Polish Proficiency Test with UT Austin Writing Sample

This test can award credit in up to four Polish courses: POL 506, 507, 312K, and 312L.

The Polish Proficiency Test (PPT) consists of 135 4-option multiple-choice items. Each examinee receives a test booklet containing the test questions and a separate, machine-scored answer sheet on which all the item options are indicated.

The PPT is divided into three sections: Listening Comprehension (50 items), Reading Comprehension (50 items), and Structure (35 items).

• In the Listening Comprehension section, you will hear Polish passages consisting of utterances spoken by a single individual, excerpts from conversations between two speakers, and longer single-speaker passages such as news broadcasts, advertisements, public interest announcements, and so forth. Following each passage in Polish, you will be asked a question in English for which you must choose the correct answer from among four options printed in English in the test booklet.
• Each item in the Reading Comprehension section will present you with a Polish text, followed by a question about the text and four possible responses, printed in English. This section is designed to assess your ability to understand a variety of printed texts ranging from a few words (e.g., street or store-front signs, announcements) to passages of paragraph length (e.g., excerpts from newspaper or magazine articles, personal and official correspondence, popular stories).
• The Structure section has two parts. In the first, you must choose from among four options the correct word or phrase that is missing from a text. In the second, you must indicate from among four underlined words which one contains an error.

The questions are printed in a single test booklet. Your responses must be marked on a separate machine-scorable answer sheet. The total testing time for the PPT is approximately two hours.

Remember: Your score on the test will be based only on questions you answer correctly, so it will be to your advantage to answer every question, even though you may not be sure that your answer is correct. There is no penalty for guessing.

For the UT Austin Writing Sample portion, you will be asked to write a short composition about yourself, containing at least 15 sentences and including certain routine information (specified on the exam) about your life and studies. You will have a half-hour for this portion of the test.

Where and When to Take the Test

The Polish Proficiency Test with UT Austin Writing Sample must be taken on the UT Austin campus, and is offered on campus during testing periods at the following times: 

• just before the fall semester in late August 
• just before the spring semester in January 

Visit the Test Registration System to view and register for upcoming test dates.

Students for Whom the Test is Recommended and Appropriate

Students who have prior knowledge of Polish (regardless of how it was acquired) and who do not have college credit in Polish should take the Polish Proficiency Test with UT Austin Writing Sample before they can enroll in their first UT Austin Polish course.

Students transferring college credit in Polish are not required, but are strongly encouraged, to take this placement test and to use the results to help them choose their first course in Polish at UT Austin. Transfer students may also use the placement test to earn additional credit in Polish or to earn credit for lower-division courses from which they were exempt without credit at another institution. In no way will Polish credit already earned be jeopardized by the results of this test.

Students who do not intend to enroll in a Polish course but who wish to attempt to earn credit by examination may also take the placement test.

Registration Fee: 

The total of the fees for the test is $85. When you register for a test, you will immediately be billed for the non-refundable test registration fee of $25. After you take the test, you will be billed for the test fee of $60. Payments are due within 14 days of the billing date. All fees are subject to change.

Study Aids: 

As a test of general language proficiency, the PPT with UT Austin Writing Sample is not based on any particular textbook or course of study, but on the kinds of language-use situations that are encountered in real-life contexts outside of the academic setting. Because this type of proficiency can be achieved only through continued study and practice with the language, it will probably not be helpful for you to study intensively any particular textbook just prior to taking the test. The suggested preparation for the test is to carefully study the test directions and sample questions in this handout until you are thoroughly familiar with the testing procedures and question types used in the test.

Test Results and Retakes: 

Results are available within a few days after the test date, in time to register for classes.

You may take the Polish Proficiency Test with UT Austin Writing Sample only once.

Samples: 

Practice Questions for the Polish Proficiency Test