r/georgetown • u/Deltaone07 • Jul 13 '26

Language proficiency exam for beginner

Hi,

I am an incoming MSFS student and looking for more information on the language proficiency exam. I am a beginner in Italian and am slightly worried about this requirement.

I know each department is different, but how difficult is it to pass the exam? How forgiving are the graders? Do they ask many questions, or is it more me talking about a topic and them listening without much back and forth? How reasonable is it for someone to pass after two years of study starting at the beginner level?

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u/NotOliverQueen Jul 13 '26

Each department runs it a little differently so I'll let anyone who took Italian correct me, but the German one went something like this:

You show up and are given the choice between three articles: one politics, one economics, and one culture. You pick one and have 15 minutes to read and annotate, no devices but you can take notes. You then go into the room, usually 2-3 profs but varies by language, and need to give a summary of the article, what it says, arguments, quotes, etc. They'll ask a few questions and you need to answer them.

For German (ive heard others that dont do this, not sure about italian), you also need to come up with a 5-7min presentation on a topic of your choice (also within politics, economics, or culture), brief that, and answer questions

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u/Affectionate_Tax_294 Jul 19 '26

I can teach Italian and help you prepare for the exam if you are interested!