World Language Exams
Earning college credit by exam is a high-yield and low-risk option for students who have knowledge in a language in addition to English. Most challenge exam types can only be taken once, but failing a challenge exam will not affect a student's grade point average or be recorded in student transcripts.World languages can count as Language, Humanities, General Education, or Free Elective Credit.
For More Information, contact:
Rob Kaulfuss, Credit for Prior Learning Coordinator
781-280-3852 / KaulfussR@middlesex.mass.edu
Types of World Language Challenge Exams
- CLEP Exams: (Spanish, German, and French: These are a nationally recognized and standardized
exams that most colleges will accept upon transfer. (Students should check before
taking.) Depending on CLEP scores, 6-12 credits are possible.
https://clep.collegeboard.org/clep-exams - BYU-FLATS Exams: This is another nationally recognized exam service that has almost every type of
language. However, they are less widely accepted than CLEP exams.
https://info.flats.byu.edu/list-of-languages/ - Middlesex Language Exams: These are administered locally by MCC faculty. Since this type of credit will not have a grade, it is very unlikely to transfer to another college, even under Mass Transfer. See further information below.
MCC World Language Exams
The world language challenge exams are designed to offer MCC students the chance to earn college credit by proving they are able to communicate fluently in Arabic, French, Khmer, Portuguese or Spanish. MCC instructors who are content experts developed the challenge exams. These five languages were intentionally chosen to reflect the multicultural demographics of the communities surrounding our campuses.
To assure quality control, exam components have been included to assess all the modalities of communication: listening and speaking, reading comprehension, writing, and grammar. Before the students attempt an exam, they are encouraged to meet with the content expert to obtain review materials and learn how to prepare for the exam.
If a student can achieve a minimum passing score of 77% or higher, he or she can earn
3 college credits for prior learning and it is noted on his or her MCC transcript
as TR (for transfer) from Credit for Prior Learning without a grade.
World Language Prior Learning Assessment Challenge Examination will consist of:
60% - Writing Portion: This consists of 10 exercises covering all grammatical structures and lexical items students learn in a beginning 1 course.
40% - Oral Portion: This consists of 10 questions to ask the student to prompt him or her to produce spoken language. This part of exam will include main functions students learn in a beginning I course: greetings, introductions, asking about someone's name, farewells, etc.
In the receptive listening portion, the student has to listen to some authentic questions and chose the correct answer from a multiple choice exercise. The listening portion can either be chosen from material available in Pearson's language lab or some authentic material spoken by a native speaker and stored electronically.
Courses Where MCC Exams Are Offered
LAN 181 Arabic 1 and Culture: 3 credits
LAN 181 Arabic 2 and Culture: 3 credits
LAN 111 French 1 and Culture: 3 credits
LAN 112 French 2 and Culture: 3 credits
LAN 171 Khmer 1 and Culture: 3 credits
LAN 172 Khmer 2 and Culture: 3 credits
LAN 141 Portuguese 1 and Culture: 3 credits
LAN 142 Portuguese 2 and Culture: 3 credits
LAN 151 Spanish 1 and Culture: 3 credits
LAN 152 Spanish 2 and Culture: 3 credits
Course descriptions for all World Languages as of 2023-2024
For More Information, contact:
Rob Kaulfuss, Credit for Prior Learning Coordinator
781-280-3852 / KaulfussR@middlesex.mass.edu