English Placement Test

Newly admitted CIEP students must take the CIEP Placement Exam before registration. This exam helps us evaluate a student's English language ability in order to place him or her in the correct class.

Two Placement Test Types

In-person Placement Test

In-person placement will take place during the orientation. You will receive your test schedule upon your arrival

See Orientation Schedule

Online Placement Test

The online placement test may be used for online program students or conditional admitted students. It is administered over the virtual video platform Zoom and proctored by CIEP instructors. If you are interested in taking the online placement test, contact the CIEP office for more information about the next available test date.

What to expect?

The CIEP Placement Exam is a proficiency evaluation of your English. It can be offered online or in person, but typically consists of five parts:

Written Essay

You will be given 45 minutes to write about a general topic such as comparing city life to country life or describing the ways you can learn a new language. You will not be able to use or have a dictionary, cell phone, or other electronic device.

Reading Test

You will have 50 minutes to read several small passages and select the correct answer on a multiple-choice test.

Listening & Note-taking Test

You will listen once to a short conversation and a taped lecture about a general topic that is important to students studying in a foreign country. There will be questions about the conversation and lecture. For the lecture, you will take notes and can use these notes as you answer questions. The exam is 45 minutes long.

Grammar Test

You will have 30 minutes to answer multiple-choice questions that increase in difficulty and complexity.

Interview

In the interview, two CIEP instructors will ask you questions about yourself and other general topics. The interview is approximately 5-7 minutes long.

Helpful Resources

Please refer to the following resources for more details about the exam. If you have any questions, you can contact the CIEP office at (319) 273-2182 or ciep@uni.edu:

CIEP Level Information and Outcomes

CIEP Level Proficiency Scale