Please visit back throughout the summer. Placement exam information will be added as it becomes available.
Chemistry
Online only.
Exam available 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Sep. 1 - 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Sep. 2.
Contact: Dr. Vesna Gasperov, vg2231@columbia.edu
Chemistry Placement Information
Mathematics
Please review the Columbia Engineering placement guidelines here.
Most students will not need to take the placement exam. The exam is only open to students who qualify based on the guidelines above.
Exam details TBA
For Columbia College:
For additional questions regarding course placement and equivalencies for Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Ordinary Differential Equations, please contact George Dragomir at gd2572@columbia.edu.
Inquiries regarding higher division courses and questions about the Mathematics majors and concentration may be addressed to the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Julien Dubedat, jd2653@columbia.edu.
Music Humanities
Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. in Dodge Hall, Room 622
- Part I: Identification of works by composers in the syllabus, based on played excerpts
- Part II: Questions about musical techniques and styles, based on played excerpts from the Middle Ages through the present
- Part III: Short-answer questions on musical terms, concepts, genres, forms, and composers
Physics
Exam details TBA.
More information on the different levels is available here.
For general questions, please contact Professor Jeremy Dodd at jrd4@columbia.edu.
For specific questions about Accelerated Physics only, please reach out to Professor Yuri Levin at yl3470@columbia.edu.
Foreign Languages
Language placement at Columbia is determined in one of two ways. Students who wish to continue with a language they studied in secondary school MUST either take a Columbia language department placement exam in order to register for a course in that language OR submit results from SAT II Subject Tests or Advanced Placement exams. Students who have demonstrated proficiency in a language via the SAT II or AP should refer to the Academic Planning Guide for New Students for specific course placement information. Students who have not taken an SAT II Subject Test or an AP exam must take a Columbia departmental exam to determine appropriate placement.
Please note that many languages offer a course sequence for heritage speakers. Please visit each department's website for more information.
Language exams will take place during orientation. The information below will be updated regularly throughout Summer 2026. Please continue to check back.
To request an exemption or placement exam in Akkadian, Aramaic, Cantonese, Ancient Egyptian, Filipino, Haitian Kreyol, Irish, or Quechua, please contact Professor Stephane Charitos at sc758@columbia.edu.
To request an exemption or placement exam in Burmese, Cherokee, Khmer, Nepali, Sinhala, Yoruba, or Zulu, please contact Vera Felder at vf2321@columbia.edu.
African Languages
By appointment. Please contact Mariame Sy at sms2168@columbia.edu.
Arabic
Friday, Sep. 4, 2026, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Knox Hall (room TBA)
Students should allow themselves two hours to take the exam. You must arrive between the hours stated for each exam.
Please contact Youssef Nouhi at yn2162@columbia.edu to register.
Students may register for the course that they estimate would fit their level, pending the results of the exam.
More information about the Arabic language program is available here.
Armenian
The Armenian language exam is for all levels except very novice learners who enroll in Elementary I.
The placement exam will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, 12:00 p.m., Knox Hall 311.
The exam consists of a written and oral portion.
Quastions? Please contact Charry Karamanoukian at ck2444@columbia.edu.
Catalan
Placement information is available here.
Chinese
Students seeking course placement recommendations should take the Place-In exam.
Student seeking exemption from the foreign language requirement should take the Test-Out exam.
Fall 2026 exam details TBA. Information and registration details available here.
Dutch
Please contact Professor Wijnie de Groot at wed23@columbia.edu to arrange a time to take the exam.
There will be oral and reading components.
French
The French placement exam will take place online. Students can take the exam at any time but only once. Further information is available here.
Additional information about advanced placement and exemptions is available here.
Questions? Please contact Professor Pascale Hubert-Leibler at ph2028@columbia.edu.
German
Exam details TBA. An oral interview will follow the written exam, and may be scheduled over Zoom or in person.
Email Jutta Schmiers-Heller at js2331@columbia.edu to request access to the online written exam or with any other questions.
Greek (Ancient)
Wednesday, Sep. 2, 2026, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Hamilton 618
Please register here.
Sight exam; no dictionaries or grammatical aids may be used. More information is available on the Classics Department website.
Please contact Professor Kakkoufa with any questions at nikolas.kakkoufa@columbia.edu
Greek (Modern)
Wednesday, Sep. 2, 2026, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Hamilton 618
Written and oral components. More information is available on the Hellenic Studies program website.
Please contact Professor Kakkoufa with any questions at nikolas.kakkoufa@columbia.edu
Hebrew
Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Knox Hall (room TBA)
Fill-in-the-blank format, in-person only.
Please contact Naama Harel at nh2508@columbia.edu to register.
Hindi-Urdu
Friday, Sep. 4, 2026, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Knox Hall (room TBA)
Hindi and Urdu Proficiency Tests (to fulfill the Columbia language requirements) and Hindi and Urdu Placement Tests for placement in our existing Hindi and Urdu courses in the Department of MESAAS
If online, the window of time the test will be available and any login/access information needed; if in person, the room location
There will be in-person written examinations. The Proficiency Test is a 70–80-minute exam. Hindi and Urdu tests are separate. The room number is not yet assigned. Once it is assigned, it will be posted on the Department website: https://mesaas.columbia.edu/language-programs/
Native speakers are not exempted from the proficiency test.
Questions? Please contact Rakesh Ranjan at rr2574@columbia.edu, Coordinator, The Hindi-Urdu Program, Department of MESAAS.
Italian
The exam can be taken at any time before and during the registration period.
For access to the exam, email italian@columbia.edu from your Columbia.edu address. Be sure to include your uni in your request. The exam may be taken once and requires no more than two hours to complete. No dictionaries or other materials are permitted. There is no need to study prior to taking the exam.
Please find additional information at https://italian.columbia.edu/content/language-placement-exam
Japanese
Click here to REGISTER for the exam. The registration will stay open until 11:59 p.m. (EST), Sunday, Aug. 30. 2026.
Exam Period
9:00 a.m. (EST), Saturday, August 22, 2026 – 11:59 p.m. (EST), Monday, August 31, 2026
Exam Format
The exam is a closed-book exam and will be administered online via CourseWorks (listening & written).
For the oral exam (via Zoom), you will receive instructions on how to reserve a time slot after you enroll yourself on Courseworks to take the placement test.
For information regarding registration, exam format, online review exercises, etc. please click here.
For all the placement/proficiency test fees, please visit our Language Testing Fee Policies page.
Proficiency Exam: For those who wish to get a certificate for language proficiency, please contact Chikako Takahashi (ct2423@columbia.edu).
Korean
The Korean Placement Examination consists of two parts: (1) an online multiple-choice test administered through CourseWorks and (2) in-person writing and speaking tests.
Online Portion: Wednesday, Aug. 19 – Wednesday, Sep. 2, 2026. Access the test at: https://courseworks2.columbia.edu/enroll/J9HDCE
To take the online test, you must sign in to CourseWorks using your UNI. After logging in, you will be guided through the registration process for the placement test. Detailed instructions are provided on the test site. The online test consists of 120 questions covering listening, vocabulary, grammar, and reading. You must complete all questions within 120 minutes in a single sitting. You may not save your answers and return to the test later.
In-Person Portion: Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Chandler Hall 402
You will be asked to write responses to approximately 3–5 prompts. After completing the writing test, you will proceed to the speaking test, a one-on-one interview with a Korean faculty member that takes approximately 10 minutes. No pre-registration is required. However, please arrive at least 10 minutes early to complete the registration form. You must complete the online test before taking the in-person writing and speaking tests.
For questions regarding the placement tests, please contact Ji-Young Jung (jj277@columbia.edu).
Placement results will be posted on CourseWorks by 5:00 p.m. on the in-person test day (September 3). The Korean Language Program Director will report placement results to the appropriate school via email within approximately three weeks of the examination.
Latin
Wednesday, Sep. 2, 2026, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Hamilton 618
Please register here.
Sight exam; no dictionaries or grammatical aids may be used. More information is available on the Classics Department website.
Please contact Professor Kakkoufa with any questions at nikolas.kakkoufa@columbia.edu
Persian
Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026, 1:00-4:00 p.m., Knox Hall (room TBA)
Please contact Saeed Honarmand at sh3468@columbia.edu to register.
Portuguese
In-person written and oral exam at 201 Casa Hispánica (612 West 116th Street)
Exam details TBA.
Please make an appointment with João Nemi Neto (jn2395@columbia.edu) to take this exam.
Russian
The department offers the Russian placement test twice a year: in August and in late November. The placement test consists of two parts: 1) a written section—grammar and an essay (approximately two hours); and 2) an oral section—a 30-minute individual interview.
The written part of the Russian Placement Test must be completed between August 14th and August 20th or between November 20th and November 25th. The test is administered online and is accessible starting from August 14th and November 20th.
Please see the Placement section of the Russian program's website for more details about the Russian placement test and exam.
Students may contact Marina Tsylina at mt3750@columbia.edu with any questions.
Sanskrit
By appointment. Please contact Jay Ramesh at jr3203@columbia.edu.
Spanish
Tamil
By appointment. Please contact Jay Ramesh at jr3203@columbia.edu.
Turkish
By appointment. Please contact Zuleyha Mary Fikret at zc2208@columbia.edu.
Vietnamese
The in-person exam is on Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Kent Hall 502A.
The in-person exam includes reading comprehension, a timed writing section, and an oral proficiency interview.
Questions? Please reach out to Chung Nguyen at cn2496@columbia.edu
Yiddish
Online exam; details TBA.
Questions? Please reach out to Dr. Agi Legutko at a.legutko@columbia.edu.