SFS Proficiency Exams – April 24-26, 2024

Please sign up during the registration period on the glass door to ICC 468-A or by emailing Department Administrator Courtney Feldman at cf663@georgetown.edu with the subject line “Proficiency Exam Registration.” Please include your GUID, program/major, and year (if undergraduate).

REGISTRATION: April 10-14, 2024

Once we know the exact number of examinees, you will be contacted on Monday, April 15, to provide your availability. The exam schedule will be sent on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

Exam Questions: Dr. Joe Cunningham, ICC 461, joe.cunningham@georgetown.edu

Registration Questions: Courtney Feldman, ICC 468, cf663@georgetown.edu

Eligibility: The earliest opportunity to take the exam is at the end of the Advanced sequence, i.e., at the end of Advanced II or Intensive Advanced, but it is highly recommended that students complete at least one Level IV class (e.g., Text in Context, Issues and Trends) prior to sitting for the exam.

Exam dates: Generally, the exam will be offered at the beginning and end of the fall semester and at the end of the spring semester. Announcements will be sent to the German mailing list and to SFS, MSFS, and MAGES programs.

Prior to the exam:

Examinee prepares a 4-5 minute well-structured oral presentation on a cultural, economic, or political topic related to Germany (no personal anecdotes, please). Presentation cannot be read. Only minimal notes allowed.

Student will check in 20 minutes before exam time slot with the department administrator to receive text articles for the exam.

Examinee then chooses one of three articles on current German events (on politics, economics, and culture) to summarize. Examinee has 15 minutes to read through text without the aid of a dictionary.

Structure of exam:

  1. Examinee briefly introduces him/herself to the two examiners (course of studies, stays abroad, special interests, etc.)
  2. Examinee summarizes the chosen article and answers questions relating to it
  3. Examinee gives a 4-5 minute well-structured oral presentation on a topic related to the cultural, economic, or political life in Germany (no personal anecdotes, please) and answers questions relating to it

Announcement of results:

Results are generally available on the next business day after the conclusion of all exams through the examinee’s Dean’s office. Undergraduates receive a pass/fail evaluation only. Graduate students receive a more detailed evaluation ranging from poor to excellent.