The Latin Placement Test is available only to students entering freshman term. All requests for exemption must be resolved by the end of your first term as we do not offer this test at any other time. The Latin Placement test for class of 2012 will take place on Thursday September 18, 2008 in Filene Auditorium (Moore Hall Building) between 8:00am and 3:00pm. The test takes about 90 minutes.
For Latin, the College language requirement can be satisfied
only on the basis of the SAT II Latin test or the departmental language test,
administered during Orientation. Students who have scored
680 or above on the SAT II Latin Test satisfy the College language requirement
and are automatically placed in Latin 10 or 22. All others (including those who
have not taken the SAT II) are automatically placed into Latin 1 or 3. However,
those with preliminary placements into Latin 3 do often qualify for Latin 10 or
22 by the results of the departmental language test. Students whose test
results may not fairly reflect their knowledge and experience of Latin may also
consult with representatives of the Classics Department (either the Chair or
the instructors of upper-level Latin classes) in order to determine the
appropriate placement.
ALL entering first-year students who have studied Latin are strongly
urged to take the SAT II Latin test while still in secondary
school.
Because the placement test must distinguish between several different levels of Latin, there is a range of difficulty in the test questions. Some questions will be difficult for almost everyone. Please do not be troubled by this; just answer as much as you can and we will place you in the course that is most appropriate for you. It is possible to do well on this test without completing all of the questions.
Course credit is not granted for training corresponding to that given in Latin 1 or 3 at Dartmouth (as is true of all foreign languages). Appropriate course credit may be awarded upon formal request to those students who have achieved a 5 on either of the Latin Advanced Placement (AP) examinations AND a score of at least 680 on the SAT II Latin test, or performance at the equivalent level on the departmental Latin exam administered during Orientation. Students seeking credit for intermediate Latin courses are advised to consult the Chair of the Department of Classics.
Students who have completed International Baccalaureate work or who wish to receive transfer credit for college Latin courses taken prior to matriculation at Dartmouth should see the Chair of the Department of Classics early in the Fall term. Credit will be given only for courses which are equivalent to those offered at Dartmouth and only to first-years students who have achieved an A on the departmental placement exam.
