Armenian Language Placement and Exemption Exam

UCI students who speak and read Armenian can take a placement exam or an exemption exam to satisfy Category VI and VIII General Education requirements.

Western Armenian Placement Exam

1. How can I enroll in an Armenian Course? 

Students with no prior experience with Armenian, and students with a heritage-speaking background may enter Armenian 1A.

Students who took high school Armenian must take the placement exam to enroll in an Armenian class.

Students who have taken courses in Armenian at another college or university and who wish to enroll in an Armenian course must bring a copy of their college transcripts to their UCI academic counselor in order to receive authorization to enroll in the next course.

 2. What is the purpose of the Armenian Placement Test?

The Western Armenian Placement Exam is designed to evaluate the language skills of students with prior training in Armenian and assess their preparation for coursework in Armenian at UCI. Students will be placed into one of the following courses: Armenian 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C.

 3. Who needs to take courses in Armenian? 

Successful completion of lower-division coursework (or the equivalent) in Armenian through the 2C level may be used to satisfy the foreign language requirement in the School of Humanities. Completion of Armenian coursework through the 1C level may also be used to satisfy UCI’s Language Other Than English (Category VI General Education Requirement Policy) General Education requirement. Students majoring in International Studies must satisfy Language Other Than English requirements through the 2C level. Please consult your academic advisor if you have questions about these requirements.

4. How can I prepare for the exam? 

The Placement Exam tests students’ skills in comprehension, grammar, composition, and rhetoric.

To review, you may consult the following language textbook: 

Practical Textbook of Western Armenian by Haroutiun Kurkjian (any edition)

Western Armenian for the English-Speaking World: A Contrastive Approach by Dora
Sakayan (2012)

5. How long is the test? 

The Placement Exam is a 90-minute, written exam. 

6. How long are the results valid?

The highest proficiency level attainable by taking the Armenian exam is 2A.

The results are valid for your entire academic career at UCI. You may take the test only one time. Please be advised that if you take the test more often than allowed, your new results will not be reported.

No University credit is given. There is no fee to take the test if you are a UCI student.

7. Is test registration required?

Yes. Test registration is always required. You may schedule an appointment online through Campus Groups.

8. Do I need an ID to take a placement test?

Yes. You will need two forms of valid photo ID. Examples of valid photo ID are: a UCI, other university, or or high school ID; a driver’s license with a photo; a state-issued identification card with a photo; a valid passport; or any government-issued identification with a photo. 

If you need further information on language testing, please e-mail the ATC at testcenter@uci.edu, call our office at (949) 824-6207, or contact your academic office.  

To find out more about the Armenian Studies Program at UCI, please visit their website: https://www.humanities.uci.edu/armenianstudies.

Western Armenian Exemption Exam

The Western Armenian Exemption Examination evaluates the advanced language skills of students with strong prior training in Armenian. The examination’s result may be used to satisfy the Language Other Than English General Education Requirement (Category VI General Education Requirement Policy) and a portion of the International/Global Issues General Education Requirement (Category VIII General Education Requirement Policy).

You should take this test if you have a strong background in Armenian and are NOT interested in taking additional coursework. Students with minimal training in the language should take the Western Armenian Placement Test to be placed into an appropriate course. Students with no prior experience with Armenian and students with a heritage-speaking background should enroll in Armenian 1A.

Successful completion of the Western Armenian Exemption Examination will result in a notation on the student’s record that indicates that the student has shown competence beyond the second-year level of Armenian. Students who do not pass the examination will receive a recommendation for their course level in Armenian.

You may schedule an appointment online through Campus Groups. The exemption examination is a 90-minute, written examination that tests students’ skills in reading composition, grammar, composition, and rhetoric. To review for the examination, students may consult the following textbooks:

Practical Textbook of Western Armenian by Haroutiun Kurkjian (any edition)

Western Armenian for the English-Speaking World: A Contrastive Approach by Dora
Sakayan (2012)

The highest proficiency level attainable at UCI by taking the Armenian Exemption exam is 2C. This test may be taken only once. No University credit is given. There is no fee to take the test if you are a UCI student.