Placement exams are online for JPN and KOR. CHN exams are in-person.
Exam dates for Fall 2025 registration are posted below.
Other opportunities to take placement exams will be offered later in the semester.
Important Information
Students with no prior experience in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean may enroll in CHN, JPN or KOR 101 (or 111). If your language proficiency is judged to be beyond the 101-level on the first day of class, you will be placed in a higher level course. A placement adjustment made in the first week of class does not guarantee a seat in the course appropriate for the student.
Continuing and incoming students with prior experience in the language (i.e., formal classroom training, residence in the country of its use, cohabitation with a native speaker, etc.) are required to take a placement exam to determine the suitable course based on their language background and ability.
Students returning from one of UHM’s study abroad programs are required to take our Japanese placement exam.
For Japanese only, taking the placement exam is optional for students who have already earned prerequisite college credits at one of the University of Hawaiʻi campuses, including community colleges, with a grade of C or better. However, it is strongly recommended to take the placement exam if you are interested in advanced courses (300-400 level), if there has been a gap since your last language class, or if you would like a firmer sense of your proper placement.
Please Note:
– Non-native Japanese speakers requesting a H/SL requirement waiver must pass an oral interview in addition to receiving a score of JPN 301 or higher on the exam.
– Students may only retake a placement exam after one year.
– Placement exam cannot be used to advance out of a class that was failed or not completed.
If you have any further questions regarding the placement exams, please reach out to eallexam@hawaii.edu.
Back Credits
All students, including heritage and native speakers, with experience in a language other than English may earn “back credits.” These students may take any UHM course, appropriate to their level, in which there is significant use of that language. The appropriate level is determined by placement exam or advisor, while significant use is determined by the course content. Upon completion of this course with a letter grade of C (not C-) or better, students will receive between 3-16 back credits. The course must be the first Hawaiian or second language course taken since high school, and it must be taken for a letter grade, not CR/NC. Back credits may be earned for only one language. Students starting from 101 or equivalent will not receive back credits. Other restrictions apply; please refer to the UHM Back Credits Policy for more detailed information.
After completing the course, students may apply for back credits using the Back Credits Petition Form.
Please email the form to EALL Advising at ealladv@hawaii.edu.
Placement Exam Registration (UH email)
If you do not have a UH email, please contact eallexam@hawaii.edu for a separate registration link.
JPN/KOR online exams have a 1-hour time limit and can be completed at your convenience between 10 AM to 4 PM. Submissions are due by 4 PM HST. The exam instructions will be sent on the day of the exam.
CHN Placement Exam (in-person only)
| Date | Time | Location |
5/15/25 (Thu) | 2 PM – 4 PM | Moore Hall 153A |
JPN Placement Exam (online only)
| Date | Time | Location |
4/29/25 (Tue) 5/15/25 (Thu) | 10 AM – 4 PM | Online |
KOR Placement Exam (online only)
| Date | Time | Location |
5/15/25 (Thu) | 10 AM – 4 PM | Online |