Please visit back throughout the summer, as placement exam information will continually be posted.
Chemistry
TBA
Mathematics
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
Exam time TBA
- 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
TBA - Physics information session and placement exam for accelerated Physics
More information on the different levels can be found 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. Those students who have demonstrated proficiency in a language via 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 in order to determine appropriate placement.
Please note that many languages offer a course sequence for heritage speakers. See each department's website for more details.
Language exams will take place during orientation. The information below will continue to be updated throughout Summer 2025. 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
Arabic Placement Exam - TBA
Please contact Taoufik Ben Amor at tb46@columbia.edu to register. Students may register for the course that they estimate would fit their level pending the results of the exam. Guidelines for registration are found here.
More information found here.
Armenian
By appointment. Please contact Charry Karamanoukian at ck2444@columbia.edu.
Chinese
TBA
More information and registration found 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. A link and further information is found here.
Additional information about advanced placement and exemptions is found here.
Questions? Please contact Professor Pascale Hubert-Leibler at ph2028@columbia.edu.
German
Placement exams will take place online. An oral interview over Zoom will follow the written exam.
Registration for the exam - TBA
More information can be found here.
Questions? Please contact Jutta Schmiers-Heller at js2331@columbia.edu
Greek (Ancient)
TBA
Sight exam; no dictionaries or grammatical aids may be used.
Please contact Professor Kakkoufa with any questions at nikolas.kakkoufa@columbia.edu
Greek (Modern)
TBA
Requests for accommodation should be sent to Professor Kakkoufa at nikolas.kakkoufa@columbia.edu
Hebrew
TBA
Please contact Naama Harel at nh2508@columbia.edu to register.
Hindi-Urdu
Friday, August 29, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Knox Hall. Hindi and Urdu tests are separate.
Please contact Rakesh Ranjan at rr2574@columbia.edu to register. More information found here.
Italian
The exam can be taken at any time in the weeks prior to registration. Information found here: https://italian.columbia.edu/content/language-placement-exam
Japanese
Sign up for the placement exam here. Registration required by 11:59pm Sunday, August 24, 2025.
The exam will be open from 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 16 until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 25, 2025.
More information is found here.
Questions? Please contact Naoko Sourial at nns2111@columbia.edu
Korean
An online, multiple choice test will be available from Monday, August 11 to Tuesday, August 26, 2025. The writing and speaking portion will take place Thursday, August 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
More information found here.
Questions? Please contact Professor Joowon Suh at js604@columbia.edu.
Latin
TBA
This will be a sight exam; no dictionaries or grammatical aids may be used.
Please contact Professor Kakkoufa with any questions at nikolas.kakkoufa@columbia.edu
Persian
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)
Offered twice: 3:00pm Wednesday, August 27, 2025 and 6:00pm Tuesday, September 2.
Please make an appointment with João Nemi Neto (jn2395@columbia.edu) to take this exam.
Russian
Written portion online, TBA. To be added to the Canvas page to access the exam, please email Marina Tsylina at mt3750@columbia.edu.
Oral portion via Zoom and in 709 Hamilton, TBA.
More information found here.
Sanskrit
By appointment. Please contact Jay Ramesh at jr3203@colubmia.edu.
Spanish
Tamil
By appointment. Please contact Jay Ramesh at jr3203@colubmia.edu.
Turkish
Turkish and Ottoman Turkish placements exams will take place individually on Zoom during the last two weeks of August.
To schedule an exam, please email Zuleyha Mary Fikret at zc2208@columbia.edu. The format will be an ACTFL speaking interview followed by a written exam.
Vietnamese
TBA, in person at 502A Kent Hall.
Questions? Please reach out to Chung Nguyen at cn2496@columbia.edu
Yiddish
The exam is available online now until Friday, September 13. However, it is recommended that students take the exam before the first day of classes. The exam can be accessed here.
Questions? Please reach out to Dr. Agi Legutko at a.legutko@columbia.edu.