Skip to main content
MCLLC Programs / MCLLC Major and Minor / Classics / Placement Procedure

Placement Procedure

To determine your language placement, please contact the professor listed below using the following guidelines:

  • Contact Valerio Caldesi-Valeri (vcaldesiv@uky.edu). Be sure to use your official UK email address, and include your student number in the message.
  • In your message, specify what your experience with the language is:
    • Have you studied it formally in school? If so, for how many years? What are the topics you most recently covered in class?
    • Have you spoken the language? If so, do you also write and read the language? How often do you speak the language?

Placement is an assessment of a student's level of preparation within a given language. The purpose of the placement test is to help students enroll in a language course in which they have the appropriate skills and are most likely to improve their knowledge of a language. Please note that the placement test does NOT grant credit or grades and cannot be used to replace failing grades in any previously completed course. The placement test simply determines one's proficiency level.

In order to enroll in a Greek or Latin language course, students who do NOT meet the exemption criteria below must take the placement test.

How does placement work? 

We place based on the number of years you have studied the language before and any extenuating circumstances. We use this chart but may need to to move students up or down based on proficiency as the individual situation requires. If you attend class the first day and feel like your level does not match the course, let your instructor know immediately so we can find a better fit before you fall behind.  It is important to note that placing into a certain course does not award credit for previous courses.

High School Years

Places Into

Satisfies Pre-requisite

4+*

CLA 301/CLA 350

101, 102, 201, 202

2-3

LAT/GRK 201

101, 102

1

LAT/GRK 101

None

Who should take the placement test? 

You should take the test if any of the following applies:

  • You know some Greek or Latin (e.g. you studied Greek or Latin previously, or Greek was spoken in your family, or you can read and write some Greek or Latin) and wish to take a UK Greek or Latin course OR want to be placed out of the language requirement at UK.

  • You participated in a Greek or Latin Language Study Abroad Program with the UK Education Abroad Office.

  • You participated a study abroad program with institutions other than the UK Education Abroad Office. You must take the test if you wish to take a UK Greek or Latin course when you return.

  • You are a heritage speaker of Greek, attended K-12 in the United States, and would like to place out of the foreign language requirement of a given college at the University of Kentucky.

Who should NOT take the placement test?

Do not take the test if any of the following applies:

  • You do not know any Greek or Latin and wish to take an elementary Greek or Latin course (i.e., GRK101 or LAT101).

  • You have a high school or college diploma from a country where Greek is the official language, you are coded as International Student by Office of the Registrar, and you do not want to enroll in a UK Greek language course.

Native speakers are ineligible to enroll in UK Greek language courses. If you are not coded as International Student by the Registrar's Office and believe you should be, please contact the Registrar at (859) 257-3161.

What if I want academic credit for my Greek or Latin knowledge?

Native speakers of Greek may not take a special examination for language credit.

Do I need to sign up in order to take the test?

Please contact Valerio Caldesi-Valeri at vcaldesiv@uky.edu to arrange to take a placement test in Ancient Greek or in Latin.

Is there a fee for the test?

No fee is required if you are a UK student.

How should I prepare for the test?

The best way to prepare is to review what you have been taught.

When will the test results be available?

Scores are available in MyUK on the student’s unofficial transcript the following business day after taking the placement test.

You are subject to the university honor code when taking this test. It is important that you DO YOUR BEST on this exam. If it becomes evident later that you have intentionally done poorly on the test in order to place at a level lower than your actual level, you may face disciplinary actions for violating the Integrity Pledge.

I have taken the placement test before. How long is the test result valid? 

The test result is valid only for one semester. If you do not enroll in the Greek or Latin class the semester you take the placement test, you must take the placement test again if you decide to enroll in a future Greek or Latin language class.