PLACEMENT AND CREDIT BY EXAMINATION IN GERMAN

Policies Effective for the Academic Year 2009-2010*

*This is to be used as a guide only. Policies are subject to change.

UT Austin provides you with the opportunity to earn course credit by examination. Such credit will satisfy degree requirements in the same way as credit earned by passing a course, except that it will not count as credit earned in residence. Although you may take tests before you enroll in UT Austin, you must be a currently or previously enrolled student in order to receive credit. Unsuccessful attempts to earn credit by examination will not become part of your official transcript.

Faculty members in the Department of Germanic Studies select the tests, set the levels of performance required for credit, and specify who is eligible to earn credit by examination. DIIA-Student Testing Services assists the department by communicating policies, giving the tests, and reporting the credit.

If you have prior knowledge of German and no college credit in German, you are required to take a placement test before enrolling in your first UT Austin German course. Three tests provide you the opportunity to earn credit by examination in German: the College Board SAT Subject Test in German with Listening Test plus additional questions from the UT Austin Department of Germanic Studies, the College Board Advanced Placement Examination, or one of the International Baccalaureate Higher-Level Examinations.

SAT GERMAN WITH LISTENING TEST PLUS UT AUSTIN SUPPLEMENTAL ITEMS

Results of the SAT Subject Test in German with Listening Test plus UT Austin Supplemental Items are used to place students in UT Austin German courses appropriate for their particular levels of proficiency. Test results also serve as a basis for awarding credit in one to four German courses-GER 506, 507, 312K, and 312L.

Upper-Division German Courses
Students who wish to earn credit for upper-division courses should consult the undergraduate adviser in the Department of Germanic Studies about an optional test for German 328 and/or 356.

STUDENTS FOR WHOM THE PLACEMENT TEST IS REQUIRED OR APPROPRIATE
Students who have prior knowledge of German (regardless of how it was acquired) and who do not have college credit in German must take the SAT Subject Test in German with Listening Test plus UT Austin Supplemental Items before they can enroll in their first UT Austin German course. The UT Austin Supplemental Items are offered only on the UT Austin campus, at regularly scheduled times.

Students transferring college credit in German are not required, but are strongly encouraged, to take this placement test and to use the results to help them choose their first course in German at UT Austin. Transfer students may also use the placement test to earn additional credit in German or to earn credit for lower-division courses from which they were exempted without credit at another institution. In no way will German credit already earned be jeopardized by the results of this test. Students who do not intend to enroll in a German course but who wish to attempt to earn credit by examination may also take the placement test.

ELIGIBILITY FOR CREDIT BY EXAMINATION IN GERMAN
You are eligible for credit only in those courses for which you do not have a passing or failing grade.

Level of Performance Required for Credit

Credit is based on scores from both the SAT Subject Test in German with Listening Test and the UT Austin Supplemental Items. It is possible to earn credit for as few as one or as many as four courses-GER 506, 507, 312K, and 312L (16 semester hours).

TEST ADMINISTRATION

Where and When to Take the Test: You may take the SAT Subject Test in German with Listening Test in a College Board test center on a nationwide test date or on the UT Austin campus on a date set by UT Austin.

College Board Test Centers

• These centers are usually in high schools. The SAT Subject Test in German with Listening Test is usually given in November of each year. Advance registration with the College Board is required. The national test schedule for the SAT Subject Test in German with Listening is available http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html.
• Test scores from College Board nationwide administrations are available about four weeks after the test date.
• The registration and test fees for the national SAT Subject Test in German with Listening is listed on the College Board's Web site http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html.

NOTE: The SAT German with Listening Test is distinctly different from the SAT II: German Test (reading only). UT Austin does not use results from the SAT II: German Test (reading only) .

The College Board Bulletin for the SAT Program, which includes a list of test centers and a registration form, is available without charge at most high schools or from The College Board ATP, Box 6200, Princeton, NJ 08541. You can also register online from the College Board Web page.

UT Austin Campus

Test Periods: UT Austin offers the SAT German with Listening Test plus UT Austin Supplemental Items for current students and prospective students during scheduled testing periods several days before each registration period and during summer orientation sessions.

Test Registration: You must register for a test online.

Test Registration for Students with Disabilities: If you require academic accommodations or assistance due to a documented disability, you should contact these two offices at least five business days before the day of the test:

• Services for Students with Disabilities, in the Office of the Dean of Students at ssd@uts.cc.utexas.edu, http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/, or (512) 471-6259 to seek approval for authorized accommodations;
• DIIA-Student Testing Services at (512) 232-2662 to register and make arrangements to take the test.

Registration Fee and Test Fee Payment: The total test fee is $65 (subject to change). When you confirm your registration for a test you will be immediately billed a non-refundable test registration fee of $15. The remainder of the test fee will be billed after you take the test. Payment is due within 14 days after the test administration.

Repeating the German Test: You may take the SAT German with Listening Test plus UT Austin Supplemental Items on the UT Austin campus only once.

Admission to the test room: When you register online you will be given the location of your test room. You must present, at the test room, a generally accepted form of identification that includes both your signature and photograph. Without such identification, you will be admitted only if you bring and relinquish a photograph of yourself. You should take several sharpened No. 2 pencils to the test room; all other test materials will be provided. (If possible please leave your cell-phone at home, or, be preapared to remove the battery to assure that it does not make any noise during the test administration.)

Test Results: Results from UT administrations are available within a few days after the test date, in time to register for classes. Once they are available, results may also be found online.

Score Reports
For tests taken at a College Board test center, only an official score report sent directly to UT Austin can be used to receive credit or to satisfy a computer check of course prerequisites. Use code 6882 to have your score sent to UT Austin. You may make an appointment to take the UT Austin Supplemental Items by calling DIIA-Student Testing Services at (512) 232-2662. When you make an appointment, you will need to make arrangements to submit a non-refundable test registration fee of $15. An official copy of your SAT Subject Test in German with Listening must be on file with DIIA-Student Testing Services before you may take the UT Austin Supplemental Items. For tests taken on the UT Austin campus, the score report will give your test score, course grade, and any credit you may have earned. It can be used to receive credit or to satisfy a computer check of course prerequisites. Scores from UT Austin campus administrations reflect the same level of performance as do scores from College Board administrations. Only a UT Austin score report will serve for registration purposes and course prerequisite verification.

SUPPLEMENTAL GERMAN QUESTIONS PREPARED BY UT AUSTIN FACULTY
The written test prepared by the UT Austin faculty consists of five short sections designed to test German writing skills.

1. Filling-in-the-blanks with correct case endings

2. Writing sentences in various tenses

3. Writing sentences in the subjunctive

4. Changing sentences from active to passive

5. Writing a paragraph on a simple theme

Only section three will involve translation from English to German. The time allowed for answering the questions is 35 minutes.

COLLEGE BOARD ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMINATION IN GERMAN LANGUAGE

UT Austin also awards credit for lower-division courses on the basis of the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Examination in German Language. The College Board AP Examinations are offered once a year in May, usually in high schools that offer College Board Advanced Placement courses. Although determined by each school giving the test, registration deadlines are no later than March. Test results are available in July. Please visit the College Board's Web site for current test registration fees at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/cal.html. These tests are not offered on the UT Austin campus.

The AP Examinations are based on course descriptions prepared by The College Board. A course description, which includes sample questions, is available for these examinations at the College Board's web site www.collegeboard.com/apcentral.

If a high school in your vicinity is not administering AP Examinations, you can request special testing arrangements by contacting AP Services, Box 6671, Princeton, NJ 08541-6671, 1-888- CALL- 4- AP.

Level of Performance Required for Credit

The College Board AP Examinations have a score range of 1-5. Satisfactory scores are as follows:

Students who take the AP Examination in German are exempt from taking the SAT Subject Test in German with Listening Test plus UT Austin Supplementary Items.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE HIGHER-LEVEL EXAMINATIONS IN GERMAN

UT Austin also awards credit for lower-division courses on the basis of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher-Level Examinations in German: Language A1, A2, or Language B.

Level of Performance Required for Credit

The IB examinations have a score range of 1-7. Satisfactory scores for credit by examination in German are as follows:

FREQUENT QUESTIONS

Q. What should I do if I think that my test results place me at a course level that is too advanced?

A. The primary purpose of the SAT Subject Test in German with Listening Test plus UT Austin Supplemental Items is to place students in the UT Austin German courses that are best suited for them-neither too easy nor too difficult. If you think that you are placed incorrectly, you should consult your instructor or an undergraduate adviser in the Department of Germanic Languages.

Q. If I earn credit by examination in German, must I then enroll in a UT Austin German course in order to receive credit earned by examination?

A. No. The credit earned by examination is yours, regardless of whether or not you enroll in subsequent German courses. Many degree programs require a specific level of proficiency in at least one foreign language, so your decision about enrolling in additional courses may be influenced by your degree requirements.