For Students Seeking Achievement Exams in Languages Other Than Spanish and French
Step 1. Contact the Department of World Languages at 501-916-3272 or worldlanguages@ualr.edu.
Step 2. Register for a test online at https://flats.byu.edu/signupall.php?x=8
Step 3. Confirm with UA Little Rock’s Office of Testing Services at 916-3198 and set up a date with them for you to go to their office to take the exam with a proctor.
Tests Available by Online Correspondence
- Albanian
- Arabic
- Armenian
- Bulgarian
- Cambodian
- Cantonese-Simplified
- Cantonese-Traditional
- Cebuano
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- Estonian
- Fijian
- Finnish
- French
- Georgian
- German
- Greek
- Haitian-Creole
- Hmong
- Hungarian
- Icelandic
- Ilonggo-Hiligaynon
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
- Malagasy
- Malay
- Mandarin-Simplified
- Mandarin-Traditional
- Mongolian
- Norwegian
- Persian-Farsi
- Polish
- Portuguese-Brazilian
- Portuguese-Continental
- Romanian
- Russian
- Samoan
- Serbian
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Tagalog
- Tahitian
- Thai
- Tongan
- Ukrainian
- Vietnamese
General Information
The Foreign Language Achievement Testing Services (FLATS) provides students the opportunity to receive up to 12 credit hours of pass/fail university credit by examination. Tests are available to both BYU and non-BYU students; however, non-BYU students cannot receive BYU credit. They must arrange to purchase credit from their institution based on the results of their tests. Most exams cost $50 (paid online); several tests require taking the exam by mail, however, and cost $75 (see our frequently asked questions for a list of exams that cost $75). Information about the tests and registration are available on this website. Follow the appropriate links above. If you have further questions, please read the tips and advice page. You may also call the FLATS automated hotline at 801-422-3512.
PLEASE NOTE: The pass/fail credit on this exam cannot be converted to graded credit at a later date, even if you were a non-BYU student when you took the FLATS test.
Please note that all online tests must be completed no later than 6 months from the date of registration. Tests attempted later than this 6 month deadline will not be accessible unless students re-register and pay the registration fee. No refunds will be given for missing the exam deadline.
Proctoring Online Tests
If you are an institution seeking to learn more about our Foreign Language Achievement Testing Service, this section should help answer some of the most basic questions. We currently have tests for over 60 languages. These tests have been created to provide students who have acquired a certain level of proficiency in the language an opportunity to receive credit by examination. The tests, although not nationally normed, have been used and received quite positively by other universities and colleges.
Listed below are some of the universities and colleges that use the tests on a fairly regular basis:
The tests are achievement tests, not global proficiency tests. As such, they are designed to measure a student’s performance against specific course-related criteria. They are designed to test beginning-level (i.e., 101, 102, and 201) listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and grammatical accuracy. All tests cover courses equivalent to 12 semester hours of pass/fail credit, and can be completed in two and a half hours or less.
In order for students at your institution to take one of our tests, we require them to secure an on-site proctor. The proctor’s responsibility is to be our point of contact in administering the online tests. If you should have further questions about our tests or the Testing Service, please feel free to contact us by email or by phone at (801) 422-3512.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Q: As a non-BYU student, can I receive BYU credit through these exams?
A: No. BYU does not grant credit to students who do not have a BYU transcript.
2) Q: If I accept the pass/fail credit, can I then convert this credit to a grade?
A: No. The pass/fail credit on this exam cannot be converted to graded credit at a later date. (NOTE: if you are a non-BYU student and are interested in earning 14 to 16 graded credits, consider participating in the Spring/Summer Visiting Student Program, or, if you are near BYU, check the Evening Classes schedule for a class that offers the BYU Challenge Exam. Look under FLANG for the less-commonly-taught languages.)
3) Q: How much credit can I earn for taking one of these exams?
A: The exams are designed to evaluate a student’s ability in conjunction with the first three semesters of a language track. This generally means that students can earn up to 12 hours of pass/fail credit, depending on the results of the exam. However, non-BYU students must make all arrangements for purchasing credit from their school based on their performance on the test.
4) Q: What language levels do the exams cover?
A: Though individual schools make their own decisions about the credit they offer, the exams are designed generally to cover the first three semesters of language instruction (i.e. 101, 102, 201).
5) Q: When and where are the exams held?
A: You will arrange this directly with the proctor at your location. You must contact your proctor and arrange a time before showing up to take your exam!
6) Q: I am a native speaker of [language] and would like to receive credit for my language. Can I use these tests for this purpose?
A: At BYU we do not allow native speakers of a given language to receive lower-division credit for that language. We have no jurisdiction over other institutions and their policies for language credit. You should discuss this issue with your institution.
7) Q: I can read and understand [language] well but have not practiced writing or speaking for a very long time. Would this put me at a disadvantage on the exam?
A: The exams are multiple-choice and, therefore, not designed to test writing or speaking skills. Each test has items that test listening, reading and grammar comprehension questions.
8) Q: I have not been able to find any sample questions through the BYU website. Are practice questions/exams available anywhere online? Could I be sent a practice exam/past exam to my home so I could see the kinds of questions that would be asked on the exam?
A: We do not provide practice exams or test preparation materials. The most successful way to prepare for any given test is to increase your reading of the language. It is also helpful if you have a friend to practice both listening and speaking of the language. If your institution offers classes in the language, you might ask them about practice exams.
9) Q: If I don’t pass the test, can I take it again?
A: An exam may be retaken after 6 months.
10) Q: How much does the test cost and how do I pay for it?
A: The online FLATS test is $50 and can only be paid for online when you register. There are ten languages that we only have the paper/pencil version for and those languages cost $75 to cover the cost of mailing. The ten languages that cost $75 are Afrikaans, Aymara, Cakchiquel, ESL, Guarani, Maori, Navajo, Quechua, Rarotongan and Welsh. If you would like to take one of the ten languages listed, please call or email our office (see Contact Us tab).
General Information
The Foreign Language Testing Program provides tests for credit for 60 languages. Students who have acquired a certain level of competency can receive credit for language skill achieved. There are 12 credits possible for each test. Our office will send the results to the school or institution indicated on the registration form, but it is each student’s responsibility to arrange for the credits to be recorded at the school or institution of choice. BYU cannot grant credit to non-BYU students.
Test Preparation
We have no preparation materials available. One of the most successful ways to prepare for any given language test is to review your reading ability in the language. It is also helpful if you have a friend with whom you can practice both listening and speaking the language.
Results
There are 12 pass/fail credit hours possible for all tests given through our testing program. These pass/fail credits can not be changed to graded credit. The student will receive official results within 2 weeks of completing the test. Official results will be mailed to the school or institution indicated on the registration form. A copy will also be sent to the student’s address indicated on the form, and a copy will be placed on file in our office. If the student checks the “hold” box on the registration form, the scores will not be sent to the school.
Test Format
All tests have a listening, reading and grammar component and cover the equivalent of the first three semesters of a given language, i.e. 101, 102, and 201. The tests are multiple-choice. All tests are on a pass/fail basis and graded credit will NOT be given. Students are allowed two and a half hours to complete their test.
Non-BYU Students
Non-BYU students must register on the website. Languages offered to non-BYU students are listed on our website. The testing fee is $50.00 for all non-BYU students.
tests are proctored. It is the student’s responsibility to make necessary arrangements with the proctor to take a test. All tests are multiple-choice and are scored as pass/fail. Students are allowed 2 ½ hours to complete the test. Please allow two weeks for completion of the reporting process.
Foreign Language Achievement Testing Service
Office of Digital Humanities
1163 JFSB
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602-6703
(801) 422-3512