Level 100
Courses that cover the fundamentals of the Spanish language and its many cultures
Courses that cover the fundamentals of the Spanish language and its many cultures
Courses that advance your language and cultural skills in preparation for study abroad and/or content-centered courses
Courses that take a broad view of a given topic, starting with SPAN 301: Literature and Culture of the Hispanic World
Thematic courses that may involve academic research
The following descriptions, in addition to our Online Placement Exam, will help guide you toward the appropriate course for your level of Spanish:
...then you should take SPAN 101: Fundamentals of Spanish Language and Culture I
...then you should take SPAN 102: Fundamentals of Spanish Language and Culture II
...then you should take SPAN 201: Intermediate Spanish Language and Culture
...then you should take SPAN 202: Advanced Spanish Language and Culture or SPAN 205: Finding Your Bilingual Voice
...then you should take SPAN 301: Literature and Cultures of the Hispanic World
…if you identify with some of the following points then you should take LLAS/SPAN205:
If you took the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam, follow this guide:
If you took the AP Spanish Literature and Culture Exam, follow this guide:
If you took the SAT Spanish Subject Test, follow this guide:
If you took the IB exam, follow this guide:
If you have any previous knowledge of Spanish but have not taken any of the tests mentioned above, you should take our Online Placement Exam.
Please remember that the placement exam is a tool to help place you in the appropriate language course. You are not expected to know all of the answers, so if you come across something that is not familiar or if you don't know the answer, please don't panic. Answer the question to the best of your ability and move on to the next one. It is important that you take this exam without outside help, in whatever form, as this may skew the results and you might end up in the wrong course.
Please remember that, as stated in the Statement of Intellectual Responsibility in Amherst College's Honor Code: "...the College considers it a violation of the requirements of intellectual responsibility to submit work that is not one's own or otherwise to subvert the conditions under which academic work is performed by oneself or by others."
Please use your Amherst College Username and ID Number when registering for the Spanish Placement Exam. Take the Online Placement Exam and follow this guide to register for the correct class:
If your placement score is at the higher end of the scale, the department strongly encourages you to also attend the next course in the sequence during the Add/drop period to ensure that you are at the correct proficiency level.