Spanish and Portuguese Reading Exams for Graduate Students

Portuguese Graduate Reading Exam

Overview

The Graduate Reading Proficiency Exam in Portuguese is designed to allow graduate students to demonstrate reading proficiency in Portuguese in their area of specialization. The Portuguese exam is not for students enrolled in the Portuguese graduate program. They are offered once in Autumn, Spring semesters (see “Portuguese Reading Exam Deadlines and Dates” below for upcoming exam dates). 

The Graduate Reading Exams consist of the translation from Portuguese to English of a 500-word and a 250-word passage from secondary sources, typically scholarly journals, in the candidate's area of study. Candidates will have one hour and a half to complete the translation and may use a dictionary. A 500 word reading passage in Portuguese is provided by the student's advisor. One 250 word text in Portuguese is supplied by the examiner. The exam is graded on a pass/non-pass basis by the SPPO testing coordinator(s).

Note: Students will take the exam through Carmen. See below for more information.

Details on the Portuguese Exam

To request a Portuguese Reading Exam, students must first send an email to the testing coordinator, Dr. Pedro Pereira, with the following information.

  • A written request to take the Portuguese Reading Exam on the exam date (see “Portuguese Reading Exam Deadlines & Dates” for more information)
    • Note: This request must be for the exam date listed below. If there is a conflict with the date, please provide documentation along with your request and another date may be considered.
  • A 2-hour window on the exam date that you are available to take the exam.
    • Note: the exam has a 2 hour time-limit, the extra half an hour is to provide exam takers some flexibility for accessing the exam, tech issues, etc.
  • Confirmation that you will have access to a laptop/computer and an internet connection strong enough to access Carmen.

After the request has been confirmed by the testing coordinator, students must have their advisor submit a 500 word passage to Dr. Pedro Pereira at least one week prior to the exam date (see deadline below). The passage to translate needs to be in Word format and it is the advisor’s responsibility to submit the passage in the correct format.

            Spring 2024
Deadline to request and examThursday, March 28, 2024
Deadline for advisor to submit passage          Thursday, April 4, 2024
Exam dateThursday, April 11, 2024

The Portuguese Reading Exam will be administered remotely through Carmen. SPPO testing coordinators will provide students information on how to access the exam once the exam request has been finalized. On the day of the exam, students will be given access to the exam for the pre-established two-hour testing window on the exam date. Students will have one and a half to translate both the 500-word document from the student’s advisor and the 250-word document from SPPO.

Students may use a dictionary and scratch paper during the exam. Students cannot use any online translators or use any external help. Any suspicion of academic misconduct will be submitted to COAM for review.

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese does not offer a Portuguese Language in Translation course. If you have had previous courses in Portuguese you may choose to take a Language Placement exam to obtain a quick evaluation of your reading skills. If you place beyond Portuguese 1103 it is possible that your language reading requirement may be met. Please check with your department's language requirements as each department's policies vary. You may also use our free tutoring services offered in our Teaching and Learning Centers (TLC) or take our elementary/intermediate courses for an audit or credit to prepare for the exam.

The test coordinator will email the student and the advisor the reading exam results. The exam will be evaluated as pass/no-pass. If a student does not pass the reading exam, they will be able to retake it the following semester.


Spanish Graduate Reading Exam

Overview

The Graduate Reading Proficiency Exam in Spanish is designed to allow graduate students to demonstrate reading proficiency in Spanish in their area of specialization. The exam is for students not enrolled in the Spanish graduate program of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. It is offered once in Autumn, Spring semesters (see “Spanish Reading Exam Deadlines and Dates” below for upcoming exam dates). 

The Graduate Reading Exam consists of the translation from Spanish to English of a 500-word and a 250-word passage from secondary sources, typically scholarly journals, in the candidate's area of study. Candidates will have two hours to complete the translation and may use a paper dictionary. A 500 word reading passage in Spanish is provided by the student's department (either the advisor or the Graduate Studies Chair). One 250 word text in Spanish is supplied by the examiner. The exam is graded on a pass/non-pass basis by the SPPO testing coordinator(s).

Note: Students will take the exam through Carmen and will be proctored through Proctorio. See below for more information.

Details on the Spanish Exam

To request a Spanish Reading Exam, students must first send an email to the testing coordinator, Dr. Ana Del Sarto, with the following information.

  • A written request to take the Spanish Reading Exam on the exam date (see “Spanish Reading Exam Deadlines & Dates” for more information)
    • Note: This request must be for the exam date listed below. If there is a conflict with the date, please provide documentation along with your request and another date may be considered.
  • A 2-hour window on the exam date that you are available to take the exam.
    • Note: the exam has a 2 hour time-limit, the extra half an hour is to provide exam takers some flexibility for accessing the exam, tech issues, etc.
  • Confirmation that you will have access to a laptop/computer and an internet connection strong enough to access Carmen.

After the request has been confirmed by the testing coordinator, students must have their advisor submit a 500 word passage to Dr. Ana Del Sarto at least one week prior to the exam date (see deadline below). The passage to translate needs to be in Word format and it is the advisor’s responsibility to submit the passage in the correct format.

            Spring 2024
Deadline to request and examThursday, March 28, 2024
Deadline for advisor to submit passage          Thursday, April 4, 2024
Exam dateThursday, April 11, 2024

The Spanish Reading Exam will be administered remotely through Carmen. SPPO testing coordinators will provide students information on how to access the exam once the exam request has been finalized. On the day of the exam, students will be given access to the exam for the pre-established two-hour testing window on the exam date. Students will have one and a half to translate both the 500-word document from the student’s advisor and the 250-word document from SPPO.

Students may use a dictionary and scratch paper during the exam. Students cannot use any online translators or use any external help. Any suspicion of academic misconduct will be submitted to COAM for review.

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese does not offer a Spanish Language in Translation course. If you have had previous courses in Spanish you may choose to take a Language Placement exam to obtain a quick evaluation of your reading skills. If you place beyond Spanish 1103 it is possible that your language reading requirement may be met. Please check with your department's language requirements as each department's policies vary. You may also use our free tutoring services offered in our Teaching and Learning Centers (TLC) or take our elementary/intermediate courses for an audit or credit to prepare for the exam.

The test coordinator will email the student and the advisor the reading exam results. The exam will be evaluated as pass/no-pass. If a student does not pass the reading exam, they will be able to retake it the following semester.