ACTFL Proficiency Placement Test (APPT)
A non-proctored, computer-adaptive, listening and reading proficiency test: for French and Spanish only.
The listening section measures how well a person spontaneously understands spoken language as described in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. The reading section measures how well a person spontaneously understands written texts, as described in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. The listening and reading sections assess general language proficiency, rather than what is learned in a specific program, class, school, or university. It is not tied to a particular teaching method or curriculum. Rather than assessing what a person “knows” about the language, the APPT is an assessment of how well a person can understand the spoken and written language.
The APPT provides separate proficiency ratings for listening and reading according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Proficiency ratings range from Novice Low to Advanced Low. These results are used as indicators of general proficiency for placement into language courses.
The APPT is an assessment of the Interpretive Listening and Interpretive Reading modes, as defined by the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages.
Prior to taking ACTFL’s Proficiency Placement Test (APPT), we suggest the following:
- Take the APPT Demo Test
- Read the APPT Familiarization Guide
- Read the Listening and Reading Proficiency Guidelines with sample texts.
The APPT measures reading and listening proficiency from Novice Low through Advanced Low on the ACTFL Rating Scale. APPT results for reading and listening skills are used as indicators of general proficiency, they are not official proficiency ratings. The following summary offers the descriptors from the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines for reading and listening proficiency at each major level.