The Chinese Placement Exam is a test administered by the Chinese Language Program to determine the Chinese proficiency level of the test takers, which will allow us to determine what courses they may start to take at U-M and/or whether they can place out of the language requirement, as stipulated by their college, school, or program.
The Chinese Placement Exam is given twice in Fall (Oct and Dec), twice in Winter (March and April) to continuing students and multiple times from May to Aug to incoming students. The testing days will be posted in advance. On the testing days, the testing site on Canvas will be open for 24 hours (from midnight to midnight) and students who have registered for the test can choose to take the test anytime during this 24-hour window. The test takes about 2 hours but varies from person to person. We suggest you set aside at least 2.5 hours for it.
The Chinese Placement Exam is offered multiple times a year and registration in advance is required.
Fall 2026 Chinese Placement Exam | October 30 and December 4
To find out the specific dates and register for the exam, please go to: Register Here
The testing link is given when you submit the registration form but you will not be able to access it until the testing day. You will not receive a reminder email before the test. Please make sure you remember the date. Students who test above the fourth-semester level will receive email notifications from the Chinese Language Program to schedule a further verification interview.
Questions about the exam should be sent to Dr. Kening Li (keningli@umich.edu)
Exam Components: The exam is completely remote and has two main parts. The first part is a reading test that contains multiple-choice questions testing the student's mastery of Chinese grammar and vocabulary. It may also include a passage to test reading comprehension. The second part is a speaking test where students need to verbally respond in Chinese to given prompts. No handwriting of characters is needed on the exam. If you test above the fourth-term, a further verification interview will be arranged for you where your handwriting ability may be tested among other skills.
The length of time that it takes to complete the exam varies from person to person, but it ranges from one to two hours.
FAQs about the Chinese Placement Exam
- Who should take the Chinese Placement Exam?
- Anyone who has prior knowledge of Chinese (either through formal learning or family background), has never taken Chinese courses at U-M, and would like to either continue to take Chinese or place out of a language requirement.
- What does it mean by placing out of the language requirement?
- The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) requires every student to have fourth-term proficiency in a language other than English. If you have previous knowledge of a second language, choose to take the placement exam of that language, and place above the fourth term of that language, you are considered to have placed out of the language requirement. If you are not a student within LSA, please refer to the requirements for your college.
- What is a heritage speaker? Should heritage speakers take the Chinese Placement Exam?
- We consider a heritage speaker someone who came from a Chinese-speaking family but did not grow up in a Chinese-speaking area such as Mainland China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong and had a chance to use (hear and/or speak) Chinese to a significant degree in their lives. We distinguish them from true native speakers of China who grew up in the previously mentioned area using Chinese constantly. Heritage speakers should take the placement exam if they want to place out of the LSA language requirement or continue to take Chinese courses at U-M.
- If I can only speak and understand by hearing Chinese but don't know how to read or write at all, should I still take the placement test?
- Yes, you still should take the exam. You should at least complete the speaking part of the test so that we can determine whether you should be assigned to the heritage or non-heritage track.
- I went to school in Mainland China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong and I want to use Chinese to fulfill my language requirement, should I still take the placement exam?
- Students who have completed at least one year of High School in these locations, or meet any of the other requirements listed at the top of this page should speak with their general advisor (Newnan, Engineering, etc.) about an exemption to the language requirement and should not have to take the Chinese Placement Exam. Since elementary schools in Mainland China typically include Grade 6, students who have finished their elementary school education in a Chinese school (i.e. not in an international school) in Mainland China fall into the group mentioned above. The same applies to students who have finished the 6th Grade in Taiwan or Hong Kong.
- I am a native speaker of Chinese. Can I still take Chinese courses at U-M?
- First we distinguish heritage students from true native speakers of Chinese. Here by native speakers, we refer to those who grew up for most part of their childhood in a Chinese speaking area such as Mainland China, Taiwan and Hongkong and have finished up to the 6th grade in a local Chinese school. Although most of our courses are only for non-native speakers (including heritage students), we do offer two courses at the highest level which are open to both non-native and native speakers. These two courses are ASIANLAN 403: Introduction to Chinese Linguistics and ASIANLAN 445: Chinese Language Pedagogy. Additionally we highly recommend students on the borderline (eg. those who attended a Chinese elementary school for some years but did not finish it) to take AsianLan409: Classical Chinese in Modern Context. To take these courses, please contact the instructors directly for permission.
- Do I need to take the Chinese Placement Exam if I plan to take courses in a different language?
- If you plan to use Chinese to place out of a language requirement, you need to take the Chinese placement exam whether or not you plan to take courses in a different language.
- Should I take the exam as an incoming student or as a first-year? When is a good time for me to take the exam?
- Although it is not required to take the test in your first year, we suggest you take the exam before the semester when you plan to take Chinese, but no sooner than one year before as the result is only valid for one calendar year. The closer you take the exam to when you plan to enroll in courses, the more accurate the placement will be. Note that no student is guaranteed to meet a language requirement even with prior knowledge. You will need to plan ahead in case you place below where you would like and need extra time to complete the language requirement through coursework. We do not teach every level every term..
- Is the Chinese Placement Exam in simplified or traditional characters?
- We offer the test in both versions and you will have the option to choose the version that fits your needs during the exam.
- Is the Chinese Placement Exam open-book?
- It is a closed-book exam. You should complete the questions completely independently without any outside assistance from books, the internet, other people, or any other source. This way the program can make the most accurate evaluation of your proficiency.
- How can I sign up for the Chinese Placement Exam?
- You should visit THIS WEBPAGE to register for a test given at a specific time in advance. The Zoom link for the testing session will be sent to you via email a couple of days before the exam.
- How do I prepare for the Chinese Placement Exam?
- We do not expect you to prepare for the exam as it is an assessment of your current skills, however, you can review the textbook series used in our courses: Integrated Chinese Volume 1-4.
- How often and when is the Chinese Placement Exam offered?
- We usually offer the placement test twice a semester and at the end of August right before the fall semester begins. In addition, we may also offer the test multiple times for incoming first-year students throughout the summer.
- Where and when can I see the result of the Chinese Placement Exam? Will the result be sent to me via email?
- Results are posted on Wolverine Access within 7-10 business days following completion of the exam. If you are considered a native speaker, the result will be sent to the advising office in your college/school instead of being posted to Wolverine Access and will take longer to appear on your file. Test results are not reported individually via email.
- I have another engagement at the time that the exam is being offered, can I reschedule?
- We offer the test multiple times a year and do not have the capacity to accommodate individual testing. Please try to make the test at one of the scheduled times.
- What if I wanted to place out of a language requirement but did not place high enough?
- We encourage students to complete the exam early for this reason. You should continue to take Chinese courses starting from the course you are placed into.
- Am I required to take the course I am placed into? Do I have the option of taking other courses if I want to?
- You MUST start from the course you are placed into. You can take other courses later as you fulfill prerequisites. If you attend the course you placed into and both you and the instructor agree that the level is not correct for you, you can ask the instructor to request reassignment to a more appropriate level.
- Will I earn credits for taking the Chinese Placement Exam?
- No credit is earned from completion of the Chinese Placement Exam regardless of placement or program. Most programs, however, are proficiency-based and can be met through the exam. For example, the LSA Language Requirement and Asian Languages and Cultures minor prerequisite can be met without credits using a placement exam score.
- Can I retake the exam soon after my first attempt?
- You cannot retake the exam within a year from when you last made an attempt unless you have studied Chinese in a serious way and feel that your proficiency has changed considerably such as through a study abroad program. In that case, you can request to retake the test before the year is up.
- Although I have some prior knowledge of Chinese and my proficiency is at a certain level, I would like to review my Chinese from the very beginning. Can I start from ASIANLAN 101: First-Year Chinese I which does not require a placement?
- ASIANLAN 101 is for absolute beginners. Please take the placement exam to be placed into the course that suits you best and save the space in ASIANLAN 101 for people who truly need it.
- I didn't take the Chinese Placement Exam and I enrolled in ASIANLAN 101 as it does not require taking the test, what will happen?
- The instructor of ASIANLAN 101 will see your performance in class and if they believe that you should be in a higher level, they have that right to disenroll you from ASIANLAN 101 and move you to another course.
