Language Placement Exams

Spring 2026

Please see information below re: placement procedures, listed by language:

Arabic

Exam Date for Fall 2026 registration: 9:00am - 12:00pm, Friday, March 13, 2026, Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, Room 201, 6 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, MA

To register for the Arabic placement exam, be sure to fill out the Arabic Placement Exam Survey as soon as possible and at least a week prior to the exam. After the completion of the survey, you will receive confirmation of your registration and more information about the exam location. We expect the exam will take less than the full three hours listed. 

For any questions re: Arabic placement or coursework at Harvard, please email Kathy Paras (Language Programs Coordinator, NELC).

Armenian (Western)

Exam Dates for Spring 2026: By request

 Please contact Kathy Paras (Language Programs Coordinator, NELC)

Hebrew (Modern)

Exam Date for Fall 2026 registration: Friday, March 13, 2026, 9:00am; Zoom (link sent after registering at the link below)

Please register for the Modern Hebrew exam using this link and contact Romy Neumark (Modern Hebrew) for questions re: the placement exam.

Persian

Exam Dates for Fall 2026 registration: 10:00am - 12:00pm, Friday, March 6, 2026, CMES, Room 102, 38 Kirkland St., Cambridge, MA

Please contact Kathy Paras (Language Programs Coordinator, NELC) to register and for more information about the Persian placement exam. A make-up exam will be held Friday, March 27. CMES doors will be unlocked from 9:45am - 11:00am both days to allow students to enter.

Turkish (Modern)

Exam Dates for Spring 2026: By request

Please contact Meryem Demir (Preceptor, Modern Turkish) to register and for more information about the Turkish placement exam.

Turkish (Ottoman)

Exam Dates for Spring 2026: By request

Please contact Himmet Taskomur (Senior Preceptor, Ottoman Turkish) to register and for more information about the Turkish placement exam.

Yiddish

Exam Dates for Spring 2026: By request

Please contact Sara Feldman (Preceptor, Yiddish) to register and for more information about the Yiddish placement exam.

If you are interested in Albanian or Kurdish, please contact Kathy Paras (Language Programs Coordinator, NELC).

* Please be on time for the exams. The online exams will only be open at the listed times; once they close, you will not be able to access the exam.

You can also email the NELC Department at nelc@fas.harvard.edu if you have any general questions regarding NELC Language Placement exams.