All students who are interested in fulfilling the language requirement through French or in continuing their study of French must take a Princeton Placement Test.

Even students who took the AP or SAT exams will be required to take the placement exam to receive their proper French course placement.

Students who meet the language requirement through the Placement test and subsequent interview with Placement Officer, Dr. Murielle Perrier, will be encouraged to enroll in an upper-division class if they wish to pursue further studies in French. For more information about possible pathways, please contact, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Flora Champy.

Who should take the French Placement Test?

All incoming students with previous experience in French must take the placement test and will be placed into the appropriate level of the sequence prior to course registration.

Class Sequencing

• The normal sequence for complete beginners or false beginners who placed into FRE 101 is the following:
  • FRE 101→FRE 102→FRE 107.
• Any other students with prior experience in French must take the French placement test and may place into FRE 101, FRE 103, FRE 105, or FRE 108 or a 200+ level class.
• Class sequencing for students enrolled in FRE 103 is the following:
  • FRE 103→FRE 107.
• Class sequencing for students enrolled in FRE 105 is the following:
  • FRE 105→FRE 108.
• Note:
  • Students may also be placed directly into 108.
  • Students with a high grade in FRE 101 may be admitted (with their professor recommendation and an interview) to the accelerated double-credit spring course FRE 102-7, which also satisfies the University’s language requirement.
  • Students who have completed 107, 108 or 102-7 are eligible to apply for the summer program in Aix-en-Provence (FRE 207F) or proceed to take any 200+ level classes.
    Students enrolled in language classes at Princeton (e.g 102, 102-7, 103, 105, 107, 108) and who have decided to take language classes in other institutions after their Princeton language classes must retake the placement test once they have completed their non-Princeton courses. The Placement Test will be the only indicator of the class in which they can enroll once they are back from their studies.

Important Information for Course Planning Purposes

• FRE 101 and 105 are NOT offered in the spring. If students place into 101 and 105 and do not enroll during the fall semester, they will have to wait until the following academic year to enroll in those classes.
• FRE 102 is only offered in the spring and is in sequence with FRE 101. No students can be placed into FRE 102 by the Placement Test.
• No Students can be placed into FRE 107 by the Placement Test
• Students can only take the Placement Test once a year

For any questions related to the Placement Test, Please contact Dr. Murielle Perrier.

Instructions

Students with valid netIDs can access the online placement tests following the instructions below: 

1. From the list of Language Placement Test Self-Enrollment Links below, click on the link to self-enroll into the Language Placement Test course site of your choosing in Canvas. 
   (Note: You may be prompted to log in to Canvas.  If so, click the Princeton netID, button and enter your credentials in the space provided.)
2. When the Canvas site loads, click the Enroll in Course button.
3. At that point, you’ll be added to the course roster.  You are not required to take the test immediately; you can return to the test site at any time during the testing period by following the link that will appear in your Canvas dashboard.  (Allow enough time to complete the test by the deadline.)
   • If the course site is available, you will be given the choice to visit the Language Placement Test site or return to your Canvas Dashboard.  If you do not access the Placement Test site immediately, you can always access it from your Canvas Dashboard. 
   • If the course site is NOT available, you will receive an email from Canvas once the site is made available. 

French Language Placement Test Self-Enrollment

 
If you have any questions, please contact the French Placement Test Officer, Dr. Murielle Perrier.