French Language: Levels 1 and 2

The French Language exams measure skills acquired from multiple semesters of studying French.

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Overview

The French Language exam is designed to measure knowledge and ability equivalent to that of students who have completed two to three semesters of college French language study. Material taught during both years is incorporated into a single exam covering both Level 1 and Level 2 content. Colleges may award different amounts of credit depending on the test taker's test scores.

The exam contains approximately 121 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest questions that will not be scored. There are three separately timed sections. The three sections are weighted so that each question contributes equally to the total score.

Knowledge and Skills Required

Candidates must demonstrate their ability to understand spoken and written French. The exam tests their listening and reading skills through the various types of questions listed below. The percentages indicate the approximate percentage of exam questions devoted to each type of question.

Section I (15%)
Listening: Rejoinders

Listening comprehension: choosing the best responses to short spoken prompts

Section II (25%)
Listening: Dialogues and Narratives

Listening comprehension: choosing the answers to questions based on longer spoken selections

Section III (60%)
Reading

  • 10% Part A. Discrete sentences (vocabulary and structure)
  • 20% Part B. Short cloze passages (vocabulary and structure)
  • 30% Part C. Reading passages and authentic stimulus materials (reading comprehension)

Score Information

ACE Recommendation for French Language

Level 1
Credit-granting Score 50
Semester Hours 6
Level 2
Credit-granting Score 59
Semester Hours 9

Note: Each institution reserves the right to set its own credit-granting policy, which may differ from the American Council on Education (ACE). Contact your college to find out the score required for credit and the number of credit hours granted.

Add Study Guides

CLEP French Language Examination Guide

This guide provides practice questions for the CLEP French Language (Levels 1 and 2) Exam only.

  • PDF
  • $10.00

Resources

Article

Study Resources: French Language

A study plan and list of online resources.

Article

ACE Credit Recommendations

Recommendations for credit-granting scores from the American Council on Education.