Placement in Latin and Greek Courses

Latin

All incoming students who have a background in Latin and would like to continue their study of Latin at Carolina, especially those who have not taken the Latin AP, SAT II, or IB (International Baccalaureate) exams, should take the online Latin Language Placement Test.  The results of this test place students in LATN 101,102, 203, or 204.  Note that the department will recognize only the score from the first online test that a student takes within the academic year; any additional test scores will be discarded automatically.  Students may if they wish retake the online placement test after the end of the spring semester.

This test is diagnostic only.  Students should enroll in the level of Latin in which they have been placed, but those who feel that their placement is not quite right should consult with their course instructor as soon as possible, and certainly no later than the end of the first week of classes; individual students may do better in a course at a lower or higher level.  Students who place into LATN 102 should be particularly cautious.  Since this course is a continuation of LATN 101, students who have not taken LATN 101 at Carolina often find that they have not covered all the material nor acquired the particular skills (for example, in oral Latin) that the course presupposes.  In some cases, students would be better advised to begin with LATN 101 than to plunge into LATN 102.

Note that the online placement test does not allow students to earn By-Examination (BE) credit for any LATN course.  Students who place into LATN 204 on the basis of the online placement test are eligible to take Part 2 of the placement test, which allows them to earn Placement (PL) credit for LATN 203 and thus satisfy the foreign language requirement.  The difference between BE and PL credit is that BE credit provides both credit for University courses and credit hours; PL credit provides credit for University courses but no credit hours.  For further information on BE and PL credit, see the Undergraduate Admission’s website.

Part 2 of the placement test is a written exam focusing on LATIN 203 proficiency.  Students can take Part 2 only in person on campus.  The Department offers Part 2 of the placement test every fall.  Students whose scores on the online placement test make them eligible to take Part 2 are sent an email notification by the Senior Program Assistant, who administers the test; it is then the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the SPA in order to take the test.  Students taking Part 2 must register at the time they take the test by showing their One Card and signing in (name, PID, and signature).  Those with questions about the content of the exam should consult the Director of the Intermediate Latin Program; for questions about procedure, consult the Department Manager.

After taking the Latin placement exam, students will be assigned a score which corresponds to placement in a particular level of Latin.  These scores and placements are explained in the chart below.

The following scores on standardized tests allow students to receive six hours of BE credit for LATN 203 and 204 and fulfillment of the foreign language requirement:

AP Latin: 5
SAT II Latin: 660 or Higher
IB Latin Higher Level (HL): 6 or 7
IB Latin Standard Level (SL): 7

The following scores allow students to receive three hours of BE credit for LATN 203 and fulfillment of the foreign language requirement:

AP Latin: 4
SAT II Latin: 610 to 660
IB Latin Higher Level (HL): 5
IB Latin Standard Level (SL): 6

The following scores allow students to receive three hours of BE credit for Latin General Elective, but not fulfillment of the foreign language requirement nor placement into a specific Latin course. Those students who wish to continue their study of Latin at UNC should take the online Latin Language Placement Test.

AP Latin: 3
IB Latin Higher Level (HL): 4
IB Latin Standard Level (SL): 5

For general guidelines on earning language course credit through standardized texts, see the Undergraduate Admissions website.

Greek

There is no regular placement test in classical Greek.  Students with previous study of Greek should consult the Director of the Elementary Greek Program for guidance on their placement.