Language Placement Testing

Taylor University Fort Wayne is currently in transition of changing language testing procedures. The following information listed is an example of how the language placement testing will work. Students should contact the Academic Center for Enrichment to schedule the placement exam prior to the start of the fall semester.

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree must demonstrate the equivalent of two years of college level study in one foreign language for graduation from Taylor University. Taylor offers language instruction in French, Spanish, and New Testament Greek.

Students with no previous language background do not need to be tested and should begin their language study with the appropriate 101 course. Students who have transferred in college credit in French or Spanish should not take the placement test but should continue with the next course in sequence. Students who have had previous study of French or Spanish in high school and intend to continue in the language must take the online WebCAPE placement exam. Students are then placed into language classes at the level indicated by the exam.

Students who place into sem1 (101) and have studied three or more years of the language at the high school level will be placed into sem2 (102).

Students who place into sem4 (202) may receive credit for sem3 (201) by taking and successfully completing 202 with a minimum grade of B-. The fee for posting credit to the transcript should be paid at the time of notification.

Students who place into sem5 (advanced) have three options:

  1. To fulfill the language requirement and receive no credit, students should take an on-campus test by the end of their first year at Taylor.
  2. To fulfill the language requirement and receive six hours of credit for 201 and 202, students should take the CLEP exam by the end of their first year at Taylor. If the exam is passed, the fee for posting credit to the transcript should be paid at the time of notification.
  3. To complete the language requirement and receive six hours of credit for 201 and 202, students may take and successfully complete an advanced Taylor course in the language with a minimum grade of B-. The fee for posting credit to the transcript should be paid at the time of notification.

Students of a language other than those offered at Taylor may choose to fulfill the language requirement by demonstrating proficiency equivalent to two years of college study of that language. The request should be initiated with the chair of the modern languages department. No academic credit will be awarded.

WebCAPE Principles

The purpose of CAPE (computer adaptive placement exam) is to provide individualized testing, identifying the student’s ability level with combinations of grammar, reading, and vocabulary questions. In order to achieve the most appropriate placement consistent with the student’s language level, students are expected to complete the exam to the best of their ability, without the use of textbooks, dictionaries, or any other type of assistance.

WebCAPE must be taken prior to your RAC time and day in order to advance register for the fall semester. Failure to meet this deadline may cause enrollment in language to be delayed.

Students may take the WebCAPE placement exam in a given language only once.

It is strongly recommended that students take the WebCAPE placement exam as soon as possible after completion of their last high school foreign language course. This will ensure that the results correspond to the student’s language level.

Students should print a copy of their placement score for their records. Once they receive their score, they do not need to contact the Academic Center for Enrichment unless they have questions regarding their placement or have been advised to do so.

Instructions for Taking the WebCAPE Exam

  1. Using your Internet Browser go to: http://webcape.byuhtrsc.org/nwcregister.php?acct=taylorufw.
  2. Enter password: falcons1 (ends with the digit one)
  3. Carefully read the instructions on the entry page.
  4. Select your desired language test in the "Languages" box.
  5. Read the on-screen instructions and enter the information requested in the spaces provided. Your ID is the Taylor Student ID.
  6. (If you do not have your student ID number, you may use your birth date or your social security number.)
  7. Fill out the survey as completely and accurately as possible. You cannot take the exam until you have completed the brief survey.
  8. Click on "Begin Exam." The first screen is a practice item. After that, you will begin the exam, which will take about twenty minutes. WebCAPE automatically adjusts the difficulty of the questions in order to rapidly assess your language skill level.
  9. When you are finished, click on "Post Results" to return to the proficiency exam screen. Next click "Done" and exit your browser. Your results will be forwarded automatically to the Fort Wayne campus- Academic Center for Enrichment and reported to the Registrars Office.
  10. The best times to take the exam are weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.
  11. If you have repeated trouble accessing the site, please e-mail jddavison@fw.taylor.edu.

If you have questions concerning placement and testing, please contact the Academic Center for Enrichment.