you to choose a format and assessment style that will allow you to most easily demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language.

The Foreign Language Proficiency Assessment process consists of the following steps:

  1. Determine whether you should use a foreign language proficiency assessment
  2. Select which proficiency assessment is best for you: CLEP, FLATS, or OPIc
  3. Schedule an appointment to take a proctored assessment
  4. Register for a foreign language proficiency assessment
  5. View and understand your proficiency assessment results

Step 1: Determine whether you should use a foreign language proficiency assessment.

If you have not yet fulfilled your GE foreign language requirement and you have experience in a second or foreign language, you could be a good candidate for taking a foreign language proficiency assessment. If you meet any of the following criteria, carefully consider if a proficiency assessment is the best option for you:

  • I am a multilingual learner. This term can include a second language learner, a foreign language learner, or a heritage language learner. I am comfortable operating in a language other than English, and I do not wish to complete foreign language coursework at APU.
  • My WebCAPE placement assessment placed me at the high end of the LANG 102 score range or above (e.g., SPAN 102, FREN 102, or GERM 102 or higher).
  • I have completed two or more years of foreign language in high school with a grade of B or better.
  • I have other language learning experience that leads me to believe I can demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language by taking a CLEP, FLATS, or OPIc proficiency assessment.

Learn more about how to earn a language minor.

Step 2: Select which proficiency assessment is best for you: CLEP, FLATS, or OPIc

APU has selected three unique options from which you can choose when considering how to best demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language: CLEP, FLATS, and OPIc. Learn more about each exam and how they compare to one another by viewing the Foreign Language Proficiency Assessment Comparison Chart. Once you have selected the proficiency assessment that will allow you to best demonstrate your foreign language abilities, you are ready to move on to step 3.

Step 3: Schedule an appointment to take a proctored assessment

Each of the foreign language proficiency assessments will need to be proctored.

To schedule your foreign language proficiency exam:

  • Contact the Academic Success Center (located on Azusa’s East Campus) at (626) 815-3886 and schedule an appointment to take the CLEP, FLATS, or OPIc proficiency assessment at a time that works best for you. The center proctors exams Monday–Thursday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. year-round.

Step 4: Register for a foreign language proficiency assessment

Step 5: View and understand your proficiency assessment results

Once you have completed your proficiency assessment, you will receive unofficial results immediately upon completion from CLEP, within one hour of completion via email from FLATS, and within five business days from OPIc. Official results will take up to three weeks to receive and process, and they will be added to your student record once they are received.

Learn more about how to interpret your individual score and how units are awarded for each foreign language proficiency assessment by clicking on the following links:

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