Some Things to Consider Regarding YC's Spanish Placement Test
Many of the Arizona universities have some kind of language requirement. This requirement varies in accordance with the degree that you might be seeking (click here to see some of these requirements). If your degree requires that you obtain "Fourth semester proficiency" in a foreign language, what that means is that the university wants to see that you have a passing grade in a 202 level language course. Using Spanish as an example, this would mean that to satisfy many university degree requirements you must take and pass SPA 202. "Passing" in the eyes of many Arizona universities usually means "C or better". This does not mean, however, that you must also pass SPA 101, 102 and 201. For the most part, all the universities care to see is that you have passed SPA 202. The universities trust that the community college rightfully allowed you to test out of the other Spanish classes (in this example, SPA 101, 102 and 201) and that since you passed SPA 202, for which SPA 101, 102 and 201 are prerequisites, you must have obtained "fourth semester proficiency" in Spanish.
At Yavapai College you can test out of SPA 101, 102 and 201 if you are sufficiently advanced in your Spanish abilities. But, you must either take SPA 202 with us, or wait and test out of all lower division Spanish classes (SPA 101-202) when you arrive at the university. In other words, you cannot test out of SPA 101 at YC for example, and use this test score to then take SPA 102 at another college or university. Other colleges and universities do not honor our placement test just as we do not honor their tests. In this case, despite your YC Spanish placement test scores, you would have to begin at SPA 101 at your new institution.
Another aspect of the YC Spanish Placement Test that you may want to consider involves credits. Our placement test does not award any credits, it simply allows you to begin your Spanish study at a more advanced level. This is good because it could save you time and money, especially if you plan on majoring or minoring in Spanish here in Arizona, or if your degree requires Spanish. However, you should consider this carefully, especially if you need extra credits or if the university you plan to transfer to requires that you have a certain amount of actual foreign language credits, not just a proficiency level, such as "fourth semester proficiency". The "fourth semester proficiency" paradigm is common in Arizona, but some out of state universities may require that you have a certain number of actual foreign language credits in order to obtain certain degrees. For example, some universities, for certain degrees, require that a student obtain "16 Spanish credits" instead of "fourth semester proficiency". "Fourth semester proficiency" simply means that you were able to pass a fourth semester Spanish class (in Arizona, that class is Spanish 202). Obtaining "16 Spanish credits" means that you passed SPA 101, 102, 201 and 202 (four classes instead of one). You should always check with the institution to which you desire to transfer before enrolling in lower division classes, because often, after taking a more advanced class, such as SPA 201 for example, you are not permitted to go back and take less advanced classes such as SPA 101 or SPA 102.
You should plan on solidifying your major choice as soon as possible, as some majors have a "fourth semester proficiency" requirement, others have a "two semester proficiency requirement" and others have no foreign language requirement at all. For a list of majors and their foreign language proficiency requirements at all of the major Arizona universities (ASU, NAU, U of A) click here. Be advised that most BA degrees (Bachelor of Arts) at AZ institutions require at least "second semester proficiency" many require "fourth semester proficiency" meaning that if you are going to get an Arts degree, you most likely will need to take courses in a foreign language. Often students find it best to take these classes at the community college before going on to the university for a number of reasons. First, the classes are four credits and sometimes are hard to fit in-between the required major classes at the university, second, the classes are much cheaper at the community college and finally since the classes are four credits they take up significant hours in a student's weekly schedule, something that juniors and seniors try to avoid because it takes time away from internships or other early job placement programs. So, please consider taking your required foreign language classes with us here at YC before you get too busy at the university. This professor knows many students who did not graduate on time because of that pesky Spanish class they kept putting off taking. Don't let it happen to you.
Finally, you should know about another option. There is a nationally standardized test in Spanish called the CLEP test (CLEP-Spanish). You can also take this test for placement here at YC. There are a number of advantages to taking the CLEP test. If you test out of SPA 101 with the CLEP test you can enter SPA 102 immediately basically anywhere in Arizona, and perhaps the U.S. CLEP test scores are accepted nearly everywhere. Also, testing out of Spanish classes via CLEP will award you pass/fail credits for those courses. You can save a great deal of time and money this way. However, some institutions place certain restrictions on pass/fail courses so you should always check with your target university regarding their policies concerning credits that are labeled as "pass/fail". Another plus for CLEP is that we offer the Spanish exam several times a year right here at YC. Check out the Testing Center's webpage for more information on CLEP testing. Some drawbacks to CLEP are that the exam is only offered during certain times of the year and that it is a little costly (approximately $90). Our YC Spanish Placement Test is free and you can take it online from home anytime.
Please consider these issues carefully as you plan your Spanish study program here at Yavapai College. Remember, you may take the YC Spanish Placement Exam at any time without any consequences, however, when you enroll in classes based on the results of this exam you may want to consider some of the issues raised above. Good luck and mucha suerte!