Formatted and distributed online by the Quia Corporation, the National Spanish Examinations (NSE) is a test that can be administered to students in grades six through 12. The exams are meant to assess Spanish language learners' proficiency according to a national rubric. In addition to acting as test preparation for some other national examinations such as the Advanced Placement Spanish test and the International Baccalaureate Spanish test, some universities (particularly junior and community colleges) will accept NSE scores in determining a student's placement in a Spanish class.
In addition to the SAT Spanish subject test, the Advanced Placement or AP Spanish test is the most commonly used examination in determining a student's placement in Spanish classes. AP tests, including the Spanish exam, award test takers with college-level credit upon successful completion of the course. In most universities and colleges, this college credit allows students to bypass an entry-level Spanish course.
As part of the bundle of college placement exams students currently take, the optional SAT Spanish subject test produces a composite score that universities use to determine both admission and placement. As with the traditional Reading, Math and Writing components of the SATs, the SAT Spanish Subject test is graded on a scale ranging from 200 to 800, is timed at 60 minutes and contains 85 questions. The questions relate to Spanish grammar, spelling and sentence composition. A good performance on the test can sometimes fulfill basic language course requirements prior to entering a college or university.
Probably the most common method of Spanish-level assessment utilized by colleges and universities is the independently administered Spanish examination. Typically, Spanish placement exams are a required part of the college orientation process. They are often administered in the summer between a student's senior year in high school and her freshman year in college. Colleges and universities use these tests to determine which specific Spanish class students will enter when they begin matriculating at that institution.