Language Exams
Background photo of Lowell Tower as seen from the Science Center at Harvard University.
On This Page
A Language Placement Exam Period is offered every Fall and Spring in preparation for the opening of the next term’s course registration. During these periods, you will have the opportunity to take a language placement exam in any language with which you have prior experience and intend to study at Harvard.
Fulfilling the Language Requirement through Examination
Students may complete a placement exam to determine if their knowledge is sufficient to fulfill the language requirement. They may do so only once for the purpose of fulfilling the language requirement.
Registering for Exams
After the opening of the exam periods in October and March you may register to take the French, German, Italian, or Spanish online exams using the Online Placement Exams Registration (OPER) site. To access an exam during an exam period, first click the “Register” button for an exam. You will then receive an email confirming your registration that includes helpful exam information, and a “Start” exam button will then appear in a list of exams available to you. When you are ready to begin an exam, click the exam’s “Start” button.
OPER is not accessible before the exam period begins.
Students planning to take their first course in a language at Harvard who have previous experience studying that language must take the placement exam. You will need your course recommendation to register for the appropriate language course. Instructors will ask for the exam result and students will need to change course levels if not enrolled in the appropriate level course.
Students who wish to take a placement exam in a language other than French, German, Italian, or Spanish may consult the language contacts and placement exam information in the Language Department list below. If the language exam is “by request” or “by arrangement” simply email the contact provided to request the exam.
Exam Accommodations
The Disability Access Office (DAO) is the primary point of contact for undergraduate and GSAS students seeking reasonable accommodations for a disability. You are encouraged to work with the DAO to discuss any potential accommodations you may need for the exams. Please note that if you have already registered with the DAO to receive accommodations for your coursework, you will also need to request accommodations for placement exams.
Key Dates for French, German, Italian, and Spanish Exams
All undergraduate and graduate students must register for the exams.
Reading/Grammar Placement Exam: Provides a course-level recommendation. A qualifying placement exam result allows students to take the Language Verification Exam (College Students Only).
Language Verification Exam (LVE): Satisfies the language requirement with a passing score that verifies the placement exam result. The LVE is given on-campus at the Language Center (French/Spanish) or with language faculty (German/Italian). The LVE is only an option based on the result of a Placement Exam and must be passed within the same exam period as the Placement Exam.
| Date Open* | Date Closed* | Description |
|---|---|---|
| March 31, 2025 | April 16, 2025 | Registration (Online Reading/Grammar Placement Exams) |
| March 31, 2025 | April 16, 2025 | Online Reading/Grammar Placement Exams |
| April 1, 2025 | April 18, 2025 | Registration (Language Verification Exams) |
| April 2, 2025 | April 16, 2025 | Course Registration |
| April 7, 2025 | April 18, 2025 | Language Verification Exams |
*All open times are 12:00 AM (ET). All close times are 11:59 PM (ET).
LVEs are scheduled for specific times between April 7- April 18.
All Language Exams
Select a language to find departmental contacts and more information about each placement exam.
Accessing Exam Results
College Students
Results of your Reading/Grammar Language Placement Exam will appear on the Test and Score Report in my.harvard within 24 hours. Qualifying students who have demonstrated sufficient mastery on the Reading/Grammar Exam will be notified about the Language Verification Exam (LVE). The LVE is required to be passed in order to fulfill the foreign language requirement and consists of a proctored exam on campus. The LVE must be taken within the same exam period as the Reading/Grammar Exam (for the fall exam period by the November deadline and for the spring period by the April deadline). For further information about fulfilling the language requirement through examination, consult the website for the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE).
Students taking an exam in a language other than the ones listed above will receive the results from the language department directly by email and the LVE information is not applicable for those languages.
Graduate Students
Graduate students who have completed the French, German, Italian, or Spanish exam should contact the Registrar’s Office at placementexams@fas.harvard.edu no earlier than one day following the completion of the exam to receive their placement recommendations. Please make sure to use the subject line “Graduate student DPT results” to make sure that your message is distributed to the relevant person.