Japanese Placement Test

The Japanese placement tests for Spring 2025 enrollment have ended. Please visit this page in late May to take a placement test for Fall 2025 courses. The below is the last year’s information for your reference.

 

Welcome to the Japanese Studies Program at Michigan State University! 

 

We appreciate your interest in our program and look forward to meeting you this fall.

Students who have previously studied Japanese and wish to enroll in a course above JPN 101 (first-year Japanese, first semester) must take the placement test. The Japanese Studies Program will administer the placement test online. Please take a close look at the schedule below and mark your calendars.

—

During Fall 2024 

 

1. Student Information Survey

 

Fill out this survey (link removed) by Saturday, November 30 (11:59 PM EDT). 

 

If you are having difficulty accessing the survey link, copy and paste the following address into your web browser:

URL removed

 

 

Once you complete the survey, you should receive an invitation for the Japanese online written placement test shortly. 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Online written placement test

 

Take the written placement test (approximately 60-70 minutes) by Sunday, December 1 (11:59 PM EDT). You must complete the test in one session and cannot retake it once it is completed. When you do not take the test on time, your placement in a spring course is not guaranteed.

 

 

After the test, you will receive an email with the test result and a tentative recommendation for which Japanese language courses to enroll in. 

 

 

Your results will be forwarded to Dr. Ben Davis, JPN major advisor, who will tentatively enroll in the recommended class.  Please allow 2-3 business days for this process to be completed. 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Oral interview by Zoom

 

 

If you pass the online written placement test, an individual oral interview schedule (approximately 10-15 minutes) with a Zoom invitation will be emailed to you in the 15th week (Dec 2-6). A Japanese language faculty member will assess your listening and speaking skills and give a final placement test result. Please note some students do not pass the interview even though they passed the online written test.

 

 

 

 

Please contact the Japanese Studies Program (japanese@msu.edu) if you experience the following:

 

 

·       You submitted the student survey but didn’t receive the link for the online written test.

·       You took the online written test and passed the intended course but were not tentatively enrolled in the recommended course.

·       You took the online written test and passed the intended course but were not invited for the oral interview.

·       You need to reschedule your oral interview. Only those with a legitimate reason (e.g., illness) can reschedule it.

·       You have questions about the result of your placement test.

·       You have trouble registering for a JPN course.

·       Any other questions about the Japanese courses and the program

·       Any technical issues

 

Please keep in mind, however, that during the summer it may take longer than usual to respond to emails.

 

 

 

 

We look forward to welcoming you to our program in Spring 2025!

 

 

MSU Japanese Studies Program