Requirements for French as a Second Language
French Proficiency Test
Candidates who are registering in French as a Second Language, Part I should carefully review the information below
Test Dates and Location:
for Fall 2018: Thursday, September 13, 2018
Location: Faculty of Education Building, University of Windsor - room TBA
Times: 3:30 PM to 7:00PM. Please send an email to aq@uwindsor.ca to schedule a time slot.
Oral Component: 3:30-5:00 pm*
Written Component: 5:30-7:00 pm
*Candidates will receive an email prior to the test date, informing them of their interview time and location
Candidates who have not paid for the test or who have not registered for French as a Second Language, Part I will not be permitted to take the test. The test is listed as a course. https://web2.uwindsor.ca/aq/course.php?id=1974
The Test Details
The pre-admission test has been designed to evaluate your ability to understand, speak, read and write in French. It is structured in the following way:
- Comprehension: listening to questions and responding to them in a face-to-face interview
- Reading an authentic article and responding to questions
- Writing a response to a prompt (usually 3 paragraphs)
NOTE: No sample test is provided. Length of time and format is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
The length of the test is as follows:
- The listening/speaking part will take about 15 minutes in a face-to-face interview. There are 25 points allotted for this section and candidates should achieve a minimum of 18 points to be successful in this part.
- The reading/writing part will take from one hour to one hour and a half. There are 35 points allotted for this section and candidates should achieve a minimum of 25 points to be successful in this part.
- Dictionaries are not permitted.
- To pass the test, candidates need to achieve at least 43 points overall out of a possible 60 points.
Candidates need to bring one piece of photo identification (e.g. driver's license) to the test session.
Test Taken from Afar
1) It is the candidate's responsibility to find a Proctor for this test. Candidates are asked to go to a nearby school and obtain permission from the Principal to take this test at this location. The Principal may be the Proctor or the Principal may assign a Proctor. Once this permission is obtained, candidates will submit the following information to the attention of the Continuing Education Program Secretary at aq@uwindsor.ca or 519-253-3000 ext. 6734:
- the name of the Principal and Proctor and their email addresses
- the name and address of the school
- the phone number and fax number of the school
- the location, date and time of the test
After we receive the above information, we will mail the test and instructions to the Proctor.
2) It is also important to be able to access SKYPE, thus a computer facility must be found at the school or, if you have your own personal computer, please check the functionality of it at the school. Your computer will need to have sound and a microphone, or you may wish to use a headset and microphone. You will have to create a personal account in Skype.
You will then contact the Interviewer on SKYPE, show the Interviewer your Picture I.D. and then the Interviewer will conduct a 15-minute interview with you.
Your proctor will then monitor the reading and writing portion of the test (about one hour to one hour and a half).
NOTE: Candidates will be financially responsible for the Proctor's fee. Candidates will agree with the Proctor on this fee prior to taking the test. The Faculty of Education is NOT responsible for this fee.
The proficiency test MUST be taken and received by us at least THREE weeks prior to the start of the course.
HEADSETS: The purchase of headsets may be required for oral testing (unless you have your own). You may wish to purchase them at: www.tigerdirect.ca
Exemptions
Candidates who meet the criteria for an exemption must apply for an exemption at least 5 days before the test date, otherwise, they must write the test. Criteria for French test exemption.
- If you have attended a Francophone University, such as Montreal, Laval, Chicoutimi, Quebec, Sudbury, Laurentian and Ottawa, where the language of instruction was French for all university courses completed, you may apply for an exemption from writing the test.
- Proficiency testing results from other Institutions may be considered for exemptions. Admission offers from other institutions are not considered for exemptions.
- In extenuating circumstances, candidates may have an interview with the Continuing Education Program Coordinator concerning the proficiency test.
Requesting an exemption
Candidates who believe that they may be eligible for exemption must contact the Continuing Education Program Coordinator (marium@uwindsor.ca or 519-253-3000 X 6725) at least 5 business days prior to the stated test date with a copy of their applicable university transcripts. Transcripts may be faxed to 519-971-3620 or emailed to aq@uwindsor.ca.
Fee
The cost of taking the test is $50. This is not included in the course fee. The $50 test fee is non-refundable. You must register and pay for the course prior to taking the test.
Preparing for the Test
Candidates are advised to prepare well for the test. To improve oral fluency consider:
- listening to a French radio station
- watching television, movies, films or plays in French
- speaking French with friends or family
- taking French classes at post-secondary institutions such as Collège Boréal
To improve written fluency consider:
- reviewing all tenses of verbs, spelling, use of specific tenses such as l'imparfait, le conditionnel, le subjonctif, le passé composé
- reading in French to review vocabulary
- practicing a cloze test by photocopying a paragraph and whiting out about twenty words. Later, fill in the blanks and compare your answers with the original copy.
- purchasing or accessing multimedia programs such as Success in French
- reviewing grammar books that you already have
- searching the Internet for sites on French language
You may also wish to contact institutions that offer French courses such as Collège Boréal, your local community colleges or universities. It would also be advisable to seek out immersion French courses offered by travel agencies such as areas in Quebec or other francophone speaking areas.
Here are the websites that may help you in preparing for the test:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/index.shtml
http://www.leconjugueur.com
http://www.radio-canada.ca/radio/francaismicro
http://www.tv5.org/TV5Site/7-jours
http://1jour1actu.com http://festivalvoyageur.mb.ca
http://carnaval.qc.ca/ http://www.toutenclic.com/spip.php?article621
http://www.francaisauthentique.com/regle1/
https://www.ac-strasbourg.fr/fileadmin/pedagogie/casnav/ENA/2d_degre/classe_ordinaire/7-_Fiche_eleve__-_ameliorer_mon_francais_sur_Internet.pdf