Online Placement Test (SPOT) and Proficiency Exam

Welcome to the Japanese Studies Program!

We're very excited that you're interested in learning Japanese at UC San Diego.

If you have never been exposed to the Japanese language, JAPN 10A is the right class for you. This course does not have a prerequisite, so please enroll in it during your enrollment period for the fall quarter.

If you have studied the Japanese language in any way, you must take the online Japanese placement test, the Simple Proficiency-Oriented Test (SPOT), in order to enroll in an appropriate JAPN course at UC San Diego.

• taking Japanese classes at schools (including AP Japanese in high school and Japanese courses at community colleges and other universities)
• self-studying
• tutoring
• speaking Japanese at home and/or with family/friends
• having lived in Japan
• studying abroad in Japan

Note: Students who completed their high school education in Japan are NOT eligibel for any JAPN courses at UC San Diego, except for those who attended an international school in Japan. 

SPOT is available online 24/7, and you can take it from anywhere with a stable wifi connection. It consists of multiple choice questions and 

1. Take SPOT online and submit it via Google Form as instructed. You will find the Google Form link in the instructions below. Incomplete Google Form will not be processed.
2. Once we receive your submission via Google Form, one of our Japanese language faculty will contact you via email within 5 business days to schedule your placement interview for an oral assessment. 
3. Your placement interview will take place for about 10-15 minutes on Zoom. You will find out your placement result (course level) at the end of your interview.
4. Registered UCSD undergrads will receive a JAPN course pre-authorization confirmation via VAC. Graduate students and Non-UCSD students (including Concurrent Enrollment Students) will receive it via email.
5. Enroll in the JAPN course during your enrollment period for the appropriate quarter.

Note:

• All incoming freshmen and transfer students who have studied Japanese before must take SPOT before their FA26 enrollment period begins in August to enroll in an appropriate JAPN course. Our faculty will continue to process placement tests and interviews throughout the summer, but the sooner the better. Due to the new system implementation scheduled for July 1, 2026, we strongly recommend that you complete the placement before June 12, 2026 if possible.
• All the placement interviews are scheduled on a first come first served basis. 
• Your SPOT test result is valid only for one academic year (3 consecutive quarters).

Click here to access SPOT and instructions.

Questions?
Current UCSD undergrads: Virtual Advising Center 
All others: japan@ucsd.edu

UC San Diego students may wish to have it certified that they have attained a level of conversational and reading proficiency to satisfy their language requirements. Revelle and Eleanor Roosevelt Colleges require such certification for the baccalaureate degree and some UC San Diego departments have an undergraduate language requirement as part of their major program. We offer a proficiency exam for Japanese.

Proficiency Exam Procedures

Please follow these procedures.

1. Contact the approved proficiency exam administrator and make an appointment for the test. After the test, the test administrator fills out the form and either certifies that you have passed proficiency or indicates that you are not proficient.
2. Bring the completed form to the Linguistics Language Program Office, APM 3101. You must return this form to the Language Program whether or not you passed the test.
3. The Language Program office will contact the test administrator to verify that the test has been given and that the results indicated are correct. If you have passed the test, the Language Program office will notify your college or major department of the results and will also inform the Registrar so the result can be posted to your transcript.

More information about taking a Proficiency Examination can be found on the Linguistics Department Website: http://ling.ucsd.edu/language/proficiency-exam.html